Influences & Expectations

When I think back to influential classes that I have taken, I remember feeling the need to try my best because of how much expectations were stressed by my teachers. I felt this way because the expectations were presented to me in a way that left the responsibility to meet these expectations in my hands. The expectations were set up in a way that would not allow for student excuses. I see this in my cooperating teacher's classroom. There are no room for excuses from students because everyday she covers the expectations, goes over the rules of the art form from which we are currently working with, does as many demos are needed, and does not let misbehavior just slide by. Now that the classroom has been passed on to me for the remaining weeks of my 8 here, I am trying my best to uphold the expectations that she has in place as I lead classes. Everyday, as the students file in, they know to get their folders from their cabinets, take a seat, and when they see me standing at the front silent, they quiet down. Right now we are working on cityscapes from either a worm or bird's eyes view, one point perspective in the round. Everyday we go over the rules of perspective. Everyday I ask in the beginning of class if anyone needs a demo. Everyday I tell them that I will be checking their folders after they leave class to check on their progress and everyday I do. The students are aware that their effort and the way they use their class time is taken into account when I am grading their projects. Still, they often talk more than they should, and I remind them to work as they talk quietly, but still, they know that they are responsible for the outcome of their work and their grade. For example, I am doing a coloring demo tomorrow to progress onto the next stage of the project. Many of the students who are holding themselves responsible in class are up to speed and are ready to move on, but the students who are not using their time wisely are now spending their mornings or afternoons with me to catch up on their work. Now that they see that it is an expectation that I am continuing, the rules have not changed, and that they my expectations are in place so that they will not be able to just slide by onto the next step, I do not expect that we will have many students talking as much but using their time in class instead. The rules that I am continuing with all of my classes are ones that my coop already has in place in her classroom. The classroom management and expectations that she upholds in her classes reflect the same beliefs I have as a student teacher. I think that when the responsibility falls on the student after the teacher has presented them with the tools needed to succeed, the student will take on that responsibility when the expectation is upheld by the teacher.

Reflection on Finishing College/ Student Teaching Dress

Reflect on these questions:

What do you find most daunting about finishing student teaching and graduating from college?

What was the pivotal event that made you decide to become a teacher and enter your teacher preparation program? Employers almost always ask a question similar to this.

In what ways will you wardrobe change during student teaching and as a teaching professional?

If you could add any article of clothing to your professional wardrobe, what would it be?

What I find to be the most daunting about finishing student teaching and graduating from college is the reality of possibly not finding a job and being in limbo for a while. I am so anxious and excited to find a job, especially now that I am teaching in full swing at my student teaching placement. I have so many resources that I have already been offered by my coops and I know I will accumulate more, that I am just excited to put them to use in lesson plans. I am afraid that I will loose some of the experience and confidence that I will have built up during student teaching if a long period of time goes by before finding a job.

Another thing that I know I will miss but don't necessarily find daunting is that right now, I have a cooperating teacher floating in and out of the classroom to give me advice after class. She gives me tips when I have questions about behavior management, lessons, supplies, etc. It is a valuable resource to have. I know that I will come up with other ways to work through issues in the classroom, however. For example, I know that it will be in my nature to continue to journal about my days, reflect on my students' behaviors and so on, in order to stay in tuned with how my classroom is running.

What made me want to become an art teacher is the experiences that I have had with my past art teachers. The most effective teachers that I have had in the past have had a passion for the subject that they could not hide. Their passion for the subject shown through the work that they created and through their expectations for students' work. I knew that I wanted to pursue a job having to do with art, and I knew that I wanted to be able to share what I had learned with others. I have always respected the way that an effective teacher can reach out to a classroom full of kids, so I believe these factors combined are what inspired me to pursue a career in Art Education.

I believe that in terms of dress, my wardrobe will not change all that much than what it is now. At this moment, I feel like I am dressing up more than necessary because it makes me feel more confident and professional. I dress to be able to work in the art room and to be able to present myself well. If I could add one staple item into my wardrobe for the future in the classroom, I would purchase a new apron to wear while working so I do not ruin the work clothes that I have and also so that when I finish with one class, I do not have to wear its remains around the rest of day on my clothes.

(In Progress) The Other Family Members

We have two beagles in our family and they have become important members of our family. To us, they have developed their own personalities and have become a big part of our daily lives and family get togethers. I decided to include some portraits of them into my assignments this semester because they really have become an extension of our family, or rather, the other family members. I will continue to photograph them because they come out interestingly, probably because most of the time dogs are unaware of a camera and the photos are candid.

Beginning Photography

These are an assortment of photographs that I took for assignments in Beginning Photography. I am hoping to take each of these in new directions, to expand on them and create an assortment of different series.

(In Progress) The Alternative Canvas: A Documentation of Messages Around Iowa City

These are a few photographs from my final in Beginning Photography. I will soon have the rest of my images up on the blog. I am interested in the objects that we often pass and take for granted, and the canvas they become for some individuals. I hope to expand upon this even after the class comes to an end, and hope to find interesting objects to include in this series.

Informal Portraits of My Brother: New Father and Family Man

Series of Family Portraits (Still in Progress)

I enjoy taking photographs of my family and feel that it is important to take both formal and candid photographs of them. I think that this series will be a constant work in progress. Once I have collected enough images, I may look into breaking the pictures into different series, though I am not sure what those would be at this time. I thoroughly enjoy photography, and enjoy photographing all different subjects, whether it be my family, objects that interest me, other peoples' hidden messages scattered around a town, etc.