In the event that you haven’t heard by now, I have good news about my teaching career for next year. I have accepted and signed my contract to be the newest member of the Fort Atkinson High School Art Program. I’ll be teaching Art Foundations, Painting, Advanced Painting, Computer Graphics and Photography, Advanced Computer Graphics and Photography, and every other year an AP Art History course.
When I learned that I was receiving a non-renewal from WUHS, after 19 years of “Living my job”, I knew that things would never be the same. I have gained so much from all of my students and parents, friends and colleagues, teachers and staff, and community of Waterford – the community (and high school) I grew up in. The love and support you have given (and continue to give to me) makes me know that for all you have given me, I have given you back.
Thank you to the kids I have grown to admire, care for, and love. There are only a few kids in my life that mean more to me than you all and you will not be forgotten as I move into the next phase of my professional teaching career. My daughter Abby put is best to describe how much you all mean to me when she spoke at the final board meeting I attended to read my last statement and pass on them all of your support. Abby said that she knew how much you all meant to me because there was seldom a day I didn’t come home and talk about something great or new that one of you had done.Thank you Julie and Abby for all your continued support and love – this journey would have been so much harder without your love and support.”Ok? Ok. What’s Next?”Fort Atkinson High School!
Get ready to WALK a bit – I’ll take your supplies.
COLOR THEORY and USE is going to be a focus this week as will the use of ACRYLICS (Tuesday). Take a gander at this handoutand be ready to use additional colors in the process. Sketching is a common theme in your reflections, so make sure that the IDEAS and the PRELIMINARY SKETCHES are being worked through.
Well… the weather is not cooperating with us this year so far. The kids did a good job in the beginning getting their thoughts on paper, but in the end we had to come inside and finish the jobs there. I can’t wait to read their reflections on the week.
What a day! We finally got outside and almost beat the rain. Good to have the ladies out and painting and drawing. Tomorrow is one more day in the civilized world of Waterford, then we move to the wooded area. Perhaps a bit of acrylic next week!
Day 1 is in the books and the kids sweat through the 3 hours of making art. This was a quick intro to the making of art outside in the plein air – out of doors. Some images from the day. Please stay tuned to the site for updates! Enjoy the warm weather!
Hello to all the Plein Air Artists I’ll be seeing on Monday – bright and early at 9:00 am. Permission slips below… let’s get this taken care of please. Oh… and this is for the PLEIN AIR at the FAIR: WI State Fair HERE
We will meet in Room 123 to get a feel for who we have – short introductions and the like. Then we are OFF to the races. We will begin with some drawings for an hour or so… pencil, charcoal, pastels… whatever piques your interest. Then we will step back and talk about the ideas of composition and laying out an idea for the observational works. Monday will be dry materials on paper – unless you have some previous experience – as I know some of you will have (you will be on your own then I guess). Anyway… here we go… One more gathering of my students.
As I sit in my empty classroom (I’ve a coffee cup and mousepad) I have a great sadness about the future of my students and what I will not be able to offer them. It is hard for me to truly come to grips that that 19 years have come and gone and I’m headed out the door. My kids (and fellow staff members) have given me so much over the years as I’ve grown as a teacher. They have taught me to have patience, given me the knowledge that skills vary widely, and that success is different for everyone. For all I’ve learned from them, through all of the support and love I have received, I know that I given them an equal share back.
When it comes down to it, and my students know this when they walk in for the first time, my number one concern has never been turning out the next Mary Cassatt, Kehinde Wiley, Frida Kahlo, or Jim Dine but rather helping them to become more caring, hard working, and passionate adults. I have seen my kids act on their beliefs and create works, use words, and take action ahat have led to social awareness on topics that they are truly passionate and concerned about. (See how the NVASworks into so much of what I hope for the kids? 2.3Ad Demonstrate in works of art or design how visual and material culture defines, shapes, enhances, inhibits, and/or empowers people’s lives. and 6.1Ad Curate a collection of objects, artifacts, or artwork to impact the viewer’s understanding of social, cultural, and/or political experiences). Thank you students for that.
I was asked today if I could have one photograph, just one photo, of what I take away from here what would that be? I have that image… three young women (Izzy, Ali, and Ashley) standing a few feet back in front of one of their drawings. I’ve already gone around the room, offered my feedback, and now have stepped back to give work time. They are critiquing one another’s work without me telling them to. They are pointing their fingers at areas that need work, looking up at the elements and principles posters to find the right words to use, and they are sharing ideas about how to resolve and make revisions. This is the image I leave with. This happens all the time. It’s not just these three, it happens in all of my classes and I know that it will happen in my new school with my new students.
Izzy, Ali, and Ashley critiquing all on their own. This is the image that stays with me. I’ve got these images of nearly all my kids. This is one that I actually have a photograph of. Thanks ladies.
What I will miss the most here are my relationships and connections. I know that I will develop new and solid relationships with my new community. The school friends that I don’t have yet will take the place (but never replace) the friends I currently have. The kids that I don’t know yet and that will mean the world to me will take the place of (but not replace) the kids that mean the world to me here. I am good knowing that the impact I made in my hometown student’s (and fellow staff’s) lives will be felt by my new school as well. It will take some time obviously, but the connections will be made and the love, care, and compassion for those I have yet to begin working with will develop.
Thank you to everyone (family, friends, students, community) who has helped make the end of my time in my hometown high school less painful. Thank you to the students and community who came together to try and save my job (and with that make sure that you and your friends all TAKE MORE ART CLASSES! Don’t sign up for a study hall, you don’t need to watch videos on how to play video games anyway.) Thank you for the letters, phone calls, hugs, and prayers… this would have been a lot harder without all that support. Most importantly however, thank you to Julie and Abby for being there and supporting me through all of this. Without your love and support I just don’t know how I’d have handled this all.
With the year ending, and my 19 years (I’m still giving them my 100% – and SUMMER SCHOOL with Plein Air Art), I have created a final work for the AP Kids. Titled Eleven Concentrations and One Breadth it is a work using the works of the 12 AP kids. I have truly enjoyed the time with each of them and I wish all of the art students (and all the rest of my students) well as they continue to move forward in their career. Keep in touch.
