My Turn at the Easel

Playing Barbies with Grandma Jan
-Scherenschnitte-

I’m still on Winter Break.  There’s a full, delicious week to myself awaiting me.  One of my goals is to do plenty of paper cutting.

I spent most of my break so far in Los Angeles.  My daughter and granddaughter live there.  It was a wonderful visit.  A sixth birthday.  Teaching the little one to ride a bike.  A visit to Disneyland.  Lots of  baking and playing with each other.

I did this scherenschnitte as a memory of my trip.  I still remember playing “Kelly’s Drive In” with my Aunt Helen when I was 5. I hope my sweet granddaughter will remember all the things she does with me.

If anyone asks why my students are painting “gingerbread houses,” tell them that it has a creative connection to architecture. That’s what I’m claiming anyway.

With three school days left until Winter Break, my kindergartners are “losing it.”  I was feeling bad, thinking that it’s my fault that they are less self controlled; thinking that it’s because I am getting crabby and it’s making them crabby.   But when several enter the class saying crabby with each other, I think that it’s something bigger than me.  I’m not so sure that things get better after an hour in my room, so that’s frustrating.

There are only two more kindergarten classes before break and we have things to do that must be done before break.  In January, I’ll try to start fresh with them.  An hour is a long time to be in art.  I think that when they come back, I’ll lead them through a lesson and then not teach anything else.  I will give them art “free choice.”  Blocks.  Tangrams.  Drawing.  Whatever else I can think of in that vein.

These kindergarteners are printing patterns on a grid.

My daughter asked me what she should give my granddaughter’s teachers for Christmas, so I asked my  teacher friends on Twitter about their favorite Christmas gifts from students:

-2 favorite gifts...a very nice note about my class, framed!!!  And a gift card to 
Starbucks w/ car mug!  (from an art teacher)

-my fave tchr gifts: heartfelt note... gift card.... all time fave was a home cooked country meal  (this was mine-art teacher)

-I absolutely love Dunkin Donut coffee. 
So, a gift card to Dunkin Donuts is awesome...actually I think I'll go get some now.  (from an art teacher)

-a card from both student and parent telling me how much I meant to them.
gift cards to movies, restaurants, book store  (from a math specialist)

-  fancy lotion coincidently in my signature scent (would never have bought it for myself),
an apron, holiday card with note.

-a hand painted scarf done by a student's grandmother (from a classroom teacher)

Fridays are interminable. I have five classes of four different grades with five different media. The preparation and clean up for all of that is exhausting. Yesterday I had kids printing, glazing pottery, working with clay, drawing, and weaving. I remember sitting for only short periods of time, and spending lots of time hunched over the sink, washing. Last night my brain was numb and my back was tired. Most of the rest of the week, my schedule is good, and I am happy with it. Fridays are just tough.

To see this in motion, click here: Scherenschnitte - German Candle Pyramid #2

This is my second attempt at a Candle Pyramid snip.  Scherenschnitte seems like an appropriate medium in which to recreate this, as both are German in origin.

Click here to see an image of my scherenschnitte in motion.

Today felt like a long day.  By the time the last class came through, my head was pounding and my back hurt.  This was a large group of first graders, whose greatest strength is not their self control.  I felt so awful that I just wasn’t doing my best teaching.  It felt like all I could do to get them through the glazing of their pinch pots.  Afterwards, I gave them “free choice” time.

I like quiet classes, but at this point I didn’t have it in me to crack the whip to attain that.  About all I could do was to bide my time and make sure no one was hurting anyone else.

When two little kiddies asked me if they could help clean the tables, I was so thankful.  The tables had glaze residue on them and I wasn’t looking forward to cleaning the mess myself.  I could have asked for volunteers, but that even felt beyond me.  So these happy little ones really helped me a lot.  They warmed my heart just for their kindness.  I am thankful for people who offer their help before you ask for it.

Until this year, Art Club has always been a fun experience for me.  The kids who came were highly engaged in the lessons and performed at good to outstanding levels.  This year, however, is different.  There is a good 30% of the kids who are more interested in socializing than working.  That group is loud and playful.  Though they do sit at their tables and  work, the work is of low quality.

Since it is an after school activity that they choose to do, I have never laid down the same rules for work time that I do during school.  Actually, the club kids have always behaved better than the kids in regular class, and so I never had to police behavior.

As I sit in Art Club wondering why I am hating being there this year my first thought is that I must just be getting crabby.  I really think though that I am disappointed.  It’s always been so fun in the past observing the kids who are most interested in art getting the opportunity to create together.  And most of the kids this year are there for good reasons.  It’s just that the other kids are rather loud and care more about playing than the quality of their work.

When I sit back and look at the kids, all of the kids seem to be enjoying the experience.  I contemplate whether or not to quell the noisy bunch since no one but me seems to mind.  If their work didn’t suffer from their playfulness, I think it would not bother me so much.

I opened the club to more kids this year than I had ever done before.  Though I don’t like the idea of cutting the numbers down next year, I am wondering if that’s what I should do.  I am also considering the idea of screening kids somehow.  I’d rather let everyone in, but so far this method is not very fun for me.