Teaching Artist Practicum:
Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:30 - 4:00 (2.5 Hours)
Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:15 - 3:00 (2.75 Hours)
Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, Friday 1:00 - 2:00 (1 Hour)
Urban Arts Academy - Preschool
Wednesday, February 27th 1:30 - 4:00 (2.5 Hours)
I had a very eventful day at Urban Arts Academy on Wednesday! When I got there, I was happy to hear that I was back in room 208 with the kids that I really enjoy, however, they were all very wild that day! Once again they had tables set up in stations with building blocks, drawing paper and markers, and clay. There were a few girls who were fascinated with the clay and the effects adding water had to it, they played for a long period of time with that and it me me wonder what other mediums or sort of tactile experiences like that they haven’t had or used yet! Some of my time was spent chasing kids around because they thought it was funny to splash water all over or throw blocks across the table, but that’s preschool for ya! However, when I do get the chance to sit down with them, I can tell how thoughtful the kids are becoming when they make things out of play doh/clay and they always want me to join in. They come up with some very creative stuff. By the end of the day I got almost all of them to sit down in front of me to listen to me read a story, which was great. Not only did I love being able to read to them, but it gave the head teachers both a well deserved break because they were having a tough day. Starting next week, I will no longer have Ms. Vatina and Ms. Julia, I will be with a new teacher since they decided to take new jobs. I am kind of sad because they are super appreciative of me being there and I was starting to get a lot more comfortable with them. Next week is another new adventure, so we shall see what it has in store, but I am always excited to walk through the doors of Urban Arts. I think the kids have already gotten a lot more grown up since I started, and they have a lot more to say and more complete thoughts which is really fun to see.
Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten
Monday, February 25th, 12:15 - 3:00 (2.75 Hours)
On Monday February 25th, I made my way to Whittier! It was another good day in the classroom. I met Angela for the very first time, and she, like Susan, is also very kind and understanding. First, she had me work with kids one on one in the hallway learning numbers. It was very interesting to see that kids were in so many different places in terms of knowing the numbers, but I tried to make it a fun time for the kids and we may or may not have gotten off topic and had conversations of our own while using the number flashcards. For the rest of the day, I helped keep kids focused on the stories we were reading and redirected their attention back to the activities Angela was doing on the board. I talked with Angela about my upcoming lesson, which I am really excited for! I am preparing a bunch of information to send their way this afternoon, and I hope they are as pumped as I am for my pennant project idea I want to integrate into their celebrations unit!! I can’t wait for the kids to get their hands on felt and see how they act and respond differently to me teaching in the classroom.
Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing
Friday, March 1st, 1:00 - 2:00 (1 Hour)
On Friday March 1st, I met with Angela Olson again at Mia for another Free Open Studio shadowing experience. I only stayed for an hour, because once again the program is still growing and not many kids stop by, but we had a few! I helped set up all the materials. This week we had a tissue paper craft where you wrap the tissue around the end of a pencil and glue it down to your paper. Two little boys came in, and I sat with them and got to know them which I really enjoyed. They were having a great time comparing their tissue to seaweed, fireworks, and even explosions. I thought that was really great they could make many associations for their projects, made it really enjoyable and we shared many laughs.
Personal Update
This week I am going to be extremely busy setting up my Merit Scholarship installation and submitting my book you saw last week for the Made at MCAD Exhibition in the Main Gallery! Pictures to come next week of all that I am up to this week. I am so glad it is March, bring on the good luck! ☘️☘️☘️