Wednesday, January 8th

First shadowing session at MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

Students with disabilities

Around 2-3 hours each week

8 am - 11 am

I arrived at MSS Oakdale at 8 am Wednesday morning. When I entered I was greeted by Chloe. She gave me a tour of the building. MSS is a non-profit organization that specializes in offering services to people with disabilities.

Chloe familiarized me with how they run their organizations and introduced me to Matthew Bindert. After overviewing company policies and procedures Matt started introducing me to all of his students. We went into the main gathering area where everyone meets before they choose what projects they would like to work on. This was overwhelming at first being the new person in the room. Everyone came and started introducing themselves. I was getting a lot of extra attention  After each person chose where they would like to spend their first portion of their day, we headed back to Matt’s room.

In Matt’s room, we were introduced to a more personalized classroom experience. Matt allows his students the freedom to explore whatever they desire. He provides assistant and materials when needed, but doesn’t force anything. I enjoyed this experience. Matt told me that most of his students are already restricted in most aspects of their lives so when they come here, he wants to provide that release.

I was paired with one student that has been studying photography and photoshop with professional individuals. He wanted a more in-depth experience in photoshop. So, for the next hour and a half, I taught him about layers, tools, and editing techniques in photoshop. He absorbed all of the information and even wrote notes. When I return next Wednesday, he asked me to test him on what he retained.

As I watched Matt’s interactions with all his students, I was wondering how he impacts each of their lives. Many students who were not assigned to his classroom who come in to say hello or tell him their stories. Matt is very well respected by every individual. He told me he has a daily routine where he makes sure to say hello to each individual he created a personable relationship with.