Week 16 (Apr. 30 - May 6)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 3 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 2 hrs

This was the week of the Art Buddies parade, my lesson with Jane's 4th graders, my final week of residency, and the last full week of classes! It was a very busy week indeed.

My Art Buddy's final costume. She was a colorful flower and heart fairy!

On Thursday, we had the Art Buddies parade. All of the Art Buddies in their costumes and their mentors marched around the school twice to a drum beat led by Ms. Bennett while all of the classes sat along the walls of the hallways to watch us go by. All the kids were screaming and waving, it was pretty insane. We started going up the stairs and my Art Buddy told me, "This is where it gets really loud." She was right! It was super fun, though. Unfortunately, my Art Buddy didn't make it to our final session after school when all of the professional portraits were being taken, but I did get some pictures of her in her costume on my phone.

Woooow...it's me!

The next day, Friday, I taught my suminagashi marbling lesson to Jane's class. The kids were more attentive and excited about doing marbling than I could have expected, and although the potential for one was there--there was no huge mess! I had a lot of excellent experiences being at Whittier, and I'm really glad I got to know these kids. Jane even said she was interested in doing marbling with the students in the future, which would be great for the kids who were absent and unfortunately missed out. I'm really glad that my lesson went as well as it did. A big thank you to my hosting teacher, Jane, for allowing me into her classroom and letting me observe for the past several weeks. She is a fantastic teacher and truly cares about all of her students. And of course, thank you to Lynda, for helping me out a ton with supplies and a demo for my lesson!

Students' work laid out to dry!

I have come to the end of my practicum experience. Working in two elementary schools was fantastic. It was so interesting to see all of the huge differences as well as the similarities between both schools. Residing in the classrooms, getting to know the kids, and understand what they were learning really helped me become aware of what these kids are capable of (which, I freely admit, is so much more than I expected) at their different age ranges. I really do enjoy working with kids, and being able to go off campus and spend a day at elementary school, have kids read to me, talk to me about their life, and go out for recess was way more fun than a day spent sitting in a college classroom, so I'm really thankful for that as well. Like I said in my last entry, I really wish I could keep going, and hopefully, after graduation, I'll get the opportunity to do so.

Evie out!

Week 15 (Apr. 23 - 29)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 6 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

The 3rd and 4th graders practicing in the atrium! Great acoustics in there!

The students had a rehearsal for their Día Del Niño program. I wasn't able to go to the actual show myself, but witnessing the rehearsal was fantastic! I don't remember sounding that good when I was in elementary school. The music teacher, Ms. Bennett, really knows what she's doing.

At recess, I met up and talked to a few kids that I worked with last year in my Art in Community class, when we led the Art in the City after school program! Not only did they recognize and remember me, but they remembered the crazy, malfunctioning iPhone I had back then. It really goes to show that MCAD Teaching Artist minors leave a lasting memory on these kids! (No matter how goofy that memory is!)

I talked to Jane a bit about my lesson. I'm excited and nervous. I really think the kids will get a huge kick out of creating their own marbled art pieces. I've been doing a bunch of different tests at home, and I've been having a ton of fun. It'll be even more fun/crazier for the kids, because they'll get to do it on much larger sheets of paper than I'm using! I'll be teaching my lesson next Friday, the 4th (May the Fourth be with you!) since next Thursday, the day I usually come, will be the day of the Art Buddies Parade.

My Art Buddy and I have finished her costume just in time. We spent the session figuring out how to strap her wings on and then we finished her magic wand. It looks great. Since my Art Buddy has done the parade before, she explained to me what we do for the parade. Apparently, we walk around the whole school twice. Sounds like we'll be getting our exercise in.

It's cliché, but I can't believe next week is my final week. It's flown by so fast. I really wish I could keep going to different schools and teaching lessons. And I guess that's what working teaching artists do! Each elementary school is a bit different from the last one, and it's always exciting to meet new kids. I hope my lesson goes well next week!

Week 14 (Apr. 16 - 22)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 6.5 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

The 4th graders began a new book today, A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. The book relates to their next unit about water conservation and sharing the planet.

I've settled on the idea of doing suminagashi marbling for my lesson. I think "filtering" the ink out of the water and creating their own designs will be super cool and engaging for the kids. I talked to Jane about it, and she was supportive of the idea. I'll be finishing up the first draft of my lesson this weekend. The week after next week, I'll be teaching!

Today in science class, the kids looked at some really weird stuff under microscopes, which was really interactive and exciting for them. I also helped them out with fractions in math class, and I sat in on another IB meeting with the other 4th grade teachers, where they discussed an upcoming field trip to the river.

My Art Buddy's wings!

After school, we had our last full creating/crafting session of Art Buddies. Next week, we'll have our last half hour or so, and after that, everyone will be presenting their costumes. Two more weeks until the parade!

My Art Buddy's costume is coming along swimmingly, although we both wish we had more time. Today we finished up the wings of her fairy costume and started working on her wand.

Can't wait until next week! :)

Week 13 (Apr. 9 - 15)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 6.5 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

The fourth grade classrooms all received foldscope kits that they'll be using to learn about magnification and how to use microscopes in their science class. I helped a few kids construct their foldscopes today so they'd be able to assist their peers in constructing them for the lesson they'll be having next week. It was challenging, but I'm excited to see how they actually work.

The kids went to P.E. (where they played dodgeball! I was right!) and I sat in on my first IB teacher meeting where the fourth grade teachers discussed lesson plans, tried to figure out how the foldscopes worked, and how to fit them into the science curriculum. We had a rare day of good weather on Thursday, so I wasn't freezing my butt off at recess; afterward, I had another special lunch with a group of kids, where we talked about ourselves and played some games. The class also finished up their math MCAs today, so I got to play magnatiles again with the kids who opted out of the tests.

I have two more sessions before my lesson. I talked to Jane a bit about the day that would be on and the integration of my lesson with their water conservation unit.

In addition, my Art Buddy and I only have two more sessions until the parade. The Art Buddies parade falls on the same day as my projected lesson date, so it will be a busy day at Whittier for me. Today, my Art Buddy and I had a very productive day. She and I got to work right away. Her costume is now for a rainbow-feather-flower fairy. The wings are pretty big, so we've still got a whole one to decorate. Next week, we'll start working in her magic wand.

Overall, it was a very busy, fun-filled day at Whittier!

Week 12 (Apr. 2 - 8)

The kids at Whittier International School are on their spring break, so I didn't see them this week.

I've been thinking of different ideas for the lesson I'll be teaching them next month. The time is quickly approaching. The kids will be studying the water cycle in their Science class, so I'm trying to come up with ideas to relate art to water.

The most obvious ideas are something involving watercolor or marbling. I think something related to marbling would be pretty exciting for kids. There's something magical about transferring those floating patterns to paper or fabric, and I think it would keep them really excited and engaged.

There is also opportunity for some sort of 3D modeling project, a video, or animation...the possibilities seem somewhat endless to me. Hopefully next week I'll be able to sit in on their science class and it'll help inform my decision and ideas.

I spent this week catching up on a bit of my other classes. A lot of final projects are starting to be assigned, so I'm pretty overwhelmed with having to develop a lot of big ideas at once. I also went home to see my family again. The trip wasn't that exciting. I had to leave later than expected because of an unexpected snowfall, and then I had to leave early because of another snowfall. Happy April!

Week 11 (Mar. 26 - Apr. 1)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 5 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

A student's gestural drawing of me. Although I don't remember doing the splits.

I went to Whittier on Thursday, a.k.a. the students' last day before spring break. Needless to say, all the kids (and teachers) were very excited. Mrs. Swatosh's class went to art class again this week, and did more gestural sketching. This time, the kids did fun poses and drew each other. The kids told me that, since they weren't going to have school on Friday, that means I'm going to have go to P.E. with them next week. I don't know how I feel about that. P.E. was one of my least favorite classes in school. Do they still play dodgeball? I guess I could play dodgeball.

After freezing my butt off at recess, one of the kids invited me to a special lunch with Miss Anita, the school social worker, along with a few other students. We played some fun games where we got to know each other and had a pretty good time. I'm really glad that I've already been able to get to know these kids so well in the few days I've been able to spend with them.

After lunch, the kids had Math class for a short while, and afterward, Mrs. Swatosh turned on Coco. I wished the kids a happy spring break and went on my way to Art Buddies.

Art Buddies is going faster than I expected. My mentee is going to be a fairy, so we spent the whole day building the biggest part of her costume: the wings. They're not done yet! We'll keep working on them more next session. Then, hopefully, we'll be able to move onto some other parts of her costume, including her crown and wand.

Even though I technically don't have next week off, I'm glad to have a bit of extra time next week to research some ideas for my lesson idea, as well as catching up on some homework for my other classes.

Week 10 (Mar. 19 - 25)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 6 hrs
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

A student's interpretation of me getting frightened by a spider

This week at Whittier was great. The day I come, Thursday, is also the kids' art day, which means I get to go with them to art class every week. This week, the kids did gestural drawings and even created their own paper mannequins to practice drawing from.

During Literacy, I read another chapter of The Birchbark House with a reading group. I still think it's really cool that this is the same book Ulla's class was reading. I'm doing my best to avoid spoiling the ending for them. :)

Fun with magna-tiles!

The kids had MCA tests this week. This took me back to my days in elementary school in Iowa taking the ITBS. Jane told me she'd rather be teaching kids than giving standardized tests, and I definitely agree. Standardized tests weren't difficult for me when I was young, but they were incredibly boring and tedious! I vividly remember finishing them early and taking a nap at my desk. Anyway, during the tests, I spent time with the kids whose parents opted them out of the MCAs. We did some fun stuff with magna-tiles and tegu blocks, and I talked to them a lot about their life and school. I really enjoyed it because I like getting to know kids one-on-one.

Speaking of getting to know kids one-on-one, after my day with Jane's class, I headed off to Art Buddies. Today was our first day meeting the kids we'd be mentoring. The goal of Art Buddies is to mentor a child and help them construct a handmade costume for them to wear during a parade on the last day. The kids picked our names out of a fishbowl. I got paired with a 9-year-old girl who is in 3rd grade. I adore her! I asked her if she knew what she wanted her costume to be, and she immediately told me she wanted to be a flower fairy. That is absolutely, 100% up my alley. I could not have picked a better kid if I tried! (Or, rather, she couldn't have picked a better mentor :) )

Overall, it was a really great day at Whittier, and I can't wait for next week!

Week 9 (Mar. 12 - 18)

Residency - Whittier International School - Jane Swatosh - 6 hrs
Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 1 hr
Shadowing - Art Buddies - 1.5 hrs

My lesson at EXPO went off without a hitch! I couldn't have asked for a better group of 2nd graders. They were all very respectful, attentive, and eager to participate, making it very easy for me to give my lesson. Each child's painting was unique, beautiful, and showcased their own incredible personalities. The paintings will be hung up in the hallway above their lockers. I can't thank Ulla enough for letting me into her classroom and giving me such a wonderful opportunity. I'm going to miss these kids so much!

This week also marked my first day at Whittier International School with Jane Swatosh's 4th grade class and my shadowing at their after-school program, Art Buddies. I've actually volunteered at an after-school program with Whittier before called "Art in the City," where we helped kids create big painted banners that they hung up in their hallways. However, this is my first time with Art Buddies. This is also my first time in a classroom with kids as old as Jane's. Some of them are as tall as me. Jane's class is smaller, with sixteen homeroom kids. Meeting a new group of kids is very exciting but also very nerve-wracking. Thankfully, I got to know a lot of them very well my first day.

A funny coincidence is that, like Ulla's class, Jane's kids are also reading The Birchbark House! They're also reading a book called Trapped Between the Lash and the Gun by Aravella Whitmore, which teaches the kids a bit about the history of slavery. The kids spend about an hour doing Literacy and an hour doing Math. The kids taught me the "new way" to do addition and subtraction. The experience made me feel a bit like Bob Parr from The Incredibles 2 teaser. However, I caught on pretty quickly, thanks to the kids' teaching skills. Hopefully I'll eventually be able to teach them as much as they taught me.

The Art Buddies meeting was good. First, they went over standard rules and protocols for the program and interacting with the kids, and then we went around the room and introduced ourselves. There is really quite a range of ages and professions of mentors, which I found very interesting and impressive. Next week will be our first session, where we get to meet the kids we'll work with. Overall, this was a very busy week for my Teaching Artist Practicum. It was also spring break, which meant I didn't have to think (too) much about my other classes, and I got to go home for a bit and see my family!  It was a really great week. :)

Image courtesy of the @mcadfinearts Instagram. :)

A beautiful deer painted by a proud student! The deer represents gracefulness, alertness, and gentleness.

An eagle painted by another student! The eagle inspires visions and brings blessings.

Week 8 (Mar. 5 - 11)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 3 hrs

I wasn't able to teach my lesson on Monday due to an unexpected snow day! However, I will be teaching it next Friday, the 16th.

I only went to EXPO once this week. I left for spring break on Wednesday so that I could spend time with my family before I have to come back next week to begin both my second residency and my shadowing at Whittier International School.

On Wednesday, I helped Ulla prep for a future sewing project she'll be doing with the kids. Each child picked an animal that they wanted to sew. Along with that, they continued to watch and take scientific observations of the eagles' nest in Decorah, Iowa. I hope they're prepared for another animal-related lesson on Friday.

Other than that, midterms happened this week, so I focused a lot on finishing a few projects and studying for my exams. It was a pretty busy week, and next week will be busy too!

Week 7 (Feb. 26 - Mar. 4)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

This was my penultimate week at EXPO! I talked with Ulla and Lynda and they've both approved my idea and as of today, I've finalized the lesson plan. After reading a list of Ojibwe animals and what they symbolize, Ulla asked the kids which animal they identify with the most. Out of ten options, the kids picked seven different animals:

Eagles - inspire vision and bring blessings
Wolves - leaders and loyal to their families
Deer - gentle, graceful, and alert
Bears - symbols of protection and strength
Turtles - patient and wise
Butterflies - share their beauty and grace
Thunderbirds (mythological Ojibwe creature) - wise, powerful, and carriers of good medicine

The most popular choice for animal was wolf, while eagle and deer were tied for second place. Overall, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of answers I got. The kids really took the animal decision seriously. Ulla suggested that I provide guidelines for the kids to make sure they made animals big enough to fill the whole paper, so I took time to do that this weekend. Lynda was able to get me a fantastic set of paint sticks for each table that the kids are going to love. I also made my own painting based on which animal I picked to represent myself, the butterfly! I'll be showing my piece as an example alongside some others from traditional Ojibwe painters.

Over all, it was another exceptional week. Over the past couple of weeks, the kids have been writing book recommendations, and they spent this week reading them out loud in front of the class. The music teacher came in again, teaching them how to keep beats, use all sorts of instruments, and sing "Yellow Submarine." Each kid picked a moment from The Birchbark House that they acted out in a skit.

Next Monday, March 5th, I will teach my lesson. I can't wait!

Week 6 (Feb. 19 - 25)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

This week, the kids had a field trip! We went to the UMN campus to see a concert at Ted Mann Hall. I recognized all of the tunes as the songs that Ulla plays in the morning for the kids. I thought it was really neat that the kids could see and hear the songs they've been listening to for the past few weeks played live by real life musicians. Getting out of the school and seeing the concert was definitely a refreshing change of pace this week.

I've finally solidified the lesson idea I will be teaching the kids in a couple weeks. In relation to their Ojibwe culture learning and Birchbark House unit, I've discovered traditional Ojibwe animal paintings. My idea is to have each of the kids create an interpretation of an Ojibwe animal of their choice, using their own creativity and personal style to design a finished product.

Overall, it was a pretty productive and fun week for the kids...on one hand, I can't wait until next Wednesday when I get to see them again--on the other hand, next week is my second-to-last week! I can't believe how fast the weeks have flown by, I'm going to miss everyone so much...but I can't think about that right now, I have a lesson to plan!

Week 6 (Feb. 12 - 18)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

This was a great week with the kids. On Wednesday (Valentine's Day), all the kids wrote each other compliments, decorated goodie bags, and passed out valentines to each other. I brought them each a valentine as well. :)

All of the bandolier bags are finished and are hanging up in the hallway above everyone's locker. It looks great!

The kids are getting music lessons from a guest music teacher, who brings in a cajón. The music teacher has an amazing ability at keeping the kids' attention. Watching how another teacher interacts with the class is definitely an experience I can learn from. 

Overall, it was a very fun week. Each week I learn something new about the kids and about being a teacher. We played tag at recess with some very interesting rules. At first, it was, "Evie is always it," and then it slowly devolved into "Everyone else is it, and they all chase after Evie."

Being a teaching artist requires a lot of stamina sometimes!

Week 5 (Feb. 5 - 11)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

This was a busy past few days for the kids. They finished up their Ojibwe-inspired bandolier bags this week. Lots of kids were eager to keep adding and adding and adding different yarn, nature-inspired gems, and drawings to their bags, above and beyond the expectations Ulla had set for them. This really demonstrated to me how artistically inclined the kids are!

It's good to know that whatever project I end up doing, all of the kids will most likely be interested and engaged with it. I'm still unsure of whether or not I would like to do some sort of physical craft with them or use iPads. We were so busy this week, I didn't have the chance to see what kind of things the kids know how to do on their tablets. Next week, maybe I'll get the opportunity.

This week, the kids learned how to write book recommendations, as well as continue to work on their spelling and handwriting homework. I'm thinking there is a way to incorporate all of these Writer's Workshop activities into a project. Maybe something involving writing their own short stories? Whether on paper or on iPad, I'm sure something interesting and creative can be accomplished.

Week 3 (Jan. 19 - Feb. 4)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

I'm beginning to brainstorm what sorts of ideas I could incorporate into my arts-infused project for the second graders. Ulla's class has been reading The Birchbark House by Louisa Erdich, a novel focusing on the life of an Ojibwe family. Not only are they reading and learning about the Ojibwe, but each child has decorated their own bandolier bag using markers, pens, pencils, and yarn. Ulla tells me that the kids will continue to learn and expand their knowledge on Ojibwe history and customs, meaning this would be a viable subject for their art project.

One thing that has definitely made EXPO Elementary stand out from any other elementary school I've visited and my own is the fact that there is an iPad readily available for each child to use. I think this is incredible! I would have never trusted my seven-year-old self with such an expensive item (In fact, I barely trust myself to take care of my laptop...I think I'll be lucky if this thing ends up lasting me the next year and a half!), but the kids are really good with them. Ulla tells me that there are definitely art programs available for them to use on their iPads, and that there is definitely potential in creating an arts lesson using them. Other than that, I'm definitely getting to know the kids better, and have learned everyone's names! I can't wait to find out what adventures next week may bring.

Week 2 (Jan. 22-28, 2018)

Residency - EXPO Elementary - Ulla Tervo-Desnick - 6 hrs

I had the pleasure of meeting teacher Ulla, her assistant Patty, and their 2nd grade class this week. They were very welcoming, and I'm very excited to have this opportunity to work with them! EXPO seems like an excellent place for a child's creativity to thrive. Ulla has twenty-seven kids in her class, so it might take me a while to learn all their names, but I'm trying my best!

There is a lot going on in Ulla's classroom. Each child is treated like an individual who is learning at their own pace, and, because Ulla teaches in the Finnish model, there is a lot of importance put on play. I got to go to recess with the kids, and was coerced into going down the slides...maybe next week, I should bring snow pants.

I spent my hours this week assisting Ulla and Patty with tasks as needed, working with the kids, and just observing. I'm eager to get to know each person better, understand the classroom more, and what they're learning!

Week 1 (Jan 15-21, 2018)

Due to issues out of my control (*shakes fist* Technology!), I wasn't able to get on site teaching this week. I've finally gotten in touch with Ulla, which means I'll be able to start promptly at Expo Elementary next week! I'm very excited and nervous. Here's hoping things go well!

- Evie

Pre-Start

I am going to be participating in two practicum residencies this semester as well as one shadowing placement. My first residency is with Jennifer Kraft's fifth grade class at Whittier International School in Minneapolis, just down the street from MCAD. My second residency is with Ulla Tervo-Desnick's first and second graders at Expo Elementary in St. Paul. At both of these residencies, I will be putting in 40 hours at each site which will include time in the classroom getting to know the students, becoming aware of the curriculum, and teaching my own lesson. I've reached out to both teachers and am hoping to hear back from them soon. I'm so excited to meet with the teachers and the kids and get some real, personal experience teaching in their classrooms!

My shadowing placement will be at Art Buddies, a program also at Whittier International. Hopefully I'll be able to work out the details of this placement soon. Overall, I'm super psyched for this semester and all of the new experiences and challenges it will bring.