Teaching Art Journal 16: May 13 - 19

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 12:45 - 4:15 (0 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, May 8th, (0 Hours)

Placement Completed!

Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, May 13th, 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Today I completed my placement at Whittier Elementary!! When I got there, Susan and I were talking about how great the weather was outside, and how it made us both not want to do anything - just sit outside! So while she went over some literature with the students and while they also had read to self time, I was set up in the back of the classroom helping two kids at a time plant seeds in their own individual, little pot! The class is now learning about seeds and what it takes to grow plants, which I think is really fun, and I was glad Susan put me in charge of this project. Each student sat down and got their own pot of soil which I had pre filled for them. I put their name on their pot and then they got the chance to decorate it with a variety of stickers! Afterwards I got to explain how plants grow and demonstrate how to plant the pea seeds. All the students were very eager to get their turn! I noticed their extreme love for stickers as well, they plastered them all over. I did this activity for the entirety of the time there, so my last day went very fast. Lots of the students didn’t want me to leave, so they showered me with hugs and thank you's before I left. It was a great last day to finish up my time at Whittier. I definitely learned so much from the students while I was there, it’s incredible how much you can take away from such small students. It was great seeing them grow both inside and outside, and Whittier is a place I’ll definitely cherish. Susan and Angela were so kind and open, and I really felt like a big help to them in the classroom and definitely felt like I belonged within the Kindergarten wing and teachers.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

Just a quick picture I took on my way to Whittier!

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Teaching Art Journal 15: May 6 - 12

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 12:45 - 4:15 (3.5 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, May 8th, 12:45 - 4:15 (3.5 Hours)

My last day at Urban Arts Academy was this week! 😥I arrived early in order to touch base with the teachers about my project, and there were many surprises. First, both head teachers knew I was teaching, but they informed me they had already cut paper and traced everyone’s bodies on paper sheets for the project. I was a little disappointed since it was part of my project, but then appreciated the time saving gesture… until I realized they traced all the bodies on bright green paper. This made me upset, because my lesson was reliant on using multi colored drawings on white paper like my example. I disregarded this after awhile, and I gave my mini presentation in front of the preschoolers that, in my opinion, went well! I read them the book I got, and asked them about self portraits, and asked them what sort of things they liked about themselves both outside and on the inside. I also had them point things out on my example and we talked about what some of my favorite things were and things I included that they could also include. Some students were super excited about how big the paper was that they were going to draw on, which was great to see - something new! After my speech, the teachers informed me that we’d be completing the drawings in the gym, during the class gym time so the students had more room. I learned that when you put small students in a gym, with gym toys… they are going to want to play instead of draw. Also, when you have a set of markers and you distribute them amongst children in a gym and each marker has two caps each… well let’s just say it was an issue finding them. Then, the other preschool class came down to the gym for their gym time, and then part of that class began the art activity while half of them played. There’s was so much going on at one time I was a bit overwhelmed because nothing I had planned for my project was working as I had hoped.

I had over 30 preschoolers attempting to try and do their traced body self portraits in a gym, and many of them coming to me asking for a certain colored marker they couldn’t find. I had a student get so frustrated he crumpled up his paper entire (see picture below). I think some of the students were engaged and created some great images on their bodies, but some other students were lost with so many things going on at once in this space. I feel the classroom would have been a better place to do the project. I did my best to roll with the punches and enjoy it. I was disappointed to see the finished products get rolled up and put away before I had the chance to cut any out or offer to hang them up which was my original plan. I guess this is why we are asked to share the lesson plan with the lead teachers. But my lead teacher was new so we ran into those problems.

Although my lesson didn’t go how I planned it at all, I still enjoyed my last day with the students. I had one student assure me that my time at Urban Arts “Was good while it lasted!” At the end of the day, I made sure Mrs.Brown took some pictures for me with the entire class, they are a great bunch of kids. I wish I would have had more control over my project, and I wish I would have gotten many more pictures of student work before they got rolled up and put away. Although there’s much that could use changing, it was a great opportunity, and is very useful for reflecting on my teaching practice. I think it says a lot about the relaxed attitudes at urban arts and sporadic nature of very small children. I really really hope that the students got something out of my lesson, I think they could grasp a good amount of what I was saying during our talk before we started the drawing. While I was in the classroom, Tamar came and found me and thanked me for an evaluation I had filled out for her, thanked me for all my effort at Urban Arts, and even said she’d be delighted to write me a letter of recommendation.

I am extremely lucky to have had this placement this semester, and I would love to come back again and visit some day. The people there are wonderful, supportive, and there was never a dull moment in the classroom. This experience was extremely beneficial and one I will not forget!

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, May 6th, 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

On Monday, I completed another day at Whittier! The day was similar to the previous times I’ve been there. I read with a student one on one during read to self, helped with various activities in the classroom, like math patterns, word/letter worksheets, and helped student write in their workbooks. Again, I am really getting close with the students and I feel like even though it’s little, I’m making a difference in their lives and the classroom as a whole. Whittier has become an extremely comforting, welcoming, and overall a fun environment for me, so it will be hard for me to leave next week! I’ve also loved getting to know Susan, Angela, and the various other faculty members that I run into each day. I will keep this one short, so prepare for a conclusion to this placement next week.

I will have one extra journal as an update on my last day at Whittier next week, Monday May 13th!

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

For my Ideation and Process Final, I completed a set of Mixed Media Postcards, thought I would share… so here are a few! Hoping to sell postcard booklets at next years art sale! ✂️ 🗒🐙 

Teaching Art Journal 14: April 29 - May 5

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:00 - 4:15 (3.25 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, May 1st, 1:00 - 4:15 ( 3.25 Hours)

On Wednesday I attended Urban Arts Academy! I arrived early, and found that they have hired a head teacher, so I will be there with Mrs. Brown and the new head teacher next class period for teaching, it will be great to have the extra help! When I initially got there, the kids were finishing up rest time, and then we wrangled them up and got them down to the gym to burn some energy. The students were extremely energetic and a bit wild, but things are new for them, so I hope they aren’t like that next week for my lesson. I am going to approach it with an open mind, and hopefully throughout the three or so hours I am there the children will eventually complete my project, that is if they don’t have any interest during the specified lesson time.

After the gym, I assisted in helping the students complete their fish projects. They had to add fins and eyes to their painted toilet paper rolls. They were really intrigued in drawing eyes on the fish, a lot of them wanted me to add eyelashes, that really fascinated them! I think this is a great sign for my self-portrait lesson coming up. In addition to the fish, later on, a few students painted a big sheet of paper to look like water/waves to the fish had a place to live. They enjoyed being crazy messy and just having the ability to paint a big sheet freely and be experimental! There were other stations one of which included coloring, and drawing (once again) on chalk boards - this week the letter “H.” I enjoy playing the drawing game with them and having them guess which objects I drew that started with “H”, I think they enjoy it as well! I keep looking back over the pictures I take, and while recapping my teaching days in these journals I keep getting sadder and sadder because I don’t want my time to end at Urban Arts. The children are a great source of joy and even inspiration for myself, so I’m very grateful for this opportunity.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, April 29th, 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

On Monday, I completed more hours at Whittier Elementary! The first thing I did was help students on a worksheet where they were learning about words staring with “w” and the “w” sound. I walked around and checked in with the students about how they were doing on their worksheets and how they were doing in general. I’ve said this before but I’ll say it again, you can really notice the growth in the students abilities - and that makes me very happy!

I also participated in Read to Self time with one of the students individually. The students are always begging to read with me, so everyone thinks the student who is chosen to is extremely lucky. After these activities, I was sort of on standby for Susan as she worked with students up on the Smart Board going over the month calendar, the daily weather, and patterns. She also read a few stories to the whole class.

The last thing I did was play a math game with two boy students. Numbers 0-6 were on flashcards laid out and each student took turns picking pairs and counting to find ones that added up to equal the number 6. This was a very fun math game, and me and the two boys shared a lot of laughs. After, the students came together to talk more about the game and share the pairs they came up with. Overall, I feel very comfortable in the Whittier classroom, which has come a long way since the very beginning. I feel like a big help, and staff has been including me and talking to me more. In my opinion, Whittier has been a great place to have a first teaching artist experience.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

Here is just a piece I have been working on for Narrative Design, thought it was pretty playful so I could share. This is one art board from a music festival brand animation, most of the little objects move in some way as it pans across the typical video sized screen. Finishing up this brand for finals with a moving poster, Instagram ad, and a GIF!!!

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Teaching Art Journal 13: April 22 - April 28

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:15 (3 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, April 24th, 1:15 - 4:15 ( 3 Hours)

On Wednesday the 24th, I spent my afternoon with the kids of 208! When I got there, the students were finishing up their nap time, and I was warned by Mr. Nehemiah that they were off the wall crazy - and boy was he right. I found out that Mrs. Brown is now taking over as the Preschool teacher in 208 starting next week, and she was there observing. Hopefully she likes the position and ends up staying for awhile! I personally explained my part at Urban Arts Academy and described how I am supposed to teach an arts integrated lesson, and she has no problem with that. She also thinks that the traced body self=portraits would be a very cute idea! I told her if all the kids aren’t fully on board not everyone has to participate because the class sometimes has bad days, but we will just do our best and try to get them excited about it and have fun. She is totally supportive, and I mentioned how I’d come prepared with materials at well. I am shooting for April 8th, so I am going to start my PBM within the next few days!

As for the classroom today, the letter of the week was “G.” Mr.Nehemiah always has cute stations for the letters of the week. This time, students could make green grasshoppers, use chalk to draw green things and guess what each other’s are, or color grapes and practice tracing the letter G. The kids really enjoy the drawing and guessing game, so I sat with them for awhile, and we all had a lot of fun - or at least I did for sure! I thought the stations were really fun. Afterwards, students had snack time, a little bit of time for free play, and then we headed to the park to enjoy the really nice weather. Overall it was a good time, and I felt most “at home” today at Urban Arts than I have all semester, which is great. I definitely feel like I make a difference there, and everyone knows my name more so I really feel like part of the group. I look forward to completing my lesson and finishing up these last few weeks - it has been great! I plan to up my hours these last few times I attend as well.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, April 22nd, 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

I had the pleasure of attending Whittier Elementary on Earth Day!! 🌍🌏🌎 

When I got there, I immediately helped Angela start setting up for the students’ Earth Day art project. Before the project began, the students sat down to get to know what Earth Day was. Angela read them a few short stories; they also had quiet time, read to self, and had a snack. When the students were not engaged in these things, they were sent over to me at a back table, and I personally helped each student complete their Earth marble painting! I was so happy that Angela trusted me and put me in charge of working with each kid to help create their paintings. I sat down and explained the project before each student began, and they were so amazed that they were using marbles (in this case we had to resort to beads) to paint. A lot of them questioned if they were finger painting or asked me where the brushes were. It was great to get them learning they can use many tools to paint, not just a brush! Most of the students were really engaged and dove right into the project. There were a few instances where some students were uncomfortable and I had to start shaking the tray for them first, and then they took over. I was amazed at the fact that although the project seemed pretty straightforward, there were some students who came up with their own process, their own way of shaking the lid. Some students ditched the lid altogether and couldn’t resist the urge to use their fingers, so their paint ended up blending, but I just let them go for it! Angela planned to cut out each student’s marble art in a circle towards the end of the week to make each student an Earth of their own. I spent my whole time at Whittier helping the kids paint, which I have no complaints about! It was very enjoyable and the day went crazy fast. I’m so glad Angela put me in charge of this project., and I wish I could see the final outcome - maybe next week!

I also noticed Angela and Susan made some additions to the Pennant Project while I was away!

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Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

I have been in contact with Angela trying to find some additional opportunities for hours, her schedule has been crazy due to Art in Bloom!

Personal Update

🌺🌳 🌈🐋 Happy Earth Day! 🌞🐙🦋🍄

Teaching Art Journal 12: April 12 - April 21

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:00 - 4:00 (3 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, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, April 17th, 1:00 - 4:00 ( 3 Hours)

On Wednesday the 17th, I spent three hours at Urban Arts Academy. When I got there, I was greeted by the substitute teacher Mr. Nehemiah, and after a little free play we took the students to the gym. The kids were pretty well behaved for the most part throughout the day. After the gym, they washed up and had their snack and us teachers took turns reading them books and setting up the art stations. This weeks stations were centered around their letter of the week, “F”. There was a fuzzy feather F, a flower F, and a worksheet with things to color that started with F. These stations reminded me of the 36 Days of Type challenge that a lot of graphic designers are taking part in lately on social media, so I really enjoyed it - I thought they were very cute and kids were still able to be creative with it. This project also makes me think of the body tracing self-portrait lesson idea that I have, and how to get them thinking in different ways or using letters as a form of identity/looking at ones name.

Since Mr. Nehemiah has been there two weeks now, so I am going to get in touch with him this coming week and see if I can plan my lesson for May and get his thoughts on it! I’m really hoping that it works out so I get the chance to teach preschool, otherwise I can integrate another lesson into Angela’s and Susan’s class at Whittier Elementary.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, April 15th, 12:15 - 3:00 (2.75 Hours)

On Monday, I made my way to Whittier Elementary. It was a pretty quiet day, a few of the more energetic kids were absent. Susan read the students a few books and went over their literacy lesson for the day, and then we both went around and helped the students complete their letter sounds worksheet. Afterwards, I was paired with a student for read to self time. I really enjoy working one on one during this time and with a new student each time. I learn more about them individually and just how Kindergarteners learn in general, which can be really eye opening since I’m usually just surrounded by the college environment. Miss Laurie and I were visiting while the students had quiet time after lunch, and we were talking about how the students are growing so much - physically and academically. You can really see the difference when you work with them. They know more sight words, and numbers come way easier. They are also just growing up and getting so much bigger, I think that’s really cool, and I’m glad I got to be there the whole semester to see the change in their learning and the way they interact with one another and myself!

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Teaching Art Journal 11: April 8 - April 14

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:00 (2.75 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, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, April 10th, 1:15 - 4:00 ( 2.75 Hours)

On Wednesday, when I arrived at Urban Arts Academy, I was greeted by two new substitute teachers in room 208. With that being said, I was unable to get any planning done in regards to my arts integrated lesson with the/a head teacher sadly. The first thing we did was go to the gym with the students, and it was an enjoyable time. I find the students’ imaginations really interesting. They are always coming up with new games, new ways to play with equipment, and so on and so forth. When it’s time to leave however, they don’t like to listen and it takes about 15 extra minutes just to get them lined up and walking back up the stairs, which frustrates all the teachers. After gym time, the students had free play. They played with blocks, played dress up, and whatever else they could find in the classroom. We then had story time; it still amazes me how well this listen to me when I begin to read a book to them in the front of the class. We read “The Day the Crayons Came Home”, which is an adorable book with cute illustrations, so maybe I enjoyed it more than the kids. However, the kids knew almost all the words, so it must be one of their favorites. After reading, we set up art stations for the day. Most of the students were trying to get into the clay station, but there was also a coloring pages station and a oil pastel plate coloring station, which I sat at. One kid I talked with at this station told me that he really does not like art, which is comical to me considering he’s at Urban Arts Academy, but it also is really sad to me. He told me how he thinks it is boring; with my project I’d really like to change that. It makes me wonder if he has just been exposed to only the same types of art over and over, and how I hope Urban Arts tries their best to come up with unique projects so that the kids don’t get burnt out - burn out is currently what I’m experiencing at this point in the semester. Being at Urban Arts for only one day out of the week and only working with preschoolers doesn’t allow me to really know what other things are going on as far as art projects. Perhaps in the future I might find an opportunity to work with the older students at Urban Arts. I feel like growing up, if I was able to go to a place like Urban Arts Academy I would have been in heaven.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, April 8th, 12:15 - 3:00 (2.75 Hours)

On Monday, April 8th I went to Whittier and worked with Angela for the day. Angela is always good at giving me students to go work with in the hall in small groups or individually. This time around, I worked with about 15 students total, both in math and sounding out simple words. For sounding out words, students were given three letter words and images of the words. Before they could glue the images next to the correct word, we went letter by letter sounding them out together. For math, we rolled dice and counted the dots and wrote the correct number on a counting sheet. The students are always eager to work with me which makes it really fun, and I can actually see improvement from when I started working with them in the beginning of the semester. Doing this sort of individualized work took up most of the time, and allowed me to get to know the students even better. I think the teachers really appreciate the extra help when it comes to revisiting small lessons. I’m just glad I get to give the students the extra learning time so they improve! Other than helping teach, I just helped out in the classroom and listened in on Angela’s lessons. Overall, the day went by super fast, and I look forward to tackling new things next week!

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Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

I was extremely bummed this whole week due to the winter weather, so I am just doing my best to look towards spring! 🌷🌷🌷🐰🐰🐰

Teaching Art Journal 10: April 1 - April 7

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:00 (2.75 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday (0 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, April 3rd 1:15 - 4:00 ( 2.75 Hours)

On Wednesday, I arrived at Urban Arts Academy and was placed in room 208! When I got there, I was greeted by a substitute teacher, and she was super kind. It was really interesting to see how she taught compared to the usual teachers at Urban Arts; I liked seeing a unique, different style of teaching. The kids were pretty calm the entire day - it was a smaller group, and everyone seemed to have a good time… no tears! I did the usually, helped out around the classroom, sat down and did some projects one on one including building castles out of block and reminding students how to share, and then towards the end of the day we tackled painting at the round tables. All the students worked really well during this time and concentrated on what was in front of them. It was fun hearing them share with the people next to them what colors they could make out of the paint, they got super excited about mixing colors - perhaps something they don’t do often!I enjoyed helping them get more paint and just observing them in their oversized painting t-shirts, which brought back childhood memories that I totally forgot I had! Especially ones of wearing my dad’s old t-shirts while working on various art projects at the kitchen table. The kids were very concerned about getting their pieces put on the drying rack to take home, which showed they enjoyed it and it was something they wanted to keep. Afterwards, we made our way to the park and enjoyed the nicer weather. There were other classes and students from the Boys and Girls Club so watching all the kids was a bit stressful, but everything turned out okay. I’ve realizing that’s one of the scariest parts of teaching small children - sometimes they like to wander off or get distracted and there’s always so many of them to keep track of, especially while trying to conquer an art project or tackle/address an issue at the same time. I’m looking forward to solidifying a project with the head teacher hopefully within the next few weeks!! I think it will be a good last few weeks, especially since things are greening up, the sun is shining, and everyone’s moods are brightening. This painting activity I assisted in the other day really gave me ideas on how to approach my own lesson, and how it should be set up in the classroom - I’m excited, I loved having students create work!

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, March 25th, 12:15 - 3:00 (0 Hours)

I did not attend Whittier Elementary on Monday the 1st of April because the students had Spring Break.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

Unfortunately, didn’t have any luck at PitchFest this weekend, but with each public event I get better and better at public speaking and enjoy it more than I already do, so it was a great learning experience! However, I might have truly won because when I got home this weekend, my family got a puppy and I was able to spend time celebrating my Merit Scholarship win by going out to eat - it was a great time. I can’t wait to see what this last month and a half of school holds!

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Teaching Art Journal 9: March 25 - March 31

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:00 (2.75 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, March 27th 1:15 - 4:00 ( 2.75 Hours)

On March 27th, I attended Urban Arts Academy again.. this time, Mr. Roman was out sick so I spent the entirety of my time with the children in room 211! I started by cleaning up a few things in the room so that the kids could start their art stations. Students had stations where they could created patterns in clay with pine cones, paint a large paper mache pot the class had made prior, or make animals out of model magic. I sat with the kids making animals. Once I made one animal with one student, EVERYONE wanted me to make them different animals. I tried telling the students they should make their own, and I would walk them through the process of how I would make it, so that they could learn and have their own unique creation. This didn’t last long, there was a lot of tears because they didn’t think theirs turned out right, or some students were upset because others were “reading their mind” and copying their choice of animal. There was many many tears throughout the whole day, and I didn’t realize making animals with the kids could cause so much sadness. I was hoping it was going to be really enjoyable for them, but they set their little hearts on certain things and when they don’t go as planned it’s really easy for them to get upset, which is something to keep in mind I believe. After art stations, we went outside and I played with and monitored the kids with Miss Hannah. It was one of the tougher days where kids didn’t want to listen, but we managed to get there and back, and I still had a good time with the students.

Tamar had found me during my time in the classroom and told me that this weekend they are having the Urban Arts Academy Annual Gala at St. Mary’s. I had told her I’d be super interested in volunteering for this event on the very first day I met Tamar, so I was glad she got in touch again about it. It is taking place Saturday 4:30 to 9:00. This is something I am super interested in, I am still hoping to make it work, but not sure if I can attend 100% with my fast approaching deadlines.

Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, March 25th, 12:00 - 3:00 (3 Hours)

On Monday, March 25th I arrived early and completed my first Arts Integrated Lesson Plan! Ms. Laurie, an aid, was kind enough to jump in and help me with my lesson as well as Susan, so all three of us were able to assist together. I believe that overall the lesson went well, and Susan and another Kindergarten teacher were really excited about it. After completing the lesson, I made sure to string the pennants so that they could be hung up in the hallways for other students, staff, and family would see them.

When it came to designs that the students came up with, I was pleasantly surprised with how thoughtful and articulate the students were. They were very engaged, and I had students pick celebrations ranging from Christmas, Halloween, Birthday, Easter, Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, and many versions of Valentine’s Day. After the pennants were complete, I was also very pleased with the quality of the student’s work physically. They placed their symbols with the shape of the pennant in mind and some even cut the glitter card stock on their own. I think the felt really enhanced the overall project. I’m very glad I took time to make all the pennants individually, It was a lot of work, and the lesson plan was just a lot of work in general, but I was very happy to do it for the students and for myself as part of my teaching artist practice. I think I am even going to try and start making and sewing my own pennants with my own designs to sell because of experimenting with felt in this project.

I think that the kids really enjoyed the lesson and had fun using new materials. When I talked with them individually there was excitement when we were trying to come up with symbol ideas together. I even had one student at the very end personally thank me for the project, which was great. As explained in my evaluation, there were a few minor things I could change to improve this lesson, but with the energy the students had and the short amount of time I believe it was a really good lesson and integrated the social studies and culture aspect of the classroom curriculum pretty well. It was a great day spent with the kids, and I personally left knowing even more about celebrations and more about each student as an individual, which is great.

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Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

For my personal update this week I am very happy to announce that I received a Merit Scholarship from the Design Department for my display!!! I was so happy to hear this news, and it really started my week on a positive note. Next up is PitchFest next Friday, so I am hoping the good news continues, and I’m excited to share my idea, Project Courtside, with the students, staff, and other individuals at MCAD!

Teaching Art Journal 8: March 11 - March 17

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:00 (2.75 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Did Not Attend (0 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week (0 Hours)

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, March 13th 1:15 - 4:00 ( 2.75 Hours)

Once again, I arrived early to Urban Arts Academy on Wednesday! The preschoolers in room 208 were relocated to the basement due to water leakage in their room, so I sort of floated between the two classes of preschoolers, and they spent a lot of time burning all their energy in the gym. When I wasn’t in the gym playing catch with kids, I sat down at a few tables and watched students color images of instruments and pots. The students had just finished up making pinch pots on a previous day. I noticed a lot of the kids like to help each-other color, thinking one person colors certain parts of the drawing better than they do, so they ask if they can work together - collaboration! And they don’t even realize it. There wasn’t much structure to the day due to the unexpected room shift, so I did a lot of monitoring and just talking with a few students here and there. It’s really interesting to see personalities shift from week to week, a student who causes a lot of trouble one week can turn around and be the sweetest the next. So, I realize it’s really important to give all students the attention and extra love they need because you never know what has impacted their day, the same goes for everyone you meet in life and on your day to day basis - both children and adults. Each time I am at Urban Arts, I take away a lot of lessons and new ways to look at things which I love. It’s sad a lot of people don’t give children the time of day - those people are really lacking and don’t realize all the great things they are missing.

Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, March 11th, 12:15 - 3:00 (0 Hours)

I did not attend Whittier Elementary this week due to being ill. I am in the process of completing my PBM and my presentation for my Arts Integrated ‘Celebrations’ Lesson on Monday the 25th.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

This last week leading up to break was a crazy one, and there still is a crazy amount of things going on. I completed my Merit Scholarship installation, and I am really looking forward to hearing the results in about a week or so - It was a lot of work! I also am still working on finalizing my pitch/presentation for the Arts Entrepreneurship Department’s ‘Pitchfest’ on April 5th. I have entered my idea Project Courtside, which is a large-scale public art project dedicated to transforming run down basketball courts all around Minneapolis into beautiful and engaging works of public art and places of play, bringing together ideas of art, sports, and community. I also have a motion graphic piece I will be finishing up this coming week that has been in the making for about a month, so I’m looking forward to things (hopefully) settling down a little bit to catch my breath - and looking forward to finally not being sick!

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Teaching Art Journal 7: March 4 - March 10

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:15 - 4:00 (2.75 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, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, March 6th 1:15 - 4:00 ( 2.75 Hours)

Wednesday, March 6th was sure a crazy one. The students recently got a new teacher, Miss Miriam, so they were very energetic and just all over the place when I was there. Since it was only me and this other teacher instead of two other head teachers it was sort of a struggle keeping them all under control, but as usual, the kids participated in clay, block building, some sort of loom type activity, drawing, and played with plastic animals at table stations. I noticed that kids this age, when one child tarts misbehaving, they think it is entertaining to watch us get frazzled, and they find another child to join them and egg each other on. When the students do this, it’s best just to ignore them for a little bit otherwise they act even worse. We managed to wrangle everyone up and go to the gym as well. The students were having a lot of fun, but they were also very destructive and kept breaking things because they thought it was funny. I have noticed that the kids are best behaved and sort of ‘calm bodies’ when they are being read to. It’s kind of a special bonding moment with the teacher. This has got me thinking how I can incorporate story telling into the self portrait tracing art lesson I have in mind for them. They really enjoy imagining being something other than a child. I’m wondering how this can relate! Although Urban Arts Academy is a lot of work, and I leave exhausted only after a few hours, I still really enjoy being there, and there’s certain kids I’ve made close connections with. I’ve come to accept and realize that the disobeying is normal for young children, since they are learning (almost) everything at this age in a social setting, so I personally have learned to embrace it and make the absolute most out of the time I spend there - because I know I’ll miss it next semester. I’ve also learned that it’s okay not to have every child participate in an activity, don’t force something. If an activity doesn’t get done, don’t dwell on it. We move forward, and maybe can tackle it another day. Writing this, I realized how important this is lately in terms of a busy schedule and stress. You can’t do everything in a day, and that’s okay sometimes - don’t be so hard on yourself.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, March 4th, 12:15 - 3:00 (2.75 Hours)

On Monday March 4th, I attended Whittier Elementary. It was another great day full of learning and observing. In the beginning, I worked with a few kinds on-on-one during read alone time. All of them are very eager to work with me during that time, and I notice that they really focus on using pictures to ‘read’ since they aren’t super good readers yet, and I think that will translate really well in my upcoming pennant project with them where we focus on symbols. It’s great getting to work with kids and communicate using pictures especially with the students who don’t use English as their first language, I think that’s such an interesting idea as humans. Afterwards, we created monsters out of paper and glue that they will be measuring during their next math class. The students are also learning about rhyming, so each student had to come up with a rhyming name for their monster. Susan and I assisted all the kids in cutting their monsters bodies and writing the names on the back of them. This also allowed me to realize that helping them cut their pennant projects in a few weeks with just Angela’s help should be quite manageable. I am in the process of completing my Planning Backwards Model, and can’t wait to collect supplies over Spring Break. I’m definitely starting to feel like I belong more in the classroom, which makes me eager to teach in a few weeks!

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Although there was no shadowing opportunity this week, I stopped in on Wednesday morning after work to complete paperwork with a man by the name of Mike to make my volunteer work at Mia more official and safe (legal wise). Afterwards, I met with Angela and we solidified a few dates/events in April for me to attend and double checked my hours - which I already have a lot of. Angela is super kind, and I really enjoy getting to work along with her for my shadowing opportunity!

Teaching Art Journal 6: February 25 - March 3

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.

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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.

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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! ☘️☘️☘️

Teaching Art Journal 5: February 18 - February 24

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Cancelled due to Weather (0 Hours)

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, No School Being President’s Day (0 Hours)

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Victoria Meyers - Free Open Studio 1:00 - 3:00 (2 Hours)

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, February 20th, (0 Hours)

I was not able to attend Urban Arts Academy on Wednesday due to extreme weather.

Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, February 18th, (0 Hours)

I did not attend Whittier Elementary on Monday due to the holiday.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

Friday, February 22nd, 1:00 - 3:00 (2 Hours)

This week, I had a shadowing opportunity with Victoria Meyers, one of Angela’s fellow coworkers. I arrived and started by helping cut flyers to hopefully get more children to stop by the studio rooms. For the project this week, kids were able to using modeling clay and make their own sculptures inspired by famous artwork. On the tables were images of notable sculptures from Mia’s own collection. Total, I would say there were about 5 kids who stopped by during the whole two hours, but it was still a really good time, and I got to know Victoria a lot better. There was one really small girl who came in with her grandparents and we taught her how to mix different colors to make her own (specifically lots of pink), she was extremely fascinated, and I loved working with her. I hope the program continues to grow, because the spaces are really beautiful and the staff has such great project ideas and attitudes - I really enjoy attending.

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Personal Update

Thought I would attach a few images of my finished ‘book’ for my Publication Design class.

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Teaching Art Journal 4: February 11 - February 17

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Preschool, Wednesday 1:00 - 4:00

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:30 - 3:00

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, February 13th 1:00 - 4:00 (3 Hours)

On Wednesday February 13th, I attended Urban Arts Academy! This week around, my experience was quite different. When I got there, I was put in a different preschool room than usual due to the lack of help and supervision. I was kind of sad because I was starting to get to know the preschoolers in room 208 really well, but it also was a good experience to be able to interact with more students and observe how things vary classroom to classroom. I started off by helping clean up in the classroom and just getting to know the new students. The head teacher began reading the class stories and after washing hands and snack time, the students had time for free choice and Valentine card making. I cut out a lot of different sized hearts and spent a lot of my time with one little girl who I noticed was sitting all alone the entire time. I asked the kids many questions about what they were drawing and who their valentines were for. One other girl asked me to draw her ninjas on her valentine, but together we discussed how we could draw one together - by drawing a person first and going from there! I notice a lot of kids ask me to draw stuff for them to do it because they “ can’t” so I like to help they find a way to do it themselves and encourage them that their art is unique and there’s no right or wrong way.

After valentine making and lots of explorative free time, the students went to the gym. There’’s one student who experiences a lot of anger when things don’t go his way, so I spent a lot of time one-on-one with him. I even read him the same book three times in a row while at the gym, I felt that he really needed that attention and time to himself, he was so sweet and really kind to me. We played ball together at one point too, every time the ball was tossed we had to name a different type of food. I supervised the rest of the kids as well and played various other gym games.

Overall, It was a very busy time and really tired me out. I learned that young kids need a lot of freedom, or at least at Urban Arts. There’s a really relaxed atmosphere and not everyone has to participate in the art activities which I think is good, so kids don’t grow up dreading art or seeing it as a tedious or dreadful activity. The arts are prevalent in many aspects of the lives of young children and their classrooms. As I work more with this age group, I’d like to focus on art that maybe is centered around identity and what makes each child special. I am not exactly sure which lesson to tackle yet, again I still need to meet more separately with the staff.

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, February 11th, 12:30 - 3:00 (2.5 Hours)

On Monday, I attended another day at Whittier! When I arrived, I found that Susan was teaching that day and we caught up about last Monday when there was a substitute and she further explained some of the dynamics of the classroom, which was nice. We started out with rest time and after that it was time for quiet reading. Susan sat down all the kids and stressed the importance of sounding out words along with using pictures to try and read words. She then paired me up with one girl to read with individually and further work with those ideas. I honestly had forgotten that at one point I had to learn how to read and how difficult it is for some children. Teaching kids how to read and what letter makes what sound was really eye opening, I guess being so old I just forget how things are broken down for children so young. I think this is important to remember when teaching a young child anything. Later on, the students had to make drafts for their own part of a story. They were required to draw a picture and write an accompanying text. After they were done, I went around and wrote out their writing the correct way so they learned the correct spelling or I answered questions and helped students sound out words.

As for planning my own lesson, Susan brought forth the idea of coming up with a lesson centered around their upcoming unit ‘Celebrations’ - including such holidays as Christmas, Hanukkah, Valentine’s Day, and more. I’m so excited with this idea. I am coming up with ideas to bring to Susan and Angela. One of my ideas is using pennants in some way, because I associate them with so many celebrations and think they are just adorable design elements in general. I can’t wait to see what we come up with for this lesson, I think it will be really effective and I think there is a way to make this a great collaborative classroom effort.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

No Shadowing Opportunity This Week

Personal Update

Thought I would include a quick follow up based on last week’s personal update and the fact that this week was Valentine’s Day! I managed to make sixty chocolate covered strawberries before heading home for the weekend, however what really excites me is a publication project that I am working on. I am making a wooden box to hold a bunch of printed material. Although it’s been really stressful, I am really excited to finish it up this week for class. I’ve attached a process pic in hopes that it intrigues some people and makes them consider the wide varieties of mediums graphic designers and artists in general can work in!

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Teaching Art Journal 3: February 4 - February 10

Teaching Art Journal 3: February 4 - February 10

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Teacher ‘Miss Betina’, Preschool, Wednesday 1:30 - 4:00

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Monday 12:30 - 3:00

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, Friday 12:30 - 3:00

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, February 6th 1:30 - 4:00 (2.5 Hours)

On Wednesday February 6th, after a week off, I attended Urban Arts Academy for my second time! Miss Betina was not there so I worked alongside Miss Julia most of the day. The day ran similarly to the first day I was there. The kids however, did participate in art stations this time around. There were stations with elements of collage, stencils, and oil pastels/stickers. These stations really got me thinking about what mediums the kids are familiar with and what new mediums would be new to them. While watching the children, I sat down with a few girls and did some stencil work with them. I remember how much I loved stencils as a kid and this has me thinking if I can integrate stencils into a project somehow. The very bottom picture I have attached is a drawing of me by one of the students. While I was there, students also played with play-doh, built with K-Nex, and played dress up. During my time in the classroom many students were misbehaving, so Miss Julia had me take one student to the office to try and discipline her myself, but, as expected, she didn’t listen to me at all. This was really frustrating, I want kids to enjoy their time in the classroom and have good experiences and associations with myself, but I’m glad I could help out Miss Julia. Overall, I just love the atmosphere that Urban Arts Provides. Many of the children are so kind, and love to get to know me. They are constantly drawing me pictures and giving me hugs. I hope to soon find a time to get in contact with both teachers and see what they would like me to integrate into their classroom, I’m really excited to teach these little ones!

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, February 4th, 12:30 - 3:00 (2.5 Hours)

On Monday, February 4th, also after missing a week due to weather, I attended Whittier Elementary school. To my surprise, when I got there (my very first day on site) there was a substitute teacher. This kind of set the stage for the whole day. I was kind of disappointed because nobody knew who I was and I didn’t receive a warm welcome in the office or the classroom. The kids were also extremely confused as to why I was there, so I wish the sub would have introduced me.. but needless to say I made the best of it! During the day, the kids participated in reading a book as a class and then drawing images in their journal that described the beginning, middle, and end of the book. This helped them analyze sequence, and I think a lot of them thought really hard and would often ask me what I thought of their work. The story was about cats, and I heard a few students telling others, “That’s not what cats look like,” but I encouraged everyone that there is no one way to draw a cat. I think things like this really need to be enforced in this classroom and Beyond. After I told them this, they were all really open and curious to everyone’s version of a cat. The kids also had math stations set up which included measuring, pattern blocks, and dice rolling. I was intrigued by the possibility of approaching math through patterns because it is such a graphic design technique. Susan also showed interest in our very first meeting of finding a way to integrate art into math, so that is something I am going to continue to keep in mind. The rest of the time the kids were in the classroom they red books of their own or listened to the sub tell stories. A lot of them run off and don’t sit on the run, which may have been just because of the sub, but there are some students who don’t listen very well also. I’ve noticed two random things… First, many kids are intrigued by my hair; they ask a lot of questions and are constantly coming up behind me trying to braid it - haha. Second, A lot of the students were really curious about my family. Each student even has a framed picture on top of their cubby of family or their guardians or friends. I love this. I love bringing in personal aspects to the classroom and sharing the idea of support. Perhaps another learning avenue to explore through art. I am eager to meet Angela and continue to work with Susan and bring forth ideas, even collaborate during their prep time. I feel like what I can do in the classroom still isn’t quite evident, but I know they will be excited once we come up with a lesson!

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Minneapolis Institute of Art - Open Studio Day Shadowing

Friday, February 8th, 12:30 - 3:00 (2.5 Hours)

On Friday, February 8th, I (sort of last minute) attended a shadowing opportunity at Mia with Angela! The program is relatively new, so there weren’t a ton of kids, but they are working on publicizing the event. Angela is a great role model and just really great in her position in general. We had only about ten kids attend, but the rest of the time Angela and I chatted and got to know one another. For this event, kids came in and made tissue paper flowers in hopes of an early spring. I loved this craft, and I loved seeing what kind of people come to the museum. I thought the event was a really good bonding technique because parents were also making! The kids were really engages and loved choosing their own colors and style of flower. Overall, it was a relaxed but very fun few hours in the studio. The studios at Mia are beautiful - I am in love with them. They are extremely inviting, organized, and bright. I think the museum has a wonderful set up and I can’t wait to see how other various events are ran at Mia. Tomorrow, (Sunday, Feb. 10th) I am going to stop by Family Day just to see what it is like for the future, they don’t need any more assistance but I’m excited to check it out!

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Personal Update

I thought I would include a personal update about myself to keep things interesting and upbeat during all the cold temps! Below are four of my seven self portraits that I did for my Ideation and Process class. These are just some quick pieces I came up with. My schedule has gotten CRAZY busy within the last week, and I’m having a hard time keeping up, but looking forward to many projects including being accepted as part of the Arts Entrepreneurship Competition! I have a big book project due in two weeks so stay tuned. In the meantime… in my very minimal free time, I am going to start reading new book (I rarely ever read, but here’s to my new goal) and making chocolate covered strawberries for Valentine’s Day to cope with my stress!

Teaching Art Journal 2: January 28 - February 3

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Teacher ‘Miss Betina’, Preschool, Wednesdays 1:30 - 4:00

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Mondays 12:30 - 3:00

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, TBD

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, January 30th (0 Hours)

I was not able to attend Urban Arts Academy on Wednesday due to extreme weather.

Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Monday, January 28th, (0 Hours)

I was not able to attend Whittier Elementary on Monday due to extreme weather.

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Shadowing

Still TBD. Friday, February 1st 11:00 - 12:00 (1 Hour)

On Friday, February 1st, I met with Angela Olson at Mia to determine my shadowing schedule with her and the museum art programs. We were able to solidify events I could be involved in including Creative Saturdays, “T for Teens”, and Free Open Studios. She thought this would be very effective in giving me a wide variety of ages and shadowing opportunities. I also filled out all the legal information, and Angela was kind enough to introduce me to many people within her program. I will be getting assigned a badge in the meantime, and Angela is working on creating a list of these events with exact dates and times so I can choose and attend upcoming events to complete my ten hours. I’m very excited to be a part of Mia. Angela says I have a lot of freedom when it comes to shadowing, meaning I can help out or just sit back and observe, whatever I prefer. She also took note to introduce me to Mia’s branding/design teams which I am really grateful for. I look forward to working with Angela, she is wonderful, and I can’t wait to integrate more into the museum teaching art scene.

Teaching Art Journal 1: January 21 - January 27

Teaching Artist Practicum:

Placement #1: Urban Arts Academy, Teacher ‘Miss Betina’, Preschool, Wednesdays 1:30 - 4:00

Placement #2: Whittier International Elementary School, Teachers Susan Buchholz and Angela Olson, Kindergarten, Mondays 12:30 - 3:00

Shadowing: Minneapolis Institute of Art, Angela Olson, TBD

Urban Arts Academy - Preschool

Wednesday, January 23rd 1:00 - 4:00 (3 Hours)

On Wednesday, January 23rd, I attended my very first day at Urban Arts Academy! When I arrived, I was supposed to meet the preschool director, but since she was gone unexpectedly, I was introduced to the two teachers who work in Classroom 208 and started assisting in the classroom right away! The students were told to address me by ‘Miss Beta’ and they were all very excited to come and introduce themselves to me or give me a hug. I was told that there are a few younger ones in the class that get a lot of the attention, so I should try to give the older ones the extra love they need as well. The first thing they were doing was having rest time, but after that they got to play throughout the classroom. This is when some kids started reading books, some started playing with Play - Doh, and others did puzzles or played with animals. Throughout all of these types of play, the students were learning how to work with one another, share, express their feelings, and create!

Students were using their manners when asking for play-doh or tools they needed, and they cleaned up their space when asked. I noticed that the teachers were extremely patient and supportive of the children; if a child had a meltdown Miss Betina would ask the child if they wanted to talk to her about it or say things like “I understand it is frustrating when…” The classroom is a very positive environment and it is also such a cute classroom!! Since it was my first day, I was mostly there observing and getting to know the students. After a long while and a few meltdowns, we got all the kids dressed in snow pants and boots and went to the park to play. There I played with the kids and supervised. After returning to the classroom, it was time for me to leave. Both teachers told me that in the future we will sit down so they can get to know me better and determine what it is I hope to get out of my time at Urban Arts. They were extremely grateful for the extra help I provided them, and overall I had a great time.

After my first day, my wheels began to turn thinking about what art projects are most effective to very small children. I look forward to asking the teachers what kinds of projects they have done in the past - do students work best individually or in groups? What sort of art is most commonly used in the preschool classroom? I think overall, I definitely took a lot away from the teachers in how they addressed students so positively, how they made sure the students felt understood, and they made sure to point out good behavior and give thank you’s to students so they felt acknowledged. They have many tricks in order to keep the children under control, and I think they are very important - handing out stickers is one of them! Maybe this could be a potential arts lesson since I have made stickers in the past! Since my first day was kind of a whirlwind I just focused on taking everything in. With the upcoming days I hope to see more of how arts is integrated into their class and get to know the fellow teachers as well. I think Urban Arts Academy is a great place, and they accepted me so nicely!

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Whittier International Elementary - Kindergarten

Thursday, January 24th, 11:30 - 12:30 (1 Hour)

On Thursday, January 24th, I met with Susan Buchholz from Whittier Elementary School to solidify my upcoming teaching schedule in her classroom. Susan job shares alongside Angela Olson, so I will be working with the both of them throughout the semester. We were able to both go through our calendar and schedule my teaching for Mondays 12:30 - 3:00. I was informed that there are 24 students, around 14 English language learners and that a lot of her classroom consists of Somali and African American students. I was also told that her class is a very loving group. Susan expressed that she was very eager to have a teaching artist in her classroom, since she has never been part of the program before, and she suggested that I just get to know the kids as best I can the first few weeks, and that they will love having me in their classroom. Before I left, I met another one of the Kindergarten teachers and his student teacher. Overall, I got the impression that Whittier Elementary is filled with many kind people, and they seem to treat everyone like part of their family. Susan made sure to collect my contact information, and now I am in a group text with both Susan and Angie for quick and easy communication. I can’t wait to talk with them more about what I do and the possibilities of various lessons that best suit their classroom!

Minneapolis Institute of Art - Shadowing

TBD

Currently, I have no set date or time for when my shadowing will take place, however, I am scheduled to meet with Angela on Friday, February 1st at 11:00. I sent her my schedule so we both will have an idea for what works best before meeting in person. I am very intrigued to see what kind of work Angela does and how arts integrates into museum education and other programs!