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!
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!