Week 14

To combine it all

As I think of how this class changed me, tears come to my eyes. At the beginning of senior year, I started the Teaching Artist class only for the credit. What I got out of it was way more than that. It was the beginning of another passion. I always knew that I was good with children. Ever since I was little I was around them and I loved it! As the class moved forward I began realizing how this could be another path that I could venture down. It paved a new road for me. I wasn’t stuck to just doing 3D animation. I could combine the two! The idea of having more than one option was exhilarating. When I got the chance to go observe classrooms I began realizing how much I love being in a classroom setting. But not in the way that I thought I would. When I was at Expo Elementary Ms. Ulla utilized me for when a student needed a little extra help or a break. The one on one interaction was where I strived the most. I helped students that needed some extra attention. Sometimes we would go to the halls and read a book or just take a break and draw a fun little cartoon for a second. I started bringing in my skills to help these students. Then I got the opportunity to work at MSS. The is where the one on one attention was the most beneficial to the student. I got the chance every Wednesday to help one of the students learn more about Photoshop. I didn’t know how much I impacted the student until a week later I got a personal thank you. This is where it really struck me that I am making an impact.

Dear Shae, 

Thank you very much for teaching me and mentoring me through Adobe Photoshop, and for showing me how to transfer photos. Working with you gave me a lot of ins and outs of Adobe Photoshop. It’s not just the lighting, but it’s a lot more in-depth details, which I like. And how to use the toolbar. 

I am still working on stuff. I am still improving my photography skills. I am also going to be doing a photography class at Century College. I got a new camera and it’s just like a DSLR, but it’s an older version.

Thank you very much. 

Sincerely Riley.

(I cried when I got that thank you by the way)

My last adventure in the class was working at Spero Academy. As previously mentioned, this was a school that specialized in giving care to students with disabilities and behavioral issues. Unfortunately, this practicum was cut short due to Covid 19. But, this was by far the most eye-opening and wonderful experience out of the three. After being there only a short 3 weeks, I gained a whole new perspective. I realized that many people have hidden struggles that you cannot begin to imagine and you cannot begin to understand it until you really know them. I really wish I would’ve gotten the chance to be there longer.

All in all, I would say that the Teaching Artist Classes were by far the most influential classes I have taken at MCAD. Lynda is absolutely amazing at what she does. I always felt safe and secure whenever I was around her. She is a shining light of comfort that warms my heart. Lynda THANK YOU! You and your classes changed a part of me that I could never imagine needed changing. I will forever be impacted by this experience.

Week 13

Thinking through the process

As I begin creating the lesson plan for the Tinfoil man I have come across some problems. I keep thinking about how this plan can be integrated into Ms. Robertson’s classroom. Since everything is so unknown at this time and I wasn’t in the classroom that long, it’s difficult to create a lesson plan specifically for her classroom. After getting the chance to meet with Lynda we came up with a plan to create a demo that can be shared with a bigger audience. In a two-part video, I go through the process of creating an easy stop motion video with materials that can be found in the home. I used a tutorial I found online that better explains the stop motion.

The video was very challenging to figure out. As the process went on I soon realized how complicated this was going to be to teach online. I was trying to be as clear and concise as possible but I know that there are some challenging parts. All in all I think that the video came out okay but I believe, the last part especially will be too challenging for some of the students. With assistance, I think they will do alright.

It was a fun project and I really hope that it can benefit someone someday.

Week 12

Tin Foil Man

I have finalized my lesson plan. Using the skills I know from animation, I am providing a lesson plan about stop motion. I came up with the idea based on the core materials you would find at everyone’s home. Since the students will be at home for the rest of the year I wanted to give them a fun and cool art lesson. This gives them a breather from their day to day life of online courses. It will provide them with a fun activity that is easily manageable and can be done again and again. Once they learn the main idea their creativity can sore! I think this lesson is a great way to get them thinking about movement, balance, and creativity.

I have designed the lesson as many of the tutorials I have seen online. It is easy to follow along and provides them with everything they need. My main concern is if they will have access to a phone to create the stop motion. If they don’t I have made it clear that they can follow the lesson and create the man and then skip the last stop motion part.

Week 11

Falling into a routine

As things progress I have fallen into a relaxing routine. I have finally accepted this new normal. It’s still frustrating to not be able to do many things but I have come to terms with how the world is functioning for now. Homework is still difficult to get motivated for, but I think that has more to do with senioritis than the situation. Or a combination of the both.

I came up with an idea for a lesson plan. Using the materials that I know most people have at home, I created a lesson where the kids can make tinfoil characters and use them to pose in different ways. As an optional add on, I am coming up with a solution where they could create an animation if they wanted. This is a quick little art project that can get them the chance to have fun and craft. With the potential to learn a quick skill.

Week 10

Finding a solution to the stay at home order

Throughout this week I have found my own struggles with learning at home. This becomes more prominent when I think of the struggles of the students at Spero. In their day to day life, they have many struggles beyond school. So how is the transition to online schooling affecting them? Right now many students from elementary to college are struggling with this transition. I think of all of this as I work on my lesson plan.

3D animation is a difficult field that requires a lot of software and technical decisions. This is hard to teach to people in my age range, much less for 6th graders. Looking at it from the teaching artist's perspective, how do I teach using my practice? In my lessons, I have thought back to the basics of animation and tried to integrate the general ideas of animation. My new struggles with all of this now are how to integrate these techniques while students have less access to materials. I have rummaged online and looked at many different techniques and lesson plans. What I have gathered so far is that there are materials at home that many students have potential access to that I can integrate into my lesson. As I continue my research I find many possibilities to how we our online lessons can benefit them.

Week 9

Frustrations, Denial, Acceptance, and Fear

April 5th, 2020 (Week 2/3 of the Pandemic)

This last week has been a whirlwind of emotions. I am definitely sure that I went through the 5 stages of grief. At first, I was pleased with the time off. This semester was the busiest I have ever been to in my life. Every week I was required to be somewhere else besides my house. I totaled up my calendar events each week and I was up to 50 hours a week where I was either in class, at school, or at my practicum hours. That doesn’t include homework, cleaning my house, aka the basics of living and being a student. So at first, I was relieved to get a break. Since the closures happened in phases I slowly became more and more frustrated. It started with classes being canceled. (Relieved) Next, my hours started getting cut at work. (Panic set in) I started realizing the severity of the situation and the possibility of losing my job. Then all restaurants closed. (Fear) This is where my frustrations, fear, denial, and anger came in. Not only did I lose my job, but my sister and parents also lost their jobs. Since I live with my sister, this was not good news. Our jobs and school went away but the rent and bills didn’t.

After the first initial shock of losing everything all at once, I started to slowly set in with my newfound reality. At first, I was accepting this break. I began doing things I hadn’t had the time to do. I thought that I hit the accepting phase, but truly it was that I wasn’t thinking about the severity of the situation. It seems like I shoved all my responsibility into a corner of my brain. Now when I think about how much this is affecting everyone, myself, and my family I can not help but feel anger. But its that helpless anger. I can’t be mad at the state closing down. It is for the good of the people. I cannot be mad at the school for closing their doors. They are protecting the staff and students. I cannot be mad at my employers for losing my job. They were mandated to close. I cannot be mad at anyone. But I am mad at everyone. I am frustrated I cannot work and make money. I am frustrated that I cannot go to school to finish my projects. I am frustrated I cannot see my friends and family.

Looking at my frustration I know I share them with every other person. I know that I also have many more that I didn’t list above (Perks of being a graduating Senior at this time) But I also know that I am not alone in this which gives me a sense of relief. This soon will pass and we all will be healthy and back to our normal lives. I am taking this day by day. Doing the best to stay healthy, calm, and relaxed. As I look at the positive side I see how many things have changed in my life for the good. I am sticking with those and making sure to keep moving forward.

Break

Spring break!

Which consisted of canceling flights and getting laid off! Not so fun );

COVID 19 Break

This break consisted of waiting around and seeing how crazy our “new” way of living was going to turn out. Looking on the positive side I got a lot done around the house and outside.

Week 8

Spero Academy

Tuesday, March 10th

8:30-11:30 (3 hours)

Ms. Roberston and Ms. Sieple

Since I have had a more challenging time connecting with each of these kids, I decided to integrate myself into the classroom a little more. In the previous weeks, I was the person that observed silently in the corner. I wasn’t introduced too many of the other staff members since they interchange throughout the week. So this week I made it a point to properly introduce myself to each staff member so they are aware of why I am in the room. 

 In the beginning morning meeting, I sat in the morning circle. This made the kids more aware that I wasn’t just observing for the week and, I hope, making them a little more comfortable with my presence. As they shared something about themselves I noticed that many of them seem to be artistic. So to find another way to connect I asked Ms. Robertson if I could send her a link to my portfolio and show it the next day during share time. I also began addressing the students by their name to let them know that I am paying attention to them. 

We went through the daily routine and I started asking each student a simple question. Just addressing something that I noticed or something they seemed interested in. Some didn’t answer and some gave a short response. When we were on our way back from the gym one of the students asked if he could walk separately with me since he isn’t a fan of big groups. As we headed to the classroom he told me how his old school didn’t understand what Autism was. They would sit him down with headphones and leave him in the corner. He went into how grateful he is a place where he has specialized attention to his needs. 

After gym time they started regulation time. They start with the “Zones” which is checking in where each student is at. I explained this in an earlier journal. After the Zone Check, they began the slime demonstration. The kids were given instructions to begin creating the slime. It taught them that they had to properly read ALL of the instructions before beginning, how to work in a team, and how to use measuring utensils. Just a heads up to whoever is reading. Do not stand in the splash zone when kids are mixing in food coloring. I was a victim of some aggressive stirring action and ended up with red food coloring on my white shirt and shoes. 

After rinsing the dye off my shoes, Mr. Bryan came and asked if the student apologized properly and if I wanted a written apology. They wanted to make sure that he properly addressed his actions and vocally expressed them, through written word or speech. Since it was an accident I was fine with the apology he said in the first place. I thought this was a very interesting tactic. I have seen it happen a couple of times where they make the student sit down and write why they are apologizing so they can think through their actions. 

Spero Academy

Wednesday, March 11th

8:30-11:30 (3 hours)

Ms. Roberston and Ms. Sieple

Today I showed my art during share time. They asked many questions, were amazed by what I did, got inspired to be an animator/artist, and gave some very truthful critiques, to say the least. This was the connection that I believe will help. Now most of them know my name and remember something about me. They asked questions throughout the day or shared how they like to be artistic. I think this was a very useful step to connecting and also getting them excited about my art lesson. 

The class schedule went as normal except for the loss of one of the staff members. She was asked to sub in another room. This left Ms. Robertson a little short-staffed. So I got to jump in on a couple of activities and help out. Ms. Robertson and Mr. Bryan were very thankful. 8 students require a lot of attention. 

Another thing that was a little different was I was allowed to go to music class. It was very interesting to see one of the students, who doesn’t excel in reading or writing, excel greatly in music. He is always singing and dancing whenever he gets the chance. So to see how much he connects with music is cool to see. He knew all of the lyrics to the song and was doing some small little choreographed moves in his chair. He will grow up to be a dancer. I bet on it. 

While we were in music class a student was struggling with his emotions. While in his chair he began fidgeting and not staying still. Mr. Bryan started to notice and moved his attention over to him. He began repeatedly hitting himself over and over on the legs, each time with more force. This caused concern in Mr. Bryan so he went and grabbed a pillow to soften the blows. Mr. Bryan was calm and caring. He was asking what would make the situation better and the student was still speaking in a calm manner. Just a little more agitated. Mr. Elliot came in a little later with a fidgeting tool. This allowed him to focused his attention on the fidget and away from his body. After around 10 minutes he visibly became calmer and it helped when Ms. Alaina (Music teacher) brought out the drums. 

Side note: 

As I look through my notes I can see how my mindset has shifted. I was given a packet explaining each of the student’s behavioral situations and what usually works to help them regulate. After reading the packet I observed the behaviors and I created a mindset that these behaviors are linked to a specific thing. Like how they are raised, what school they were at before, what their expectations are etc. Now, as I am in my third week,  I see that those are small pieces out of a whole. Some students at Spero are here for behavioral problems but most are for a disability that is out of their control. Being able to be around these students and see both their highs and their lows in an experience that will last with me forever. It has changed my way of thinking. I was a silent observer at first with preconceived ideas about how these students act and why. Now I can emphasize more and see how at times their behavior is beyond their control. The staff does an excellent job of helping them regulate themselves and find ways where they can be in control. At the end of the day, this experience is reinforcing the idea to not judge a book by its cover.  

Week 7

Spero Academy

Tuesday, March 3rd

8:30-11:30 (3 hours)

Ms. Roberston and Ms. Sieple

Today was the first official day of observation under Ms. Robertson. The morning starts very casually, kind of like Expo Elementary as well. Everyone slowly trickles in and finishes their breakfasts. Once they are done eating they begin their morning workshop packets. Once it hits about 9:00 Ms. Robertson gets the kids all lined up and brings them into Ms. Sieple’s classroom. This is where they read the morning message and have the option to share something that they find interesting. During this meeting, a couple of the kids were having some difficulty following directions. Each of the students has a different method to calm them down. Some are taken outside the classroom to the calming room. Where others are left alone to solve their own problems. Since there are around 4 adults in the room at all time, each student is given the opportunity for one on one attention. After the morning meeting, Ms. Robertson went over expectations. About once a month 1st graders come into the classroom and the fourth graders get to read to them. Before the 1st graders were in the room the 4th graders were fidgety, rowdy and talkative. As soon as the 1st graders walked in they seemed to all calm down and take charge. They set an example of what was expected. It was very interesting to see their behaviors change.

Around 10 they all lined up for Smart Circuit. (This is what the obstacle course is called) This gives the kids the chance to move their bodies and release some energy. A couple of kids had some meltdowns while being reminded of the rules. Once they did a couple of rounds of Smart Circuit they went into the track. This is where they really get to release all of their energy. These two activities get them warmed up for Phy Ed.

After Phy Ed, they come back to what they call Regulation time. This is a dedicated time to calm the kids down and get in touch with their emotions. They are asked in the beginning what “zone'“ they are in. The zones are a color range. Green is calm and focused. Red is angry, yellow is calming down, and blue is tired/sad. When a student says they are in the blue or red zone they are asked to find a tool to help them. In the case of blue (Tired) they were asked to go get an alerting tool. When a student was in Red they were asked to assess why and go to the reading corner and take a break. This allows all of the children to get in touch with their emotions and assess what helps them level out.

Observations

The ratio of boys to girls is about 12 boys to every 1 girl.

The ratio of adult to students is about 2 adults per every 10 kids. (I asked Ms. Robertson about this and she said that its a lot of work in general to help only 10 students. Since each child is on different levels academically they never really do whole group teaching lessons. There is a lot of individual lessons being taught. So it’s a great help to have 3 adults per classroom.)

92% of the children are special education

Some key phrases that I thought were interesting and helpful

“Let’s reset” The child who’s agitated/yelling/interrupting puts head down on the table and sits still. When they become calm again the teacher will say “Welcome back".” This gives the student a chance to asses what went wrong and gives them a chance to calm down.

“I am confused about what just happened” Allows the student to explain their behavior and reassess if it was appropriate or smart.

“That was a big behavior for a small problem.” Pointing out the size of their reaction helps them understand how they responded to a problem and if the reaction was approriate for what happened.

Spero Academy

Wednesday, March 4th

8:30-11:30 (3 hours)

Ms. Roberston and Ms. Sieple

Today was a little chaotic. Ms. Robertson mentioned a couple of times how the behaviors that were present today reminded her of the beginning of the school year. She said that the students are usually like this on Tuesday instead of Wednesday. She had to repeat her expected behaviors and told the students how disappointed they were. After she asked them if they can follow the expected behaviors and shape up they seemed to calm down a little bit. Mr. Bryan, one of the other adults that are in the classroom, brought the kids in after a bathroom break and had them all reset. Which I mentioned earlier is putting their head on the table and breathing. This was a very good trick to calm the kids down a bit.

Another thing that is different is that it is harder to connect with students than in Expo Elementary. All of which was expected. So my biggest challenge in these next couple of weeks will be how to integrate myself into the classroom so that the students will be comfortable with me enough for the lesson to run smoothly. Right now a lot of the students have become connected with their set people and it’s hard for them to interact with new people. I also found the struggle of when to interact. Many of the kids have specific behaviors that are dealt with in different ways. Since I am unfamiliar with how they would respond I am hesitant to say anything that might upset them. All of these may get better in time when I become more comfortable with the classroom.

Week 6

Spero Academy

Tuesday, February 25th

8:20-11:30 (3 hours, 10 minutes)

Today was the first day at Spero. I started by meeting with the Academic Director to go over basic guidelines of Do’s and Do Not’s. After signing a couple of waivers I was directed towards the classrooms. Some things I noticed right away is that the hallways are very wide and there is a lot of natural lighting. I would say each hallway is about 30 feet wide. (I asked later and it isn’t for anything specific. There was supposed to be a huge tube going through all the floors that would bring in more natural light but they ran out of time) I still think that it is really relaxing to have enough space for everyone to be comfortable.

I was placed in a classroom that has adjoining rooms. This allows the teachers to combine together easily and teach as a pair. The teacher that I will be with is currently on vacation so I observed Ms. Sieple and Ms. Pearl. (Apparently, this is the first time she has ever taken any time off. Amazing!) As soon as I was there Ms. Sieple gave be a break down of what to expect and what behaviors each of her children display. She also informed me about the different levels of behaviors. Many acronyms are used. Many of which I am still trying to figure out.

Since their main teacher is on vacation many of the students had a hard time focusing. They were also a little uncomfortable with my presence, which they weren’t afraid to let me know but repeating stranger danger and pointing in my direction. But after a while they started warming up and acknowledging me by either pointing, asking questions, or repeating my name.

Basic overall schedule

Morning Meeting

Black History Month (Informational Video and Discussion of what they learned)

Workshop (Writing and Reading)

Obstacle Course Room (Not the actual name. I just forgot what it is called. Has a rock wall, balance beam, mats, and other activities.)

Track (They have a built-in track room that circles the top of the gym. They have each student run around 5 laps to warm up for Phy-Ed)

Phy Ed

Regulation Time (Built-in time that teaches them how to find ways to calm themselves with breathing exercises and other sensory activities.

More Observations

Scripting, which some students display, which is where they start speaking the lines from a movie, play, or cartoon.

Around 150 students > Around 130 Staff members. They have around 4-5 adults for each room.

SSR: Self Selected Reading

OHD: Other Health Disability

Whole-body listening: This was also taught in Ms. Ulla’s classroom. They remind students what whole-body listening is many times. Eyes are looking, Mouth is quiet, Legs are folded and still, Hands to themselves, Brain is thinking.

I am excited to be at this school. I can already tell that there are many things that I am going to learn here.

Week 5

I will begin my final teaching practicum hours at Spero Academy this next week starting on Tuesday.

Here is the description of Spero I pasted from their website.

Spero Academy is a tuition-free, K-6 elementary charter school located in Northeast Minneapolis. Spero Academy’s mission is to provide a personalized and adaptive education to help each student grow ​academically, emotionally, and socially. Our programing and instruction is designed to support students with various disabilities.

I am very excited to begin this practicum at Spero.

Week 4

Tuesday, February 10th, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

9:00 a.m -12:00 a.m

3 hours

Today I experienced a different part of the day. Since I usually come in at 7 I see the reading/writing workshops. Today I got to see what Math workshop and Library time was.

When we went to the library the kids seemed to forget how to properly check out books. They left a lot of un-checkout books on the ground. To bring this to the kid’s attention Ulla sat all the kids down in a line and explained what their behavior was and how they need to resolve it. She explained consequences and included the librarian into the conversation so they kids saw how their actions affected other people.

During Math Workshop one student was having an especially difficult time paying attention. He was walking around the room playing with different things and making a lot of noise. To keep the classroom flowing Ulla allowed him to do this as long as he wasn’t a distraction to other kids. As soon as the noises began to distract students Ulla went and called for extra assistance. An office aid came in and escorted him to a sensory room. To calm down the remaining students Ulla stopped the lesson and had all the children do some calming breathing exercises. This allowed the kids to calm down and recenter their focus back onto the lesson.

During this experience, I saw how Ulla used every situation and made it into a teaching experience. This was very valuable for both me and the children.

Wednesday, February 11th, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3.5 hours

Today was the day of the Hidden message lesson. (A card with a circle spinner inside to show a message) Lynda arrived at 9 and the lesson began at 9:30. I started by asking the children what holiday is coming up and what it means to them. They had very good answers to what they believe Valentine’s day is. Many responded with giving, love, and friendship. And of course, candy. There was very good participation. Lynda came up and introduced who we would be giving Valentine’s day cards to. (Ladies of Basset Creek Independent living)

The lesson went fairly smoothly. The kids really enjoyed all of the materials and came up with some very creative solutions. The collaborative effort the kids showed was intriguing. When someone created something I would pair them with a student that wanted to do the same thing. This allowed the kids to work together and teach each other. Also, since there were only 3 adults helping (Ulla, Lynda, and Myself) many of the kids had to come up with there own creative solutions.

All in all, I think the lesson went amazing. All of the kids participated and the cards turned incredible. The use of different colors and materials also made the kids very excited. In the end, I think all of the kids enjoyed the activity.

Week 3

Monday, February 3rd, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3.5 hours

Today the class was more rowdy than normal. Due to a 3 day weekend, the kids seemed to forget classroom behavior. Ulla handled this fairly simple by reminding them how they should behave when inside the classroom. She refers back to the classroom rules constantly so the kids understand exactly what is expected of them. A couple of the kids seemed to be not in the mood for school this day. One kid who has a hard time listening and following the rules became agitated when Ulla told him he must stay still and read. He began acting out and slamming doors. Instead of instigating the problem and giving him more attention she quietly called for some assistance and continued her routine. I think this was a solid approach because it seemed like he wanted attention in some way, even if it was negative attention. After a couple of minutes, an aid stepped in an took over so Ulla could go back to teaching the classroom. Ten minutes later he returned and the aid left. At first, he was still acting up but soon, with Ulla’s positive attention, he got quickly got back into the routine.

Here are some observations that I have noticed that I thought were interesting.

• Ulla reads books that integrate culture from all around the world

• She has cleaning supplies available so the kids can clean up their own mess (She expects them to do so)

• No candy is allowed at school

• When they finished their reviews she made sure to teach the students how to properly present when in from of the classroom

• Ulla makes the listeners give 5 compliments about the presentations

• She plays calming relaxing music during work time

Tuesday, February 4th, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3.5 hours

Today everyone remembered what was expected of them and followed the classroom rules. Ulla made sure to point out when students did well following the rules. During this class period, I got to assist Ulla with some projects. I have been working on an Expected Behavior book that shows how students should behave. Both Ulla and I walked around and took pictures of the students when they were behaving properly during a task. We then put the pictures in a book and wrote a sentence explaining what was expected. As I was working on these projects many of the kids were very interested and loved reading the text. They were also very thrilled to find themselves in the book.

I also got to work on a little art project. They are currently listening to Peter and the Wolf Audiobooks when they are drawing. Ulla wants to help identify the instruments to the characters. So I created some signs with the name of the Character and drew a little picture next to it. Then we hung up the associating instrument next to that page. Ulla hopes it will help the kids get a visual of what character belongs to what instrument. In the next couple of weeks, they will be going to a performance where they will be listening to a play/orchestra playing the Peter and the Wolf songs.

When I was making the posters the kids were very amused and interested. Sometimes too much where they forgot to listen to Ulla. But this makes me excited to work on the project with them next Wednesday for Valentine’s day.

Wednesday, February 5th, 2020

Last Shadowing Day

MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

8 am - 10:30 am

Students with disabilities

Today was my last Shadowing day with Matt. When I arrive Matt was finishing up a meeting so I got to socialize with many of the students. It was fun to listen to their stories and what they had to share. They all said they were disappointed that I was leaving.

When Matt finished his meeting we went to the classroom to get everything set up. The students slowly piled in. Matt is wonderful with them. I have heard many times how Matt is one of their favorite mentors. He remembers everyone’s name and has a personal relationship with every one of them. It is very interesting to observe how he makes sure to make each student feel special.

After the classroom was set up I went with the same student I have been mentoring through Photoshop. He has many questions as he tried to do the same techniques I taught him earlier. He is excellent at using all of the tools and it only takes him a couple of tries to understand how to use them. Halfway through Matt told him that he should watch me edit a photo so he could see how I would do it. He made sure to watch every move and ask many questions. In the end, he loved the photo. I combined two of the photos he took together.

This experience overall was amazing. All of the students and staff are upbeat and positive. The atmosphere is calming, inviting, and warm. It’s a place where people can come and relax. As Matt said on my first day, “ All of these students have so many outside expectations and pressures, I want them to come here and not have to worry about any of that. “ MSS is a beautiful company.

Week 2

Monday, January 27th, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3.5 hours

After a 3 day weekend, the kids were a little hectic today. Ulla was having troubles getting them back into the daily routine of school. It was also a little difficult with a new member of the class. Today was his first official day. Ulla was very good at introducing him to the classroom and making him feel comfortable. She began the class with the daily song, games, and readings. During the group circle, she asked all the kids how they could do their part to make sure that the new student feels comfortable in his new surroundings. He adapted to the classroom very quickly. He was very attentive to classroom rules and participated in classroom activities and discussions. Since it was his first day I worked with him individually for most of the class time. I helped him get him comfortable with the class practices and get him acquainted with his new penpal.

As part of the writing workshop, Ulla set up a penpal correspondence. The kids have been writing to a classmate from another school. I have yet to ask which school it is. This allows them to ask questions, formulate answers, and understand how to properly write a letter. The students seem to really engage with this activity.

While being in the classroom I have gotten the opportunity to connect with some of the kids. Since I am new to the classroom and teaching I sometimes find it difficult to find how I should participate within the classroom setting. As of now, I have been a helpful hand and assistant for children who need extra attention. Some things I personally struggle with is when to step in or stay out. I haven’t been with the kids long enough to know behavior patterns or how they respond to outsiders. For example, Ulla informed me that one student has had trouble behaving and staying within the classroom. Within the time that I have been on-site, his behavior has improved. But I do not want to say or do something that may make him uncomfortable. The more and more I am on site this balance is becoming more comfortable and secure. I am trying to be conscious of how I fit into this environment.

Tuesday, January 28th, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3.5 hours

The day went more smoothly today as the kids fell back into their school routine. Ulla switched her lesson plan up a little bit by adding in a quick refresher of what proper behavior looks like. She also decided that the classroom was going to be a screen-free day. This means there are no iPads allowed during reading time. To my surprise the kids more excited than disappointed. This was due to the fact of how Ulla presented her idea. She began by telling the kids that she heard on the radio that there was a study saying how screen time is affecting children’s eyesight. By going outside and using their eyes to see long-distance it improves eyesight. The kids seemed to fully understand. Then she said that the classroom will be like the olden days, no technology. The kids seemed to be excited and actually cheered. This took me completely by surprise.

I helped Ulla finish up some things around the classroom. She has recently been creating a book representing respectful ways to follow the classroom schedule. She took some photos that show how to complete each task. I finished up the task by taking more photos of the kids when they were respectfully completing a task. I also worked with some new kids that needed help with their activity.

Wednesday, January 30th, 2020

MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

Students with disabilities

8 am - 11 am

I fell to sickness this day. I was unable to attend the shadowing. I will finish the shadowing in next week's session.

Week 1 January 20-24

Monday, January 20th, 2020

NO CLASS TODAY. It’s Martin Luther King day!

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Tuesday, January 21st, 2020

Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:00 a.m -10:30 a.m

3 and a half hours

Today began like most other days. I helped Ulla prep the classroom before students began to roll in. I found a broom and cleaned up the floors. As we were working students who arrived early began eating their breakfast. They begin to come in around 7:15. When one of the students finished eating Ulla ask if they wanted to vacuum. She had a couple of students help.

Once most of the students arrived Ulla began playing the piano signaling the morning meeting. She always writes updates on the board and a review of what they will be doing in class. They read it out loud together after the morning song. At the bottom of the board, she gives them little survey options consisting of different topics each day. Today she asked if they wanted indoor or outdoor recess. She allows the students to create their own options. I have noticed how she gives every student many choices so they can formulate their own decisions/conclusions.

Ulla usually ends the morning meeting with a quick game. (Chosen by a student) During this morning game, there were some students that were whispering the answers to other students. Instead of getting angry and yelling, she let them finish their game. She then calmly started a discussion with the students. She asked these questions

How was the whispering not fair?

How could whispering the answers hurt other students’ feelings?

How does the whispering break our classroom rules?

She then created an example that shows how their actions affects the other students.

She explains how each action has consequences.

She then allowed the students to play the game again with what they have just learned.

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Wednesday, January 22nd

MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

Students with disabilities

8:00-11:25

2 and a half hours

Today I got the opportunity to work with the same student and dive deeper into photoshop. We worked on three different photos. The first photo was based on a tutorial we saw online. We took a photo he had taken and changed the color of specific areas. We purely used it as a practice. In the second photo we used a photo he had taken of a barn. We turned it black and white, created a mask, and colored the red of the barn back in. The photo was taken on Matt’s uncle’s farm. When he saw the final image Matt asked if he could send it to his uncle to show him. The final photo we edited was a combination of the skills we learned in the first two photos. We chose a dragonfly photo, changed it to black and white, painted the color of the dragonfly back in, and then changed the final color.

As we worked on photoshop, Matt walks around the room and assists the other students. He gives them tips and tricks, basically, he is the assistant of each artist.

One student has been working on a fairly large canvas for over 2 months. Each week she adds the same shape flower. Layering the canvas with multiple colored flowers. Throughout the two months, she allows different individuals to add to the piece. This week she let me add a flower to the piece. As she continues to patin I have noticed how Matt gives her ideas on how to make some colors stand out or add shadow to other spots.

I have attached two photos of the canvases that were created by the students.

Early Start Week 2

Monday, January 13th, 2020

First day at Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:30 a.m -10:30 a.m

3 hours

Around 2-3 hours each week

Today I began my student teaching with Ulla Tervo-Desnick

I entered the classroom at 7:15. As I helped finish up with the setup of the classroom, students slowly trickled in. Around 7:40 most students were in the classroom.

Ulla started with a circle meeting in front of the classroom. In this meeting, I was introduced and students got the chance to share about their weekend. They then reviewed their classroom rules and read a short phrase on the board. After this, they went to their writing workbook and made restaurant reviews. Here I was allowed to go around the room and assist any student that was stuck. As the classroom activities continued I took some students to the hall to give them extra special attention.

As the day went on a few students attached to me and asked me many questions. I also assisted with students as they went to recess and answered any questions they may have had. After recess, the students were allowed to use their iPads to read. This gave Ulla the time to sit down and give students individual attention for reading lessons.

After the students finished their reading lessons on their iPads they got dressed to go out for another recess before lunch.

I left after this. I will be back tomorrow morning at 7.

Tuesday, January 14th, 2020

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2nd day at Expo Elementary

2nd-grade teacher Ulla Tervo-Desnick

7-8 years of age

7:30 a.m -10:30 a.m

3 hours

Today was more of hands-on experience. I was paired with children who needed special attention outside of their daily activities. During the beginning “good morning meeting” I sat down with two students to draw. These two students had a specific behavior program where they would get checkmarks when they successfully accomplished a task.

We started by drawing a panda. They were very into how they wanted it to look and took to the activity very seriously. I was drawing a panda on my own piece of paper to give them a general guideline. When they finished the basic outline they started adding their own creative aspects. After the panda, we began drawing an owl.

When the activity was switched Mrs. Ulla paired me with students who needed extra help reading, coloring, or focusing. I would take some of the students into the hall so they could focus more on their tasks in hand. I switched between giving extra assistance to 4 students who either had trouble reading, behavioral issues, or troubles focusing.

When the class went out for their first recess break Mrs. Ulla had me correct assignments so I could stay in the warmth.

Some observations that I really enjoyed.

Mrs. Ulla gives the students the freedom of choice.

Ex: If they are having trouble behaving she takes them aside and asks them how she can assist them with their behavior.

Furniture designed for ansty/moving kids.

They have Hoki stools. This allows the students to move around instead of forcing them to sit still in normal chairs.

Mrs. Ulla also has a “spoon and board.” Which seems to be assigned to the students that have trouble sitting still. I would describe it as a balancing board where they can stand and move around.

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 Wednesday, January 15th

Second shadowing session at MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

Students with disabilities

8:00 am - 11 am

2 and a half hours

This session Matt sat me down with the student that wants to become better with photoshop. I got to teach him different tools and techniques. We spent 2 hours focusing on learning more about the tools and editing his photos. As I was teaching him I observed Matt and his teaching skills.

I would describe Matt’s presence as an assisting collaborator. Instead of giving the students an assigned project he allows them their freedom to choose. Every once in a while he asks if they want to try a different color or try painting instead of drawing. He makes sure that every student has a voice. I really appreciate the relationship he has created with each individual. He is caring and understanding. He never tells them they have done anything wrong and allows them to come and go as they please. Matt doesn’t treat his students like their teacher, parent, PCA, etc.

As I observe Matt I wonder how he can add some lessons into his teaching. The way he has his session set up right now is like a free studio. I came in the middle of their projects so I wonder how he began the sessions a couple of months back.

Early Start Week 1

Wednesday, January 8th

First shadowing session at MSS in Oakdale.

Teaching artist Matthew Bindert

18-75 years of age

Students with disabilities

Around 2-3 hours each week

8 am - 11 am

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

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

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

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

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