Reflection

I have decided to start this blog as a reflection of my day-to-day life as a new, young art teacher.  A mentor in my high school building keeps telling me I need to journal my stories, ideas, and frustrations and I have decided this would be the best way to show my journey.

Anyway, I am a K-12 art teacher in Meade and it is my first year.  I have 2 rooms, 2 buildings, 2 principals, 18 classes and 250+ students a week.  It is safe to say I survived 9+ weeks of my first year which is a HUGE triumph!  Some days I wonder if I'm surviving, but in reality taking a look at the big picture, I really am.  I have learned a ton so far through experience, trial and error, and mistakes which is what learning is really all about, right?

I have my K-6 students once a week for 40 minutes.  I have a junior high class of 7th and8 8th grade combined every day for 55 minutes, and 3 high school classes every day for 55 minutes.  I am THE art teacher in the district...the one and only.  I LOVE my students although they give me an equal amount of grief and love in the day-to-day operations of school.  I sometimes wonder if my 5 year olds and 17 year olds are one in the same...at least it sure does make for some interesting stories, some awkward moments, and some great laughs.

My planning for the year's lessons started off strong and I quickly discovered that most of my students lacked the basic skills necessary to complete most tasks I had in store.  As I first panicked, I realized I just needed to re-vamp my teaching strategies and simplify my ideas.  This is still a work in progress for me as I struggle through the day every now and then.  Sometimes I wonder if my expectations are too high...
My schedule gives me little time to prep/plan, so my lesson "planning" has become a sort of "on the fly approach" which is so not my style.  However, because I am by nature a long-term thinker I am looking into the rest of the semester and into the next semester for more long-term planning through themes and ideas. 

As I continue surviving through my first CRAZY year as a teacher, I hope to learn, share, grow, and love with each and every one of my students and fellow teachers.