I had my last Professional Observation for the year today. It had been
hard to schedule. First I had to reschedule. Then some emergency came
up and my principal had to cancel. I never did get around to
rescheduling the second time, and she didn't remind me, so I forgot
about all it.
Today, Open Art Studio was especially hectic, with 15 students. Usually
I limit it to 12 kids (who sign up on the door ahead of time), but
we're in the midst of deadline nightmares, including in art, so I
allowed three extra kids to come in (my arm was twisted badly, and I
thought my shoulder would snap). I had 15 kids ranging from 4th graders
on up to 8th graders. They were working in different mediums; tempera
paints, water based ink monotype, silk screen on fabric, paper mache,
clay, pen & ink, mounting prints for display and one artist was simply
drawing in pencil. Needless to say, it was a zoo.
The first 15 minutes of Open Art are always hardest for me, getting
everyone going with all the stuff, and sometimes I find I'm rather
short with the impatient ones (don't you hate the interupters, too?)
Anyway, 15 minutes into this especially dizzying Open Art Studio, I
looked over to the corner and there was my principal, making notes on
her laptop as she observed all that was going on. I had no idea how
long she'd been there. I have an odd shaped room with a door that I
can't see or hear (I think I'll put a bell on it). I said hello as I
continued to bounce from one artist to the next, suggesting,
complimenting, teasing, coaxing, joking, debating, leading, directing
and all those things we all do.
I was worried she may have had trouble with my sharp tongue or just the
craziness of it all. Turns out she loved it. She said it may have
seemed hectic to me, but not to her, and probably not to the kids. She
liked that they were forced to be more self reliant. She commented that
seldom does she see 100% of the students on task every time she checks.
She was especially impressed that the students were so social and
obviously enjoying themselves, yet they remained productive. She liked
the mixed ages working side by side, and my bad puns, and the kid
friendly atmosphere, with their choice of music playing.
In the fall she had supported my wish to get Open Art Studio going, but
she wasn't sure it would catch on. It turns out that after sort of slow
start, I now have a waiting list almost every day. She had heard a lot
about it, but she had never actually seen Open Art. After today she'll
be an even more avid supporter, and has even offered to find more money
for supplies, since obviously I'm putting them to good use and using
them up faster than the previous teacher did.
Cool, huh? And I didn't even have to bang out any lesson plans!
Mark
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