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Lesson Plans


Re: Class Schedule

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Susan Bennett (sbennett)
Tue, 12 Oct 1999 22:49:12 -0400

Neat story. How a group of people use and repect art often reflects their
station in life. It is funny that middle class people often reduce art to
something menial, thinking they are giving the best and knock ing art to a
lower position. While all the while the haves realize what it takes to stay
the haves. The have nots just fall further behind, even though those of us
who have had the opportunity to see the benefits of the arts in our life,
try to share it with our own. You can lead a horse to water but you can not
make them drink! Susan
-----Original Message-----
From: ARTNSOUL12 <ARTNSOUL12>
To: artsednet.edu <artsednet.edu>
Date: Monday, October 11, 1999 11:32 AM
Subject: Re: Class Schedule

>I'm a full-time Art Teacher K-5 in one school with 400 students. I teach
19
>classes a week (up from 18 last year). I have 3 classes at each grade level
>except four 3rd grades. Average class size is 25-the limit in my district.
>The third grade has 20 in each. We're on Block Scheduling so classroom
>teachers have "Common Prep" which dictates the schedule. I teach 3 -40
>minute periods on Tuesday and Thursday, 4- 40 min. classes on Mon. and Fri.
>and 5-40 min. classes on Wed. I have hall duty 3 mornings from 8:15to 8:30
>and lunch duty(30 min) once a week. Contractual day is 8:15 to 2:45. I have
>an Art Club (extra pay for extra services) one day a week after school for
an
>hour. However, ask me what time I leave- the earliest 4:00 and sometimes 9
>or 10 at night! Does this sound crazy with all the "Prep" time I have?
My
>district is rated the top (scholastically) in New York, and the teachers
put
>in a lot of overtime. During the day, I give extra art if I'm doing an
>involved project with the kids or individual attention. Lots of time for
art
>integration with the other teachers' subjects and special area teachers- we
>often collaborate. I understand this is a luxury! 40 min. is not enough
>time to teach the way I want to teach but I utilize the day by doing the
most
>interesting, involved, substanance lessons I can think of , and my schedule
>affords me this. Most of my projects require a lot of prep. I mount and mat
>everything, and I'm busy doing elaborate displays for the halls of the
>school and the administration building. I have a beautiful huge art room
and
>two huge (10x10 closets) and soon 4 sinks(they're adding ) and plenty of
>supplies, new tables......Art Teacher HEAVEN.....
>
>By the way, I paid my dues! This is my second year in this district. I
left
>a district after 10 years where I had NO ROOM, a cart, and 4 floors, only 2
>floors accessable by cart. No sinks in the classrooms. The principal
would
>only allow 2 children at a time to wash in the bathrooms. I carried
supplies
>up and down from my station which was an unheated closet! I was
constantly
>sick from the cold closet and the hot classrooms. I did everything- lots
of
>painting, paper mache, plaster, clay,(kiln in the closet with me) even
>without a room. Carried buckets of water up and down. And, I was expected
to
>do ALL the bulletin boards in the school with the children's art! When
the
>district passed a bond issue two years ago and they decided to add 2
>classrooms and a Music Room, and still NO art room, I decided enough of
this
>abuse! Refused to change my program or compromise on The NYS Standards so
I
>looked for a more enriched district in which to teach....went from hell to
>heaven! So, that's my story....... Sue
>