Career Day
For my 10th grade Career Day, I had the awesome opportunity to shadow my 9th grade Humanities teacher's sister. One of my passion is art, in fact it's my biggest passion. I have always loved and enjoyed it though it can be very difficult at times. My 9th grade teacher, Ms. Kali now works at High Tech Middle Chula Vista. Her sister Meredith works there too as an art teacher. I got to see Ms. Kali and shadow Meredith.
It worked in my favor that Meredith was not only available that day but had 4 classes. I got to observe a lot. High Tech Middle Chula Vista is an awesome school much like North County, in fact it felt like a home away from home. There was so much energy, passion and art there, everywhere on campus. I got to watch as four 8th grade work on there art projects. What the project was was the background being something that described their future- what or where they hoped to be. Some students had trouble ¨showing¨ their future through art and Meredith gave them the idea do use mandalas- a pattern/design using overlapping circles, a symmetrical design. Then, over that was a portrait of them-self in simply just black and white.
The students were passionately working on their products, some harder than others. Meredith encouraged me to go around and help students if needed or simply talk and interact with them. I really enjoyed that. The students were so much more open and willing to talk then I thought they'd be. They shared about different parts of their lives, parts that were shown on their art pieces. They were very personal pieces. I loved hearing what they had to say. I got to hear how students got an idea and created it with art. I got to see some really amazing creativity and potential.
There was a certain art technique that many of the students were using. I had never done that technique before, so Meredith taught me it. I then got to teach a handful of students that technique. I got to have a little taste of being an actual art teacher!
Meredith also told me that a big part of being an art teacher is curating- hanging up and displaying the student work. During the break and her prep time she had me rehang some pieces that had fallen down. I also got to interview her on some questions about her job:
What is a typical work day, what does it look like?
What was your training/education?
It worked in my favor that Meredith was not only available that day but had 4 classes. I got to observe a lot. High Tech Middle Chula Vista is an awesome school much like North County, in fact it felt like a home away from home. There was so much energy, passion and art there, everywhere on campus. I got to watch as four 8th grade work on there art projects. What the project was was the background being something that described their future- what or where they hoped to be. Some students had trouble ¨showing¨ their future through art and Meredith gave them the idea do use mandalas- a pattern/design using overlapping circles, a symmetrical design. Then, over that was a portrait of them-self in simply just black and white.
The students were passionately working on their products, some harder than others. Meredith encouraged me to go around and help students if needed or simply talk and interact with them. I really enjoyed that. The students were so much more open and willing to talk then I thought they'd be. They shared about different parts of their lives, parts that were shown on their art pieces. They were very personal pieces. I loved hearing what they had to say. I got to hear how students got an idea and created it with art. I got to see some really amazing creativity and potential.
There was a certain art technique that many of the students were using. I had never done that technique before, so Meredith taught me it. I then got to teach a handful of students that technique. I got to have a little taste of being an actual art teacher!
Meredith also told me that a big part of being an art teacher is curating- hanging up and displaying the student work. During the break and her prep time she had me rehang some pieces that had fallen down. I also got to interview her on some questions about her job:
What is a typical work day, what does it look like?
- 5 classes, 112 students
- very busy, managing/working many things- power tools, painting, computers
- very hands-on, rarely sitting, keeping up with the school (displaying work), prepping materials, cleaning up, sometimes are the janitor.
- lots of physical activity
- not much grading
- communicating, problem solving, design, how things work together
- project packets (steps, instructions), gave students survey about how they lean/are supported, students said packets are too much writing/like worksheets, Rubric in packet, KSH critique, point system, reflections on rubric about themselves benchmarks- doesn't work as well, holds them accountable, grading process, less about grading project
- first semester- 7th grade, second semester- 8th grade
- 7th grade- more enthusiastic, all working, have to teach them more
- 8th grade- already have basic skills, less enthusiastic,
- really love high school- maturity, can do more, more depth in students, more about world, not self
- middle school- less depth, not as much connection, more about themselves
- getting to know students, personalities in art, you as the teacher are a little bit in every piece, they are the pieces in your big picture/vision
- you see the students struggling, then see them be successful in what they struggle with
- curating, creating beautiful spaces, honoring students and their work
- working with materials, get to do a lot of art, demos in small groups
- get to be 1 on 1 with students
- classroom management, discipline, dealing with problems
- talking to class a a whole
- cleaning, organization- overwhelming, have to take care of students
- grading
What was your training/education?
- art school degree, BA- Bachelor of Arts- double major with Spanish, minor in art history at University of Minnesota, found out about printmaking there, focused on that medium, took no painting classes (wished she did), did credential program, never learned to teach, learn by example
- have to remember that tomorrow is a new day
- tutored in high school, helped with mentorship- high school students with colleges
- do own art
- feel a lot of pressure to create beautiful student art
- 1st year- worked so much here, felt guilty if not working on student work
- started spending more time on own work, incorporated your own work with students and their work and vice versa
- sometimes wish the be full time artist
- get to expand horizon and solidify abilities through teaching
- won't work anywhere else, didn't like school as student, more ability to change work space, less classroom/school feeling, change schedule
- could work at international school- curious
- love structure and support of HTH