1, 5 and 10 years

I am really looking forward to next year and focusing more of my time on the classroom and the students. I have decided to let go of a lot of my responsibilities that I have had this year and focus more on the teaching. I am not extracurricular free, but I look forward to spending more time with my family. I tried to do it all this year and have learned a valuable lesson that you can't do it all, or at least without going a little crazy here and there. Next year I hope to have a more balanced lifestyle and to spend more to with the family. Maybe take more vacations. So after taking a year to have some more zen plan on taking my son to and from school. There is something really special about getting to take your child to school. We built a house just so that our son can go to Byron where I work. Hopefully, by then Harper will have a sibling. Now how to figure out squeezing the sibling in before I go to Greece and Italy next year. If a baby comes I will hand over the trip to Brooke Bordelon and she will have a great time. In five years I may have gone on many trips or not many at all. I do not have major goals for the future, right now I am just trying to get through the present. By 10 tens years I will probably be coaching again since my son will be in middle school. I would love if he plays soccer, but we will see what happens. I will probably still be teaching art and maybe doing some of my own artwork on the side. Gosh, I hope I am still not doing prom by then! I am not sure at this time if I want to continue more schooling, but if I did it would be in the fine arts. I will continue to make relationships with my students and prepare them for their futures, wherever that may lead them.

Metaphor for Teaching

Teaching art is like a personal trainer. The art teacher will do one on one coaching, see your potential even when you can't, push you harder than you have ever been pushed, make you analyze your decisions, exercise your problem solving skills, pick you up when you fall, encourage you to try new things and to keep going when you want to stop. There are so many things that we do as teachers, I don't really feel like we can fit under just one metaphor. There are so many hats that we wear as teachers. We are facilitators, moms when we need to be, friends and disciplinarians. I know I am missing a bunch of other things that we do everyday.

Can you think of someone who reminds you of Marion Campbell, the weaver in Scotland? What was this person like? She was amazing, she was my old neighbor at the Byron Middle School. She was an all around good person and very much a possible saint. How did his or her example influence you? She would do a lot of volunteer work and always tried to model good behavior. I enjoyed doing some of these volunteer opportunities with her and have kept some of them as an annual tradition. What have you learned from this person? To always try to do the right thing, be graceful and considerate. Person: Kaylene Geiger Impact on me: Just to always try to be a good person. List two or three attributes you have that you can use to "be your best for the world." How can these help you do your job-whether it's as a parent, an employee or a member of the community? Quality: Thoughtful How I can use it: With my students, friends and family. Quality: Giving How I can use it: For those in need.

Conference

Share something that you picked up from someone at the conference and how you implemented/plan to into your classroom in the forum. Share the impact on student learning with our community in your blog. How did it go? I gave more choice to one of my paper cutting projects. I told them they go do something more difficult than a cartoon character if they would like. I still want them to determine the positive and negative space. It went ok, some kids were able to pick something more tailored towards their liking, but some picked pictures that created the positive/negative spaces for them. One student chose to draw her own design. What changes did you need to make? Just giving them the choice, but then trying to real them back in when they wanted to do different size paper or use different materials. Sometimes you give certain kids an inch and they will take a mile. How could someone else use it? Choice can be put into almost any assignment/project.

Take Yourself to the Edge

We usually think of "going to the edge" in terms of athletic endeavors. How might this concept apply to your job? It can be difficult and more time and effort than usual to try to change your current teaching. Getting this Masters has pushed me to the edge. I jut need to keep through pushing through the school year. I push my students a lot and now I need to push myself. If your efforts fall short, do you gain anything? For instance, going to the edge may mean calling one more time on a prospect just to see if he or she will buy or practicing a presentation over and over again until you can do it flawlessly. I think that if you fall short you can still reflect on what went wrong and learn from it. The real push comes when you are willing to try again, instead of giving up. How "going to the edge" applies in my job: I have added a lot of technology this year. I have also created an Art Club and/or team. I will soon find out if all of my work from the previous year will be worth the effort. I have also added a program that helped bring our technology up to the proper standards at our high school. We use it in our Graphic Design class and next year we will be adding Digital Photography!! What I gain even if my efforts fall short: I will have gained relationships and experiences. That in itself is something to be cherished. Do you think that you always need to take yourself to your edge? I think that everything needs to happen in moderation. Too much pushing will result in burnout and quitting something all together. Are there times when "good enough" really is good enough? I think there are times in our life that good enough is enough. Especially, when there are other circumstances present. Do you need to "pick your battles" when you're going to your edge? Yes, this is a true statement. Even if you are persistent I do not think you get everything you want or at least not all at once.

Reflection and goals

Begin with some self-reflection. What “principles of practice” have you learned about and incorporated into your own daily existence that you will continue utilizing, even post-SMU? Always being flexible and trying new fun activities to make learning more interesting and motivating. I will also continue to use technology on a regular basis. Why are they so important to you? Education is constantly changing and it is my job to keep improving and reflecting on my work. What research supports these practices? There is lots of research on technology and how it helps motivate students. Reflecting on your work will help make teacher's lessons better. Keeps a teacher from being stagnant. What has been their impact upon you as an individual, within your teaching, and throughout your learning? I am now more knowledgeable about technology and it has increased communication with my students in an online sense. What has been their impact upon your colleagues? I have been able to have many conversations about technology, the iPad and flipped classroom with many of my classmates. What has been their impact upon your students and student learning in general? Having the discussions with classmates make it easier to learn from each other rather than needing to rewrite history. Having the collaboration has been awesome. My goals for next year: 1. Continue to improve Art Team- Hopefully is approved in April or May by the school board 2. Continue to use Technology- I will be teaching digital photography next year and will be learning a new current program. 3. Staying flexible- Continue to try new things and keep class fun.

Ride the Change

Do you agree that change holds the most potential for success? It depends on if the change is necessary or not. There is no sense in change for change sake. Yes, change should occur, especially if it is needed. Are there times when change is negative? For example, you may know of people (or employers) who change just for the sake of change, rather than thinking through what they're trying to accomplish. It can be seen as negative if the reason for change is not clear. The reason for change needs to be clear, honest and upfront, otherwise how do you make the right changes if the initial issue is unclear. Can you think of a period in your life that was a time of great change? This year has been a year of great change. I created an art club that will go in front of the school board in April to become an Art Team. How did this influence you? This has been an incredibly fruitful, yet time consuming opportunity. I know it is all for the greater good for the kids, but starting this change would have been better suited for after my Masters was accomplished. At times I question if this change made me a better person. One person can only do so much and this was too much for me and my family. Hoping for lots of changes that are needed for next year. Sometimes doing less can be a good change to:) Are you better or worse off today for having gone through this? I will be better off when it is all done. Right now I am still in the struggling stage of trying to balance my time, which is completely out of balance. My time is not where my priorities are right now. Period in my life: Trying to get through Masters and a lot has happened this last year. Effect on me: I have accomplished a lot which is great for me and my students, but I constantly feel that my family (My #1 Priority) deserves better than this and that changes will need to occur for next year. Too many changes at once can push too hard, causing a negative personal affect.