A High School Art Teacher

I spent 3 days this week as a high school art teacher.
The teacher's absence was very sudden and unexpected.  I was left with instructions that pretty much consisted of, "keep working on existing projects.  If someone finishes, have them start a new project of their choice.  If all else fails, have them work on homework."
I managed to keep kids working on artsy stuff for the first two days, but by day three nearly all kids were exclusively working on homework.

Friday morning was especially bad.  We had a pretty good sized snow storm, but because of the number of snow days already used this year, school was not cancelled.  I left home about 15 minutes early, expecting to be slowed down a bit.  Twenty minutes out, I knew I wasn't going to make it on time, so I called the school to let them know.  When I finally arrived, 15 minutes after school started, they were happy that I manged to show up at all.  Several subs had been scheduled that day, and all but one other had cancelled outright.

One student, right before lunch, decided he was going to channel Jackson Pollock.  Despite setting up several safety measures to prevent making a mess, he managed to get a few small red drops of paint on the bright white jerseys of several varsity basketball players.  Needless to say, the athletes were a little upset.  They held themselves in check very well, and the situation did not escalate, but for a few moments I thought there might be real trouble.

An Art Teacher

A few weeks back I spent a week subbing for an art teacher.  She had an unbelievable schedule.  Not only did she not have have a prep period (not common, but something I've seen a number of times), but she did not have a lunch break.  She had a class of two students over the usual lunch period.  She was even double booked during that period, so that she had to leave the two kids alone for part of the hour to teach art in rotating elementary classrooms.
I could have subbed for her for the rest of the school year, but for several complex reasons I decided against it.

On the plus side, she had some really crazy/cool stuff around her room.  According to one Senior art student, she "just builds stuff and assigns projects to advanced students, so that she can have neat stuff all over the room."

I've got a couple examples below.  The teacher built the dragon, "just because," and I'm told that he son built the face.  The dragon also isn't done, as she hadn't finished the wings.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 12)

In one of my classes I have a student who is obsessed with Jelly Bellies.  He often likes to blurt out ideas for new flavors.  These are usually random things, often with the intent to "gross out" whomever is in earshot.  

Today, near the end of class he called out, "Mr. C's mustache!"

I laughed much harder than I should have, before I caught myself.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 11)

If all goes to plan, this Friday is my last day.  The teacher I've been subbing for should be back on Monday, though the principal has asked me to stay on-call, in case I have to come back suddenly.
I get a pay bonus after so many days in a consecutive job.  If the teacher comes back for one day, and then I'm called back in, and I get reset back to the base pay, I will be VERY upset.

Kindergartners can be fun...

Little Girl: "Look at  this scary picture!"
Mr. C: *Looks over her shoulder at an undersea picture-find book* "Oh?  What's so scary?"
Little Girl: "It's the mermaid!  She steals all the fishes' souls!"
Mr. C:  "Yeah...?  And... how do you know that?"
Little Girl: "I dunno... I just made it up."
Mr. C: "Oh, okay, carry on."

An Art Teacher (Long Term 10)

I had some memorable moments today.

After reading to today's kindergartners, they got to roam around and find books to check out.  A few minutes in, a little boy runs up to me with a large book, featuring a close-up picture of an alligator's jaws on the cover.

Boy: Mr. C!  Look at this big bastard!
Mr. C: ....what?
Boy: Look at this big bastard!
Mr. C: ...say that again... what am I looking at?
Boy: This big bastard!
Mr. C: That's what I thought... you know, kiddo, you shouldn't say that "B" word, it's not a nice word.
Boy: But, my dad says it.
Mr. C:  I'm sure he does, but that's a word for adults to use...
Little girl: (blurting out) my brother calls me that all the time!
Mr. C:  ...

A few hours later, during my 7th grade art class...

Mr. C: Alright guys, I know a few of you are still finishing up your project, so I want to give you one last day before we start something new.  As for the rest of you, I expect you to either be working on other homework, or working on one of the free draw prompts.  And, stay out of the paint.  If you're free-drawing, you can use crayon, pencils, or markers.
Girl: Can I use glitter?
Mr. C: No, glitter always makes a mess, and we're running low anyway.
Girl:  But Mr. C!  I need to have color!  Glitter is my favorite color!
Mr. C: *starts laughing* ...okay, thank you... I need to write that one down...


I also discovered today that one of my 7th graders is a 3rd cousin.  She couldn't get over how "weird" that was.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 9)

I've been on this assignment for about four full weeks now, and things are pretty much falling into a normal routine.  One thing that I have been doing is asking the advanced high school art students to give me their own critique of their work, before I grade it.  I don't think this is asking too much, and more than once it has resulted in kids going back and putting more effort into their projects, just because they realized it didn't live up to their own expectations.
So, yesterday, when a very quiet, shy Junior girl (who I've had in various classes since she was a Freshman, including a previous 5 week long-term job) turned in a fantastic rendition of the human eye, I asked her, "out of 30 possible points, what do you think you've earned, and why?"  Right away she gave me a number much lower than what I thought was fair.  When I asked why, she pointed to a small section of slightly uneven shading (that I thought looked great).  I then asked her if she really thought she should lose so many points for such a minor error.  At this point she started to turn bright red, wouldn't make eye contact and started muttering, "I don't know."  After a few seconds of this I realized she was trying not to cry; so I let her sit down and cool off.
I felt like a monster.  But, seriously, did I do something wrong?

An Art Teacher (Long Term 8)

I had to order some paint a while back.  When it came in, I found that the office had ordered it in my name, as oppose to the regular art teacher.  I thought that was fun.

I've also found out that I will be filling in for the regular art teacher during upcoming parent-teacher conferences.  Since they are after regular school hours, I just hope that I get paid for it.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 7)

In addition to teaching art classes, I spend a period each day in the library.  The first 20 minutes are spent reading the elementary kids, followed by 20-25 minutes of supervising them while they check out books, and then the rest of the time I shelve books.

I had a group of kindergartners in today.  They come in the same day every week, but today they were exceptionally squirrelly.  They wouldn't sit and listen, they were hitting each other, they were tattling on each other, and just generally behaving like a box full of ferrets.
When the teacher came back and asked how they were, I told her that they were having a very loud day, and had trouble sitting still.  She nodded, thanked me, and instead of lining them up to go, she herded them into the side-room that serves as the elementary library.  I went about my business shelving books.  A few minutes later she came out and said that they needed me in the room.
I was pretty sure I knew what was coming, but I didn't know how to react when the following came...

Teacher: 1...2...3...
25 Kindergartners: ...We're sorry we were... dis-re-spect-ful...we promise not to do it again...can you ever for-give us?
Mr. C.: .......yes, of course.  Thank you....

I couldn't get out of that room fast enough.

Later in the day, during Yearbook, a senior boy decided he had to "serenade" me with the song Hero by (I think) Enrique Iglesias.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 6)

My middle school students started a new project today.  I bought five different shapes of pasta, and they are gluing them down on an index card.  They will then draw a close-up of a section of the space they've filled.  They purpose is that they will use shading techniques to give the pasta some depth.
I wasn't sure how much instruction they had received on shading techniques, and I knew that I wasn't going to be able to give them any.  So, I went on YouTube and found a video.  I will post it below, but I had them follow along with the person on the screen, as she sketched out a few examples.  Some kids seemed to find this pretty interesting and helpful, while others couldn't believe that I was making them practice something.

I didn't make them sketch the horse OR the mane.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 5)

I over heard the following conversation today in one of my high school art classes.

Student 1: Wait, who's Bill Murray?
Student 2: You don't know who Bill Murray is?  Dude, he's a comedian.  He was in Space Jam.

I spent time after school mounting some student work on large sheets of cardboard, so that I can hang them in the hallway.  Just as I was getting ready to head to the other end of the building to grab something, three students walked in.  One of them is a very avid art student, and someone I know I can trust.  I didn't really know the other two girls with him, but they seemed trustworthy.  He wanted to show the girls a project he was working on.  I told them that they could stay while I went out, but to just close up the room if they left.
While at the other end of the building I ran into another teacher, and we started chatting... 30-40 minutes later I walked back into the art room, only to find that the three students had CLEANED the place.  I had been doing a pretty good job keeping stuff picked up, pretty much in the same condition I found the room.  These kids put everything away, clearing off all of the counters and organizing the supplies.  I was so shocked that I probably seemed ungrateful, just because I had no idea what to say... "thanks" just didn't seem like enough.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 4)

This should have gone up as two separate posts, but I forgot about it.  Oh well.

Tuesday
Today my 7th graders organized giving me "the silent treatment" at the start of class.  They didn't say a word as they filed into class.  When the bell rang, and it was time to get started they continued to stare at me, not making a sound.  I know they meant it to get on my nerves, or make me upset or something... but it was amazing.  I was able to get through attendance, review the project they were working on, and get everything started in record time.  The magic eventually broke, but it was great while it lasted.  I might need to make them mad at me more often.

Wednesday
Well, my 7th graders took their frustrations about how I graded their project to the next level.  During lunch I was talking to the principal about ordering some paint, when he mentioned that he had been swarmed by a large crowd of seventh graders, all complaining about me.  He told them that if they had a problem, they needed to calmly talk to me as individuals, instead of whipping themselves up into a frenzied mob.  We talked about it a little bit more, and it became clear that I have his support.
When you're a sub, knowing that the principal is willing to trust your judgement is a pretty big deal.

I had my seventh grade class right after lunch.  Not only did no one say a single thing about the grade issue, but they were all being extra sweet and nice, drawing me pictures and writing "I <3 Mr. C." on the board when my back was turned.
Granted, I don't like them drawing on the board, and they should have been working on their project, not making little drawings for me... but it is the thought that counts.

An Art Teacher (Long Term 3)

I finally got access to the online grading information today.  Having three classes in the same room is still going to be complicated, grade-wise, but not too badly.

My 7th graders let me know today that I grade much harder than their regular teacher.
Student:  Uhh... excuse me, Mr. C?  Yeah, no offence or anything, but Ms. H. would have given me full points on this.
Mr. C:  Let me see... I took off all of three points, out of 30, because you didn't follow directions... here *point* and here *point*
Student: *walk away muttering* So not fair... I'm an artist...

An Art Teacher (Long Term 2)

I read my middle school students the riot act about the mess.  The past couple days they have done a surprisingly good job of cleaning the room at the end of the period.  

I've spent this week sorting out and organizing all of the piles of student work around the room.  I have given back at least 2-3 projects per class period. I'm also starting to wrap my head around the organizational system. 

My next big task is going to be the main storage room.  There are a lot of items that I just don't understand.  

An Art Teacher (Long Term 1)

Well, it's official.  They gave me keys and everything.  For at least the next six weeks I will be the art teacher at a small, semi-rural middle/high school.  As things become routine, I imagine my blog posts will diminish in frequency.
The teacher I'm subbing for called me last night, and we spent nearly an hour on the phone going over her classes, and talking about the weeks to come.  I mentioned some of my biggest concerns in my previous post.  She was able to clear up a lot of them, though I'm really not looking forward to putting the gnomes in the kiln at some point.  I had to move them today, and put them in a safer storage area (than on the main counter in the room)  Several of them fell apart when I picked them up - oops.

My middle school students are working on a project that needs a lot of construction paper.  I got out a large selection, but several times I allowed kids to go into the storage room to get other colors.  Towards the end of the day, when I had a real chance to go back and check out the room, I found that it was trashed.  I guess I learned a lesson.

A Secondary Art Teacher

I walked into school today expecting the usual boring art class lesson plans of: "The kids should continue working on their projects, they know what they're doing."
Instead, when I walked into the office I was greeted by the principal with, "oh, Mr. C, what are you doing for the next two months?"

Long story short, I may have an unexpected long-term job coming up.  Right now I'm scheduled tomorrow (Friday) through all of next week.  Past that, things are still up in the air.
I spent some time tonight talking to an art teacher friend of mine, getting some advice and also reading up on state visual art content expectations.  I'm certified in social studies and English... I can't draw my way out of a paper bag.

With all that being said, the high school students just finished sculpting lawn gnomes out of clay.  They were sitting on a shelf in the room, and some of the kids did a really good job on them.  The gnomes still need to be fired and then painted.  I have no idea how to work a kiln.

A Middle School Art Teacher

I subbed today for a middle school art teacher.

Today was an interesting day.  It was a combination of the "keep working on project" and "put in a movie" days.  Three of the six classes I had today got to watch a riveting docu-drama on Claude Monet.  The last two classes got to watch Scooby-Doo.
The first class was really excited about this, up until they realized I wasn't talking about the movie with Sarah Michelle Gellar.  After that a few of them had the nerve to actually complain.
After two episodes of Scooby-Doo, an episode of Huckleberry Hound came on.  The kids really found this interesting, since it exposed them to a degree of cartoon violence that they had clearly never encountered (in school, at least).  In the episode, H. Hound took on the role of a lion tamer.  I would describe it, but you can just watch the episode below.  The scene with the pistol really blew their minds.

The end of the Scooby-Doo tape contained an episode of Dexter's Laboratory.  I THINK it might have been the pilot, but I'm not exactly sure.  I did a quick search of YouTube and couldn't find it.  What chilled me right to the bone was that a few kids had actually never heard of the show.

Lastly, I've got a new picture of myself.  This may just be the best one yet.  When you see it, the girl wasn't trying to make fun of me.  She'd actually drawn several pictures of her classmates in the exact same "pose," for lack of a better word.

 

An Art Teacher

I subbed today for an art teacher at the high school and elementary levels.

I had a student ask if I was famous, obviously I said "yes."

I colored a leaf today.  Enjoy.

A High School Art Teacher

I subbed today for a high school art teacher.

The kids were working on a cool project.  They'd been given old books, and the assignment was to "alter" them to reflect their own lives.  The kids end up painting, drawing, cutting, burning, gluing, etc. the books.  The results are pretty cool.

An Art Teacher

I subbed today for a middle/high school art teacher.
I've subbed for art more times than I can count.  Sometimes, at the elementary level the teacher will want the kids to start a new, small project.  However, at the secondary level the lesson plans nearly always say something along the lines of, "students should continue working on projects - they know what to do." 
Today I was given typical secondary art lesson plans... with one exception.  During 2nd period I got to go down to the library and read the 1st graders.  I loved it.
One of the books I read was Hooray for Diffendoofer Day, by (sort of) Dr. Seuss.  It is a lot of fun to read aloud.

An Elementary Art Teacher

I subbed for an elementary art teacher today.  Yet another first day in new buildings (her day is split between two elementarys).

I don't really have much to say, other than if you're an art teacher and you REALLY want a specific type of paper used in a project, I suggest either pulling it out ahead of time or giving VERY clear instructions on where to find it.

Also, I got a group of 2nd grade boys to quit arguing and being obnoxious by telling them to "see who can draw the best T-Rex."  They loved it.

Lastly, a 3rd grade girl drew this for me.  It's a pretty good likeness.