Teacher Induction Program (TIP) - Day One

Day One of the new teacher, Teacher Induction Program (TIP) is over. 

It began at 8AM (oh the joys of getting up early). I registered and found a friend (Shout-out Mrs. Hanson) and then my principal brought ever new teacher over to where we were sitting, introduced them and we all sat together. There are two ELA teachers, a Biology, a Math, a SS and me! Four of the six of us our brand new teachers. The math teacher, will be co-coaching with me (so I knew her already!) One of the ELA teachers actually went to graduate school with me, but was in a different cohort. 

Our first session was an introduction to the program and leadership and administration. It was followed by information on our benefits. Then we had a bit of a break to explore vendors and talk with HR. 

We had lunch and after lunch we broke up into smaller groups for workshop sessions. My first one was on RT3 (Race to the Top). It discussed the new way in which teachers and leadership is evaluated. My second session was on Ethics. We simply reviewed the common sense of the Code of Ethics as well as some examples of those who chose not to follow those. My final session was about RTI. I really felt like I was in school over again in this one. 

I do not know what tomorrow holds but I'm excited to get back to work. Oh and I also met the new art teacher at HCHS. She was the only other new hire in art for the county; therefore, it was nice to meet her and we will be teaching the same things, so I got her contact information if I had any questions. 

Julia came over tonight to go over our syllabi for the classes we are both teaching respectively. I have still yet to do work (oh dear!) I think I will start working on posters though!

We have a free day on Thursday, so I think I will start decorating then! (Excited!)

-Mrs. Brown the Art Teacher

Coaching!

Not only will I be embarking on a first year teaching journey, but also a first year coaching journey. I met today with the head cheerleading coach (my second time meeting with her) and the other interested coach. Turns out the two of us (the newbies) will be co-coaching the basketball cheerleading team. It was nice to meet and discuss any questions we had as well as discuss the upcoming season and tryouts. 

We also got official "coaching" shirts!

Tryouts are the second week of school, so it is fast approaching.

Until then, I have lots of cleaning and organizing to finish up in my classroom as well as TIP next week and pre-planning the week after. 

-Mrs. Brown / Coach Brown!

AP Day 4

Last day.

Today, has gone by fast. We reviewed 3D rubric/scoring of portfolio. As well as used studio time to finish all of our works we did not yet. I finished my cards and worked on my map. My puppets are dry but need to be painted and clothed. My cardboard figure was 'finished' yesterday, but I would like to continue to add to it. See all the images below! I have also included works on my peers that I thought were outstanding. Enjoy~



(Left)
My deconstructed catalog page. I wanted to create a play on the words 'terror' and 'error' with deconstruction and teaching (being a first year teacher - slightly scary!). Out of all the pieces, I struggled the most with this piece.
I wish I had a before and after. Oh well!

(Right)
My Concertina book with maps.
I based it on places I called 'Home.'
It starts with my hometown and alma mater, moves to my college town and college, then my home-away-from-home, a camp I worked at, travels across the sea to Ireland, and finally rests in my local location!

I wanted to focus on the Principle of Unity/Variety with the map, use of primary colors and line quality as well as the Element of texture, and space.

This piece is definitely my favorite. It is still unfinished, I am excited to work more into it.







(Left)
The head of my puppet made from plaster gauze.
It was so easy to make, I will definitely use this in the classroom. We attached the heads to sticks from outside. My piece is still unfinished, I need to go in and paint the head as well as add arms, legs, clothing, and hair. I'll try to remember to post pictures when I complete it.







(Below) My cardboard piece and I posing together. As you can see my shins aren't quite to scale! This was an extremely fun process and piece. I would not recommended it for Intro. classes, but definitely advanced classes. We first sketched our portrait with shoulders and then we (the classes) were assigned stations and we rotated our pieces around the room and the people came to life with vivid colors and mark-making. Then over the course of the next few days, we drew and cut our body parts out and then switched them with other people so that we did not end up designing our own. Then today, we put all the pieces back together! It is a piece that I think I will continue to work and rework. I love the assemblage/collage aspect of the different pieces. This is a great 2D concept!

I also wanted to include some of my peers work, because I found it outstanding!

Below (Left) John C's (Center) John G's and (Right) Pier's. 

*Click images to see enlarged. 

Below are three examples of puppets: (Left) Unfinished bunny, (Center) John C's and (Right) John G's reaper.

Below is our teacher's example of reusing classroom materials. As art teachers, we all have run into old dried out (unwashed) paintbrushes...by adding plaster gauze we created puppets/figurines a la Mr. Imagination.  

Below are more peer examples of the Concertina book. 

In order of artist: John C's, Kathleen's, Pier's, Lauren's, Jason's and John G's. 

And at the end of today, I got my certificate! AP Certified!

AP Day 3

The week has gone by super fast. I had MORE homework yesterday, that I did not have a chance to write yesterday, but I will briefly recap.

Day 2 - YESTERDAY
Slept in a little more, and breezed through I-75 traffic and made it slightly early with time to grab an apple and coffee, and work on some unfinished homework/pieces. We discussed Drawing Concentrations as well as 2D information. We drew out, cut out and switched body parts for our cardboard image (All post images when all projects are complete). I worked on those for the majority of our studio time today. We also began working on our concertina books. That about sums it up. Took 75 home and it wasn't bad, but did take longer. Then I took back roads once 285 merged onto 75S because of traffic. Not bad. I will take the loop tomorrow, it's faster.

Day 3 - TODAY.
Took 75 up and arrived with enough time to find a glue stick (I didn't have one at home) and work on my concertina book. Then we discussed more 2D and then dove into the rubric and scoring of portfolios. Then we began 3D portfolios and 3D concentrations. Our studio time today consisted of finishing our cardboard pieces and assembling them, working on our concertina books, and then we explored plaster gauze through puppet making. We will finish those tomorrow. I am excited about all of the artwork! Again, I'll post pictures, when all is finished. We will discuss the audits tomorrow, which I requested because I have no idea where to start as a first year teacher! BUT for now...

Homework
-Finish concertina book
-Decide what mini-concentration cards will be and begin working on them.
-Gather materials for puppets.

Advanced Placement - Day 1

Here's a play-by-play:

5AM - Wake up and attempt to get ready quietly while Chad is still sleeping. 

6AM - Leave for Marietta, GA (So that I can get through Downtown before Rush Hour)... which I did! 75N the whole way up was a breeze. 

6:52AM - Arrived at Walton HS (for the APSI certification). I did not have to be there until 7:30 - or so I thought!

7:15AM - I walked into the building after waiting in my car. Checked-in and got my packet, then had some of their breakfast. 

8:10AM - Ten minutes after they were suppose to start, they began. Brief introduction from the ASPI director, then Walton HS principal, then the regional director for ASPI (or similar). Then we breaker into our subjects. 

9AM - Began AP Studio Art with Jerry Stefl. There are ten other 'students' in my group. The teacher's room we are in (Walton HS art teacher), a older gentleman from AL, an older woman from AL, Alatoona HS art teacher (girl), North Paulding?'s art teacher (girl), McEachern's art teacher (guy), a guy going to Chattanooga, a girl from Savannah (Windsor?), another guy and me. A lot of first and second year teachers, so that's nice. We covered "What is AP?" as well as "The Audit" (which we are suppose to go over in further detail later). We discussed developing concentrations (Big Ideas) and questioning strategies. We got hands-on and tore a page out of one of our booklets and sanded-it (that sounds funny) out, then went back in later with other media and drew into it. We got TONS of books (one, of which I already had... Thanks, Ainsley!) and materials. We focused on Drawing today. What is drawing? We worked on a piece individually and collectively. Basically, we all got a piece of cardboard and we're instructed to draw a contour of our face and shoulders. Once we did that, we were all divided into different centers and we rotated the artworks until all the pieces had made it all the way around, each person adding their center. My center was black paint washes. I thought my contour drawing was pretty good, then one guy gave me like a black eye, then some other guy fixed it, but I don't know. (We'll get to how I feel*) Once we got our piece back, we were allowed to work on it for about 10-20 minutes, then we were instructed to get another piece of cardboard and create the torso to flow with the original piece. This finished out the class today which ended at about 4:40PM.

4:50PM - I pull out of the parking lot after struggling to walk to my car with 2 large (heavy) bags, 4 pieces of cardboard, 2 of which had pastels and wet paint, and an arm full of books, papers, etc.

5:05PM - I get on 285W headed home, I was told 75S would be a bad choice. 

5:25PM - Get on 75S and traffic stops. :( 

5:50PM - I get home finally!!!

On the up side, Chad had dinner for me! And it was delicious!

Now for the HOMEWORK: (I'm so exhausted, not use to this up early, work all day thing - haha)

-Find 5 marginalized artists and create 2 questions. 

-Finish booklet page

-Sand 12 playing cards

-Finish cardboard pieces, begin arm and leg pieces. 

*Now, on to the way I feel. 

I started off today feeling slightly nervous? I guess, but excited. It wore off on the way there, but came back once inside the classroom listening to the lecture. (And it was HOT in the room). Then we started working on that booklet page and I could not make art that I wanted and liked. I felt like everyone else was coming up with something! Then we began working on the cardboard, once my piece came back to me, I didn't know what to do with it. I felt very not creative! Everyone's pieces are very colorful and layered well, even their torsos, though made by them, flow very well with their head pieces. I just feel frustrated! I know that I should not compare my work to the work of others,  I tell my students that, but sometimes you can't help but not feel up to your own standards. I know I am creative and talented, and it's crazy not knowing what to do with a piece, you know you could normally bust out! BUT tomorrow is a new day.