Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Horace Mann Scholarship Entry

I'm applying for scholarship money to begin my Master's program with Lesley University. I stumbled upon an essay scholarship funded by Horace Mann Insurance. The scholarship is specific for educators looking to acquire an advanced degree. I thought I would post my essay here for any who are interested, though it's still semi-rough.



"Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity." -- Horace Mann

Essay Topic: If you could leave a mark on the world, what would it be and why?

Artists interpret the world in words, music and images. Some are meant to generate pleasure. Others are meant to disturb, but all are intended to affect others. Artists make their mark every day through their passion for their craft.

As an art teacher I have the opportunity to inspire open minds to the potential that lies within my students. Some come to my classroom out of credit obligation, others come because of a mild interest and still others come because, like me, they feel the passion. Regardless of the condition in which they come to me, it is my duty to relate my curriculum to them through methods that make it both accessible and inspiring. It is my hope that what I teach them causes them to reconsider their views, not only of art but the content of their art. Art speaks messages where words fail. Students who realize this manipulate it to work for them once I have given them the foundation to build upon.

As a teacher I can change minds. I influence my students through my example, my actions and my words. Some students may not get what I am about but others will find within me something to which to connect. That connection often lingers long after the final pomp and circumstance. It is a connection that brings them back for visits and it is a connection that translates through the art they continue to produce. Whether they become artists who display in galleries and shops or creative thinkers who excel in their career pursuits, my mark will hopefully be present on their subconscious and make a difference in how they view the world.

Saturday, February 16, 2008

Actor's Studio 10 Questions

This is pulled from my brother's blog. You can see his answers here.
I thought I'd put in my responses to the 10

1. What is your favorite word?

There are many words that I use with joy on a regular basis and to limit it to one favorite just seems unfair. I guess if I had to pick one on the fly I would say "turkey"--used more for name calling, almost always appropriate whether talking to a student or my husband. Sounds even better when you add "lurkey" at the end

2. What is your least favorite word?

This one is easy. Spittle. Whoever came up with that word and thought "ya, that sounds like an accurate description of what leaks out of your mouth..."? It just brings to mind bad images. 'Nuf said.

3. What turns you on creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?

First Thursday, hands down. If I'm struggling for artistic inspiration there is no better experience than pulling out the family and cozying up to a few snack tables while perusing what other, more productive, artists are doing. But also listening to a gifted Christian minister, spending time with Adrian (the silly and the quiet), sitting in a park on a warm sunny day, that change in the weather from winter to spring, being around others who are creative-thinkers, office/art supply stores, organizational materials.

4. What turns you off creatively, spiritually, or emotionally?

Negativity, being in situations where I don't feel comfortable being myself, long lists of to-dos, unpacking after a move or a vacation, that point at which I know I've sat too long in front of the tv and now have lost all motivation to move.

5. What sound or noise do you love?

Oldies stations played low on old radios (reminds me of my childhood), lawn mowers running in the summer, the call of the loon (first discovered on a back-packing trip to Glacier National Park, a very haunting sound first thing in the morning over a still lake), the sound of Adrian's and my sister's laugh, my nephew's voice, the low hum of a classroom of high-schoolers actually productively working.

6. What sound or noise do you hate?

Students with vulgar language in the hallways, just to sound tough, men grunting at the gym, dogs licking (themselves, anything), REALLY windy days when it whips through the cracks in our cabin walls, alarm clocks going off, obnoxious drivers in enormous obnoxious vehicles made to sound even bigger, sirens.

7. What is your favorite curse word?

This may surprise some of you but I admit that I pepper my language frequently with unsavory words, but more often when I'm angry or irritated. I have to give it to my friend Dan who really summed it all up with the best curse word: shitfucktits. (sorry mom!)

8. What profession other than your own would you like to attempt?

I would LOVE to have been a professional ballroom dancer. You know, the kind that competes worldwide all year round. That would rock my world.

9. What profession would you like not to do?

I would really hate to be a lawyer or a doctor. Any job that is ultra demanding of my time and has me working long and/or late hours is SO not for me. You also couldn't pay me enough to be a high school administrator dealing with angry parents all day... yicks.

10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

Welcome home, I've missed you, let's talk.




Friday, February 15, 2008

Lock Down

Remember when you were in school and while not wanting to question a good thing, you always wondered what teachers did during Teacher Inservice Days? Well I won't take all the wonder of it out for you, but I'll mention a part of what we did in our inservice today.

It's probably the greatest fear for most teachers; beyond the alarm clock didn't go off and I'm three hours late fear, or the surprise visit by your assistant principal evaluator when you're totally unprepared fear is the much more sobering (though much less likely) fear of a school shooting.

Every month we are mandated by law to practice a fire drill. Students know that when the last day of the month rolls around they better bring a jacket to class because there's more than likely going to be a fire drill. They roll their eyes and grumble about why we always have to do these stupid things. Since 1992 the number of deaths attributed to fires in schools: 0. Since 1992 the number of deaths and/or injuries attributed to school shootings: 500+. Sobering. Yet we don't have a drill for what students should do in such a situation at our school. We have a procedure, of course, but never practice a drill. Even the teachers can be fuzzy at times with what that procedure is. So today we learned a very eye opening lesson. Fortunately for us we were told about what was going to happen. Each of us went into the drill with the scenario filter. What I experienced was a small fraction of the adrenaline and fear that one would experience in reality.

All 115+ of us were placed into 4 classrooms down one wing of the building. We chatted and laughed like students would during a normal class period. Within 2 minutes the Lock Down alarm sounded at which point our "teacher" turned off the lights and we huddled away from the door in the dark. Shortly after we see masked men carrying many large (yet fake) guns outside our door. Yah, my heart was pounding a bit faster. We knew they were going to enter 2 of the 4 classrooms. Then a short and angry looking man wearing khaki pants, a baggy flannel shirt, panty hose over his face and a ski mask came in shouting at us, standing on desks, waving his gun around. He was demanding something that none of us knew how to get for him. He said he would start killing people one by one until his demands were met. Boom, one down. Boom, another, then another, then me...

Wow. I was completely struck by how fast my life could have ended. Just like that. I would not have been witness to the rest. And as I sat there thinking about how fast it all happened and how unfair it was, the masked man "killed" a few more and eventually ran out to, I presume, kill others. My coworkers sat, huddled, talking about what should be done next. Does someone go back to the door to turn out the lights? Should someone call the office and give them some information on the shooter? The office wasn't picking up. As it turned out they'd been the first ones hit. The entire drill lasted maybe 10-15 minutes ending with an armed officer opening our door and telling us it was clear. But at least 7 people were dead in my classroom alone. Several more in the room next door. How terrifying.

In the past we have never practiced Lock Downs because we never want students to become eye-rolling grumblers who don't take it seriously. But I recall a time, maybe 3 years ago, when the Lock Down alarm sounded. Students didn't know what it was. They fought with teachers about coming into the classrooms and getting out of the hallways quickly. None of us knew why it was going off and most of us really didn't know all that we needed to do. I knew to lock my door and turn off the lights, but we went so long without hearing anything from the administration that my students just kind of kept on working. We were eventually told that it went off by mistake and that there was no threat but how inappropriate was our reaction? We haven't had any alarms since then but it's looking like it could be something that we begin drilling with our students and I'm glad for it. Not so they can become indifferent to it but so that we can make our response, God forbid we should ever come to need it, appropriate and life-saving.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Lesley University

I've begun the process toward obtaining a Master's Degree which is something that has hung over my head for a couple of years. The intimidation factor is huge here. I was never one to hate school but from the moment I graduated with my Bachelor's, the thought of going back to school seemed insane. Forget the commitment to the work, how the hell does one who works full time even attempt to do such a thing without quitting their job? A year or so ago I was introduced to Lesley University through my district curriculum coordinator for the arts. She highly recommended Lesley University for the cohort system it offers. It is an accelerated degree program, 33 credits, each course taught for one weekend a month. You collaborate with classmates over the course of the month to complete the course work and report back the next month with your final project. The weekends are Friday nights 5-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 8-5. Intense, to say the least. And expensive. But weighing my options, getting my Master's Degree is the only way to move where I need to on the pay scale and in the end, the degree will pay for itself with what I will gain out of the experience. And the great thing about getting my Master's through Lesley is that they offer an advanced degree in curriculum and instruction with specialization in integrated teaching through the arts. Awesome, right? I'm excited but nervous. It's a big commitment. The other small draw back is that I'm playing the waiting game until the cohort has the enrollment (18 people) to move forward. So I don't know when I'll actually be starting the program, but hopefully before the end of the summer. We shall see.

Friday, February 8, 2008

Newbie

I've considered joining the blog bandwagon for quite some time. I've recently been struggling to showcase and sell my artwork and it came to me that perhaps if I started a blog I would create an outlet for my images (which I'll have to be better about taking!) and my musings, and hopefully along the way expose others to what I love to do. The nature of my blog will deal with not only the art side of my life but also my struggles with the job that I love and all that makes me human.

I was one of those folks who, in college, thought I absolutely knew what I was going to do upon entering the University. My master plan was to double-major in psychology while I became a great musician. It quickly became apparent that neither of those paths were likely to lead to a lucrative career that I could stand so I took a few side trips through architecture, interior design, interface design, landscape design, nutrition and finally ending up with art education because, hey, there's a lucrative career! But really, art has always had a place in my life from the Christmas I got my first sketchbook and fancy pencils at the ripe old age of 10. So while I meandered my way through my college experience the only thing that remained constant was my pursuit of art classes. I took drawing classes, just for the heck of it, leading up to the infamous and eye opening figure drawing class (oh the stories I could tell...) My passion was clear. My career path was not. So I spoke to the art department head and she told me about her experience working as an elementary art specialist in Connecticut. Her description sounded nothing less than perfectly romantic and I knew what I wanted to do. As it turned out, Idaho doesn't have art specialists at the elementary level so I focused on k-12 art. Before I knew it I was through my course requirements and off to student teaching and finally graduation. I was out of college 7 and a half months before getting the call for my first big interview with a new high school. Turns out it was my last interview as I got the job with a mere week until the start of school. I fully admit that when I walked into my new classroom the day after my big interview I broke down and cried with the terror of having no clue what to do now.

My first year as a teacher went by in a blur. I remember taking the low road-- the road that simply allows one to survive the chaos of their first year teaching in a school where I look like just another one of the students. The second and third year were supposed to be easier and now, more than halfway through my fourth, I've come to the conclusion that it never gets easier, you just get more ambitious. And that's a positive thing. If you're not seeking to grow as a teacher, to refine your craft and make it something you're proud to do, you should get out. There are way too many mediocre teachers letting students pass through without feeling like they were known by anyone, least of all their teacher. And of course I don't reach every student, but I've made a difference to a few and they make sure I know it. That's why I do this.

I'll get into what my artwork is about and I'll try to post images of my work (past and present) soon. In the meantime, thanks for checking in. Don't be a stranger!