I try to embrace a little chaos in my life without letting it take me over the edge. Its part of the everyday world of the Art room. Because we are a small school, we don't have to struggle too much with large class sizes and our students get great individual attention. But we do have scheduling challenges and with those challenges and trying to accommodate as many students as possible, most of my 80 minute blocks (block scheduling) have more than one class going at a time. One morning a few days ago, I looked out over my room and just had to smile.
Here is what I saw:
* Freshmen in Art 1 working on the beginnings of a collage (a tribute to Wayne Thiebaud)
* Juniors in Art 3 experimenting with abstract and nonobjective painting
* A student throwing pottery on the wheel
While this sometimes leaves my head spinning, it also can have a great effect on my students. In this case, freshmen get to see what the more advanced work of a junior looks like and juniors often offer advice and help to their younger counterparts. Fun, inclusive relationships are often developed in the Art room, as you can’t help but share more of yourself when you are being creative and expressive. Is it perfect? No. There are days when no one stays focused and I feel like I’m banging my head against a wall. But most of the time, its pretty cool and I feel lucky to share such a creatively juicy atmosphere with my students. Happy Chaos!
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