My Amazing Students!

Ok- I know everyone is just super curious as far my class goes... and it seems like that's one of my main subjects... but I'm really please with my students' work! It's awesome! The first few minutes of class they have to work on their Altered Books. Here's some examples... basically you take an old book and make it something new.

























My painting class did a few projects- here's a few...












This project we learned about Gustave Klimt and the importance behind Pattern...

They Killed Kenny!

Hi Everyone-

This is Kenny, my new class skeleton. I'm using him to teach my kids about figure drawing. Hurray!

This is Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!

So-
I decided to be more fun and decorate my classroom for Halloween. Plus it's an added bonus that October just happens to be my favorite month of the year. I love dressing up, drinking hot chocolate, going to haunted houses, corn mazes, hearing the crunch of leaves, the crackle of a fire as I curl up with a good book. It even smells divine around this time of year. Anyway-

Here are some before photos...

And the after photos.

I did a Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin scene on the Window, bats on the ceiling, A werewolf escaping into my classroom on the door and a mini pumpkin patch on my desk. I also bought a pumpkin scented oil diffuser that sits on my desk


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Thursday is the first day of the rest of your life...

So, today I decided to write a blog to keep up with all of my non-facebooking friends... that, and my work blocked anyone from accessing facebook.... I am in school today and tomorrow and then I have about two months of "freedom" cough, cough. Anyone who says "Well at least teachers have the summer off, that's gotta make up for the crappy pay" should be flogged. Teachers work WAY over 40 hours a week, many work 12-15 hour days, and then also work on the weekends grading assignments. I spent most of my Christmas "vacation" writing curriculum (lesson plans, rubrics, assignment documents, handouts, powerpoints...etc). This summer will consist of sleeping in (that means waking up at 7:30 instead of 6:00) and writing curriculum. I am taking a few of my students on a study abroad, which means keeping them in-line :) in a foreign country. This will not be a vacation for me as I also work as a part-time photographer. Teachers are not only the 'experts' in their field, but they are maids, police officers, therapists, computer geniuses...etc. You see where I'm going with this? Teaching=WORKING HARD. So why do we do it? Why all the work for very little pay? I've concluded that teachers are generally people who are happiest when they are busy. The best teachers I know have at least six or seven things to do on top of their normal daily activities. I have a very hard time relaxing because I'm usually thinking of the 50 other things I should be doing.

So reason # 1 to become a teacher: Glutten for punishment.

Reason # 2: Look what I can do. :) I get to go to a job everyday that I love. I do not have a day where I wake up and think "Ugh, I have to go to work today." I may think "Ugh, I don't want to be up at this ungodly hour." But once I think of what I'm teaching my students, I'm out of bed and ready for the day.

Reason # 3: I think most teachers are people who love to be the student. As a teacher, you are constantly working on curriculum ideas. Let me explain... what I mean by constantly, I mean every second of every day (especially if you teach art) you come across ideas you can use in your classroom. Or someone will say something that triggers and idea. Or you see something you absolutely have to have because it's perfect for that one lesson you want to teach next semester... Anyway, teaching is a continual learning process. You have to be up on the most current technology, social events, and teaching methods or you are out of the loop. Thus, I say I am a perpetual student as a teacher.

Anyway, enough of why I love my job.

This last weekend I went to St. George with two of my favorite people Evan, and my mom. The weather was perfect. The company was "brilliant" :) and the activities were fantastic. We went boating with my cousin, her hubby and some of their friends at Sand Hollow. I tried wake-surfing for the first time and I was able to get up and stay up!



Evan also tried it and he got a bloody nose! but he was much, much better at staying up than I was.

I found out my cousin has a wake-boarding tower, a kayak and a wave-runner so we'll have to try that next time.