Concluding Post: An Open Letter to My Students

 

Dear Students,

            This letter that I am writing is dedicated to each and every student whom I have stood before over the last three years, and those who I look forward to standing before in the future.  I am writing you to tell you that I care.  Care, to you, may seem like a simple four letter word, but to me it is a word that makes a world of difference.  As a teacher I have learned that caring can help break down barriers and strengthen relationships and bonds in order to create a welcome environment for learning and teaching.  I care that in each and every single one of your kindergarten through fifth grade bodies you hold an individual story that makes you who you are, and that is special.  This is a concept I have been refining and redefining in this, my third year, or teaching as I have also been taking graduate classes simultaneously.

 As your art teacher, I have the great pleasure of having each and every one of you in my classroom for up to six years.  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but I think it is very special that I have the opportunity to watch you grow and learn, year after year, even if it is for only one art period a week.  There aren’t too many other teachers in the school who can say they have the privilege I have.  It may seem silly, but I think it is very special that I know each and every boys and girls names in the school.  How many people can say they can do that?

Because of this opportunity I have been able to learn a lot about you.  However, there is so much more I would like to know.  So far, I understand that even though many of you live within just three short miles of each other, you are all so very different and unique.  I understand that many of your lives may seem to be worlds apart from each other.  Some of you may go home to a mom and a dad and a comfortable home, but at the same time your buddy who sits two seats down goes home to his grandma in the temporary apartment he shares with his three other younger siblings.  Other classmates may go home to their foster parents and some may go after school to visit a parent who lives in a different location or who is in prison.  Additionally, not only have I learned to understand about your lives at home, but I also have learned to understand about your likes and dislikes.  For example, I know that many of you play team sports and excel at them, but I also know that some of you enjoy going to your families Hmong church on Sundays and holidays.  I also know that some of you were thrilled when you learned that you were going to have a new baby brother or baby sister, but some of you also felt scared and upset, and that’s ok. I appreciate that because of your uniqueness our school has representatives from many different countries and cultures around the world as well as many different religions.

The reason that I am writing all the different aspects I have tried to understand and learn who you are and what makes you, you is because that is one of the main ways I can help care for you.  I don’t think that many of you were/are aware, but those times when I invited you to spend lunch with me in the art room were one of my ways of getting to know you better.  You may not remember, or have been aware, but many of our “lunch dates” were arranged after we had a difficult moment together in the classroom or in the halls.  I chose to invite you to have lunch with me because I wanted to get to know you better.  I wanted to show you that I was (and still am) interested in who you are and what it means to be you.  You may have not realized it at the time, but many of you became a bit more relaxed as you finished lunch and shared with me a piece of your story.  Thank you.

However, as you and I both know, the time we have together in the art room is very short in comparison to the time you spend with your classroom teacher.  So in order to learn all that I need/want to know about you, I also seek out the assistance of your teachers, the principal, the resource room teacher and your parents.  I have spent many lunch breaks and after school hours with your classroom teachers talking about just you.  Through your teacher’s I have learned much about what I can do in order to help you have a richer learning experience.  Sometimes the answers are simple, other times the answers are quite complex, but every time I come away with a better understanding of who you are and with tools for myself to teach you better.

Another way I try to show you that I care is by how I interact with you.  It’s not always easy, but I try to make a conscious effort to speak with you in a respectful manner.  Rather than yell to you from across the room when something is awry, I try my best to go to you by your side, and out of earshot of your classmates to discuss the situation at hand.  The reason I do this is because I don’t want you, or anyone else to feel embarrassed.  I have found that by talking to you one on one in privacy is the best way to handle an issue because you and I are both more comfortable and focused.  I do have to admit that there have been circumstances where a situation has been unsafe and I have yelped from across the room in order to quickly change the situation, however, I do see how this behavior affects you negatively so I don’t let it happen often and I realize that this is something I will need to continue working on.

            Now that I have explained a few ways of how I go about caring I would like to now explain how care became and developed as an important aspect of who I am inside and outside of the classroom.  In my own personal school of life, I have always been sensitive.  I have been sensitive to other people’s feelings as well as my own.  This sensitivity I feel goes hand in hand with care, depending on how one chooses to react to it.  As a little girl I was always made an effort to not hurt other people’s feelings.  And I did this to a fault where I internalized how I thought the other person may have felt.  As a youngster this may not have been the best for me to do, but it helped shape me into who I am today.  As I grew a bit older and entered high school I saw first hand how harmful it can be when a teacher doesn’t care.  In 10^th grade I experienced my first major loss.  That fall one of my close girl friends chose to end her life.  To me, this was a confusing, shocking and earth shattering experience.  The event happened on a weekend, so when we returned to school on Monday the news was announced to each student in their first period of the day classroom.  I received the news the previous Sunday, so I already knew what had happened and had already began trying to process this new information and was an emotional wreck.  Following the announcement, class proceeded as usual.  On the agenda for that morning was to give an oral report.  I was in no shape to give an oral presentation and it was blatantly obvious, but I was still forced to get in front of my classmates as I was wilting like a flower and I presented.  This is a moment I will never forget.  The teacher didn’t do anything inherently evil, but she should have known better.  She should have looked at my red swollen face and eyes (that were still crying) and pulled me aside to ask me if I was ready to present, or even just ask if I was OK.  The insensitivity that I experienced in her classroom that day I will hold with me for the rest of my life and use as a tool to remind me of what not to do.  Today I make a conscious effort to pull a student aside if they look like they are uncomfortable in order to help ease what they are feeling and to additionally give them the opportunity to say what is on their mind in order help lift what is weighing them down.

            Additionally, in my internship elementary placement I was fortunate to be the mentee of an incredibly compassionate woman who I will call Mrs. V.  Before Mrs. V much of what I recalled as communication in school consisted of teachers addressing individuals’ issues before their peers and teachers raising their voices in order to be heard.  Mrs. V opened my eyes to how beneficial it can be to talk to students in a respectful manner.  I remember watching Mrs. V when she had kindergarteners in her classroom.  Kindergarteners were the only group who could really frazzle Mrs. V., but rather than raising her voice when students were talking out of turn Mrs. V. chose to respectfully and quietly address the issue so no other student could hear.  These were beautiful little private moments that I was able to watch.  I don’t know all of what Mrs. V. quietly whispered to her student, but what I do know is that I watched Mrs. V. stay calm as she explained to the student the situation, and more importantly, the student remained calm and changed their behavior as a result.  The interaction lasted no longer than 15 seconds, but the results were great.  The students knew that they were safe and that Mrs. V. only wanted what was best for them.  I hope that you know I only want the best for you.

As I mentioned in my introduction paragraph, I have been attending graduate school throughout my third year of teaching.  In my graduate classes I have been asked to reflect upon what curriculum should be.  Through my studies I have come to the conclusion that curriculum needs to take care of not only the mind and body of a student through a child-centered education, but it also needs to also take care of our student’s souls or spirits.  As one of my professor’s Kyle noted, and which I hole heartedly agree, “I think it is our primary duty as teachers--to help grow up. I mean that in the broadest possible sense. If it's one thing I learned in my own dissertation research, there is nothing that damages kids more than when they bring their problems to school, and the school turns its back. Kids need help sorting through all sorts of tricky things in their lives--this sorting out, if not the exact heart of the curriculum, needs to be co-equal with the more formal learning of subject matter we usually equate with curriculum.  Teachers, perhaps more than any other adult (aside from parents, and maybe clergy), hold immense power to heal and to hurt children.”  This last sentence is something that really struck a chord with me and is something I will hold in my mind as long as I teach.  Teachers do hold an immense power to heal and to hurt children.  I hope that with each moment that I care, I am offering a healing moment.  Growing up can be very difficult and complex, but I have the ability to offer bits and pieces of relief to you, my students.  This is a position I do not take lightly and I hope to develop further over time as I become more experienced.

Thank you for allowing me into your young lives.  I hope that I have taught you as much as you have taught me.  And for those of you I have not met yet, I look forward to what we are going to learn and experience together as we grow.  I hope that you can use what I have taught you through my caring in order to not only better your own life, but also the lives of those around you.  Whenever you act or speak, try to think about how what you choose to do may make another person feel.  Remember, put forth into the world what you want back.

Sincerely,

Ms. Treblin

Five: A tale of two schools: What constitutes a successful curriculum?

       What constitutes a successful curriculum…another very difficult and thought provoking question.  When I consider my options for what I believe constitutes a successful curriculum I think of outcomes.  More specifically I think of two different outcomes or goals that I would like to see schools produce.  The first goal, which seems to be globally quite popular so I will keep it brief, would be the goal of producing intelligent and competent citizens who are ready to attend a facility for higher learning or are ready to enter the work force and be a productive member of society.  So in this case, providing a curriculum that prepares students with not only “book smarts” but also “street smarts” would constitute a successful curriculum.  Not only would students learn enough math, science, language arts and history, but they would also be given the opportunity to explore how the world really works. This curriculum would prepare students for a world that can be very competitive and it would also educate students and prepare them to be productive members of society.

        

This next concept of what constitutes a successful curriculum came to me as I was reading the article Lauded Harlem Schools Have Their Own Problems by Sharon Otterman and as I read Meier’s The Power of Their Ideas, I fear will be a bit taboo and may strike the nerves of those who are uncomfortable with the issue of which I am about to speak.  Even though my first suggestion seems like a good equation for what constitutes a successful curriculum, I whole-heartedly believe that we are leaving out a large part of the equation.  We are leaving out our students’ psychological wellbeing.  Sure we can say that we take our students’ psychology into consideration when we think about what each student would prefer to learn or what makes them thrive, but I rarely see instances where we, as educators, offer our students psychological support.  Granted this is a specialized position and frankly most of us are not qualified to handle these situations, but if we can feed our hungry students so that they can no longer be hungry and are more capable to learn and clothe our students who cannot afford snow pants and boots during our harsh winters, shouldn’t we be able to offer more regular support for our psychologically or emotionally struggling students? We also keep close track as to how much exercise students are getting each day, but we don’t build time into the day for our student’s emotional needs.  A students emotional bank account has the same impact on a child’s day as the amount of food he/she has eaten and how much sleep they had the night before.  I have numerous students’ whose parents are currently incarcerated.  I have two students who lost their mom this year in a terrible accident.  The list of shocking tragedies, as well as less shocking every day concerns, goes on and on.  What better place to nip these issues in the bud than a place where the child must go 180 days a year (give or take a few).  I believe that these issues need to be taken into consideration alongside a rich curriculum that is child-centered and follows the core subjects of math, science, language arts, history and specials because they are equally as important.  This second possibility of what constitutes a successful curriculum encapsulates the mind, body and soul in order to send out into the world students who are not only competent and knowing, but who are also well adjusted (or at least better adjusted).  Some may argue that this is an issue that should be kept at home, but sometimes there isn’t a home- in the physical sense and in the emotional sense.  As we know, we are the gatekeepers.  We can afford our students a world of possibilities.  

Otterman’s article highlighted the importance and the success found by teaching each child, not children.  Not only did the Harlem school make classes smaller for a better learning and teaching experience, but students were also provided with much needed health care for their Asthmatic needs.  This is an inspiring idea.  Not only did the school begin to care for the student’s classroom needs and their health, but the school also provided support for parents. 

In general it seems like our education programs in the United States are too watered down.  And it is evident that what we are doing now in schools is not as beneficial as it once was.  It would be great to use the Harlem school as a model to reform our educational programs.  We need to stop looking at schools and education as a business and start viewing them as an enriching life experience for all who are involved.

Resources:

This is the website to a school which is a psychoanalytic preschool.  As stated on their own website, this is the philosophy of Allen Creek Preschool: “Allen Creek Preschool is founded on an understanding of healthy child development that is based on psychoanalytic developmental principles. We believe that early childhood experiences profoundly affect a person’s lifelong adaptive capacities, which emerge in the ability to love, to work, and to play. Understanding the inner life of children is of utmost importance in all that we do. “

http://www.allencreek.org/aboutus/mission.html

This is a program that supports the education of students as well as teachers about issues in mental health and how to seek change.  This program encourages students to work closer with the school specialists in order to gain a better understanding of what students may be experiencing.  This site also provides statistics regarding who needs help and for what reason.

http://www.mentalhealthchicago.org/about/mhae

This New York Times article discusses how many schools turn to sending students to the ER after mental health issues turn into violence.  The article discusses how it is possible to take preventative measures in order to not need to turn to calling 911.  It is also suggested in this article that the lack of support in schools can simply be related to funding issues.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/nyregion/trying-to-keep-students-mental-health-care-out-of-the-er.html?pagewanted=all

This news article by The University of Northern Colorado’s The Mirror is about a festival that is thrown by an on campus school group to raise awareness of the importance of mental health and also as an effort to destigmatize the disease that so many college students are suffering from.

http://www.uncmirror.com/news/musicians-jam-to-raise-mental-health-awareness-1.2774683#.T4rwq44zKDI

This a blog dedicated to Mental Health Awareness Day.  This blog discusses the merits of “mindfulness” in schools.

http://blogs.psychcentral.com/dbt/2011/10/mental-health-day-blog-party-bringing-mindfulness-to-school/

Cycle Four: How should curriculum be generated?

 

            Each and every time I am posed with any big picture question regarding curriculum I find myself in an initial state of bewilderment and even slight panic.  Whether the question is “What is curriculum and what is its purpose?” (Our old friend from cycle one), “What should the content of curriculum be? (Cycle two), “Should curriculum address controversial issues?”  (Cycle three) or now, “How should curriculum be generated?” I sit with my jaw dropped and my brain scrambling to find answers, only to come up with the overwhelming conclusion that the issue of curriculum is bigger than little old me.  However, after picking my jaw up off the library desk and spending a little time scratching my head in deep thought, I realize that yes, curriculum is bigger than just me.  Curriculum needs to be developed as the sum of many parts.  While I am an individual, graduate student and elementary art teacher I can generate an idea as an answer for these big questions, however in order to implement and create a curriculum as an answer to these questions takes the effort of a small army-or a committee of appropriately organized curriculum developers.

            Ok, now that I have picked my jaw up off the desk and I have given myself a moment to let this big huge question sink in, I believe that the first step in generating curriculum is to determine what the end goal of a child’s education should be.  What are we trying to get out of sending our children to school for 12 or 13 years?  But who do we ask to figure out that answer?  My suggestion would be to ask administrators, teachers, students, parents and state officials to name a few.  I would also consider asking business owners.  Of course there will be a slew of different opinions as to what the goal is so it may be helpful to provide options that the participants can choose and offer an opportunity to add their own opinions as well.  Once we have the initial question of what the goal for schooling is, then and only then can a committee be created.  I feel that it is so important that the curriculum committee be made up of a diverse group of educators and parents alike.  The group should be diverse, open minded, and strongly connected to schooling and education, unlike some of our Texan friends who seem to be the most hell bent on telling every student that America was based on Christianity rather than addressing other current issues.  I feel that it is very important that this committee be thoroughly interviewed before they are accepted in order to avoid the possibility of hidden agendas, which could possibly sway any decisions that are made.

            The next order of business would be to review and possibly revise the current curriculum and how it is enacted.  This is where I like to look back at Ralph Tyler’s Basic Principles of Curriculum and Instruction.  Tyler suggests that once we have the objective in mind we need to figure out how to attain these objectives by way of meaningful learning.  “In planning an educational program to attain given objectives we face the question of deciding on the particular education experiences to be provided, since it is through these experiences that learning will take place and educational objectives will be obtained” (Tyler).  In order to do this we must provide opportunities for our students to practice what is needed in order to attain the objective. The student must also experience satisfaction from performing or experiencing the practiced behavior towards the objective.  The actions or behaviors the student will be performing or practicing must be appropriate to that student and what they are capable of.  Lastly, it is important that the teacher has a tool belt that is well equipped and filled with different creative ideas and ways students can attain the objective as they follow the previous steps.

 I agree with Tyler in that organization is a key element in generating curriculum.  As common sense as it is, I believe that it is very important to begin and the beginning and to build up in a progressive order.  In addition to building up into further depth, I feel that it is important to revisit past lessons and to additionally incorporate the previous lessons in different lessons in order to promote critical thinking and so students aren’t only “learning” through rote memory.  Not only is it important the classroom teachers maintain organization, but I feel it is also important that all teachers that teach in the same school, or even district, follow the same layout of organization in order to provide cohesiveness across the board.

Lastly, as Tyler notes, in order to see if the curriculum and the methods for enacting the curriculum are working positively (or negatively) it is important to evaluate.  However, in order to have an accurate evaluation it is important that the group in question is evaluated more than one time in order to see growth.

To conclude, the idea of how to generate curriculum is a BIG HUGE question that takes the effort of many open minded and experienced individuals in order to enact.  This is a question that is bigger than me, but in my effort to address it I came to the conclusion with the help of Ralph Tyler that you must begin with the end objective in mind and then provide students with different meaningful learning opportunities and experiences.  That mixed together with organization and evaluation may help in successfully generating curriculum.

Resources:

This New York Times article visits the Texas story of how they are trying to challenge and change the current “strengths and weaknesses” concept in the Darwinian debate.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/22/education/22texas.html?fta=y

This blog addresses the idea of hiring teachers while having a hidden agenda.  How schools may pick and choose their employees based on if their practices reinforce their schools hidden agenda or not.

https://blogs.commons.georgetown.edu/voke-philofeducation/2011/10/05/choosing-teachers-to-promote-a-hidden-agenda/

The Washington Post article that accompanies the blog above.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/dc-schools-aim-for-selectivity-by-requiring-teaching-candidates-to-give-tryout-lessons/2011/06/11/AGdstbaH_story_1.html

This website is geared towards generating curriculum and suggests ways to do so as well as providing materials in order to aide the process/you.

http://www.sonoma.edu/users/p/pollack/edu437/coursemat.html#p/d/r%20template

This website is a resource for interactive curriculum ideas in the visual arts field.  Student’s won’t be using rote memory- they will be having fun experiencing the lesson interactively on the web.

http://www.artsconnected.org/toolkit/index.html

Cycle Three: Should the curriculum address controversial issues?

          To begin, the topic of this week’s discussion spurred an interest in me to really think about what it means to be controversial and why something may be considered controversial.  According to dictionary.com, the definition of controversial is “of, relating to, or arousing controversy” and the definition of a controversy is “a discussion marked especially by the expression of opposing views”.   After reading these definitions I began to think about what makes something controversial. 

I am able to see where much of the controversy occurs when discussing educating our students on gay rights and gay culture.  Much of the controversy lies in religion.  However, I feel that there is something more to the controversy than a religious belief.  I feel that people are afraid of change and acceptance.  But let’s face it, as a society our population is growing and evolving by the day.  The results of these changes are new differences that we must adapt to, accept, respect and teach.  I feel that much of what makes something controversial is fear.  For example, at one time it was controversial to see a man and woman sleeping in the same bed on TV or even to say the word pregnant (I Love Lucy), now nearly no one bats an eye when a television show displays a master bedroom with only one bed or at a lead character giving birth as the basis of an entire episode (Up All Night).  Clearly, over time and through exposure the concept of a married couple sleeping in the same bed, and the thought of woman possibly becoming pregnant is far less controversial than it used to be.  What used to be scary and taboo is no longer.  As Kyle mentioned in his opening blog, we are seeing more and more representations of the gay community on TV as well.  I celebrate this fact.  I feel that by representing the gay community on TV we are welcoming the idea of change and acceptance and offering a venue for exposure to the unknown for some people.  These programs are a sign of the times changing and with that said, it is a sign of the time for us as educators to recognize and incorporate these changes into our lessons.

I believe that curriculum should address controversial issues beginning at a very early age.  For example, this year I have come across several meaningful learning opportunities with one of my kindergarten groups.  In one of my kindergarten groups I have a student that I will call Johnnie.  For Halloween, Johnnie chose to dress up as a princess.  I am unsure if he wore this when he was out Trick-or-Treating, but he did wear his princess costume for the school party.  Previous to Halloween I heard Johnnie discussing with other boys and girls about playing with dolls.  In one instance I heard the tail end of a conversation between the kindergarten classroom teacher, Johnnie and two or three other boys and girls.  The children were saying that Johnnie plays with girl toys.  The classroom teacher took this as an opportunity to explain to the children that there is no such thing as girl toys or boy toys.  That it is ok for boys to play with dolls and girls to play with trucks.  After that very brief discussion the topic has not arisen again.  At such a young age the curious (and potentially hurtful) children were able to accept what they had learned and this prevented any further hurt feelings regarding this circumstance and also subconsciously expanded their tolerance. This is not to say that their curiosity and questions will never surface again, but it was a perfect moment for learning about a controversial subject that made an impact on their young lives.  No innocence was trampled on and childhood was preserved as something special.  The student’s curiosity was answered, and a lesson was learned. 

Johnnie’s experience is only a small example of how we, as educators, can introduce and teach our students about different lifestyles they may not be familiar with.  And to also include the boys and girls who come from families with two moms or two dads, or students who practice “non-traditional” lifestyles themselves.  By introducing the proper guidance, lessons and tools from an early age we can help promote tolerance and hopefully diminish the amount of bullying and in turn save lives.  As stated in the article In Efforts to End Bullying, Some See Agenda, “Many educators and rights advocates say that official prohibitions of slurs and taunts are most effective when combined with frank discussions, from kindergarten on, about diverse families and sexuality.”

            However, even though I am all for addressing controversial subjects through the curriculum, I do not feel that I am prepared to do so.  I feel that I would benefit from attending workshops that address the issue of how to teach controversial topics, and how to respond to parents when I am questioned.  There is much to be learned in the classroom about controversial topics in order to expand our students mind and increase their levels of tolerance, but this can be accomplished only after the educators are taught how to do so properly.

Resources:

This article, entitled 10 TV Shows That Pushed The Envelop, lists 10 shows that incorporated seemingly controversial aspects in their program (e.g. the first biracial kiss between characters)

http://www.cabletvproviders.net/blog/2011/10-tv-shows-that-pushed-the-envelope/

This blog, entitled Oh No They Didn’t!, discusses the evolution of TV love, relationships and romance from the 1950s through the 2000s and how our acceptance has changed throughout the years.
http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/28782829.html

This website is a resource to help teach and incorporate tolerance into our curriculum.  There are many different areas where tolerance can be taught- Size, weight, hair, race, linguistics, religion etc- This website offers different ideas and lessons to be used in the classroom.

http://www.tolerance.org/

This parenting article discusses the importance of fostering your child’s tolerance for others.  It even describes a similar circumstance regarding boy’s toys and girl’s toys that I described early in this blog.

http://www.scholastic.com/resources/article/teaching-tolerance

This website is a resource for tolerance lesson plans and activities.  In addition to tolerance lesson plans and activities there is also an intolerance lesson plan. I thought that this was an interesting concept.  The intolerance lesson plan shows how destructive it can be to be intolerant.

http://multicultural.mrdonn.org/tolerance.html

Cycle Two: What Should The Content Of Curriculum Be?

         As I read through the three articles for Cycle Two I came to the realization (as I feel many of us will as we read the articles) that the content of curriculum needs to be a balance of traditional key concepts and an opportunity for flexibility and openness.  John Dewey suggests that curriculum and education should be child centered and based on experiences.  John Dewey states, “The case is of Child.  It is his present powers which are to assert themselves; his present capacities which are to be exercised; his present attitudes which are to be realized.”  As educators we can teach our students facts and concepts, but we must also provide opportunities for our students to ingest the knowledge and experience it in a personally meaningful manner.  This is one way to look at the content of curriculum.

             

           Hirsch has presented us with a different approach. Hirsch suggests that we teach our students traditional concepts (a big picture), but to also allow for flexibility in teaching the traditional, or big picture, concepts further.  He describes this in terms of an extensive curriculum and an intensive curriculum.  Where an extensive curriculum explores the big picture concept (“traditional, literate knowledge, the information, attitudes, and assumptions that literate Americans share- cultural literacy).  And intensive curriculum delves deeper (“Intensive study encourages a fully developed understanding of subject, making one’s knowledge of it integrated and coherent.  It coincides with Dewey’s recommendation that children should be deeply engaged with a small number of typical concrete instances.  It is also that part of the total curriculum in which great flexibility in contents and methods can prevail.” (Hirsch)

           
           A common bond in both of these schools of thought and the news article we read regarding video games and the classroom is the idea of making the curriculum relevant and interesting to students.  I can remember so many times in my own K-12 education, and even college to be honest, where myself or a fellow classmate said out loud “When am I ever going to need this?!”  Having that attitude makes the absorption of potentially pertinent information that less feasible.  I say potentially pertinent because there are some cases where certain components of curriculum really could be omitted.

             

             The elementary art curriculum where I teach is basically a Hirsch dream come true.  Each and every elementary art educator in my district follows what we call “The Ten Essentials”.  Let me explain what these “Ten Essentials” are.  As an elementary art educator group (about 10 teachers) we met in the beginning of the school year to look over the new state standards for elementary education.  As we looked over the new list of standards and benchmarks, we consolidated the list into the ten essentials- the ten most important concepts from the new standards- for each grade.  Here is an example of the ten essentials for second grade:

2nd Grade
1. Students will use a variety of art media and tools to create line.
2. Students will identify and use warm, cool and neutral colors in a composition.
3. Students will create a gray value scale to express five different values. Students will identify by name and use value as being an element of art.
4. Students will arrange geometric and organic shapes and forms to create a piece of art.
5. Students will identify and name different types of textures.
6. Students will work with space to show the illusion of depth.
7. Students will examine and reflect upon the artwork of self and others as a record of human kind.
8. Students will use sculptural materials appropriately, and clean up in a safe manner.
9. Students will identify and use emphasis as being a principle of art.
10. Students will compare symbols, trademarks, icons, emblems, and other visual motifs in various cultures.

As you can see, the ten essentials are similar to Hirsch’s idea of the extensive curriculum.  It is then up to each elementary art educator to develop and put in action the intensive curriculum. I personally begin developing my intensive curriculum by reflecting on my own current interests, remembering what interested me in the past and lastly by surveying my students and finding out what interests them.  For example, I just recently taught a unit on value.  We discussed that value is the lightest of lights and darkests of darks of a color and can be used to trick the eye into thinking something is 3-d.  From there we practiced drawing spheres on white paper.  As we were developing our spheres I mentioned to my students that you can apply the rules of value to many different things- not just spheres.  I suggested the idea of fruits, vegetables, bottles, and then I suggested something that just about blew their mind- THEY CAN MAKE 3-D LOOKING ANGRY BIRDS BY USING HIGHLIGHTS AND SHADOWS (value) IN THEIR DRAWINGS!!!  Now, when I look through my students’ sketchbooks I am sure I am going to find many attempts of Angry Birds with value.  This is just one example of how my curriculum affords me the ability to relate the core concepts to my students’ personal interests.

To summarize, I feel that the content of curriculum should be relatively universal, but should also allow for flexibility and personalized translation depending on the environment and the individuals who are being taught.

Resources:

http://eprints.oum.edu.my/408/

This article by Zoraini Wati Abas and Yun, Yun Chow describes the experience of an art classroom who has introduced technology into the classroom.  I feel that this article is similar to the one we read regarding using video gaming in the curriculum.

http://blog.mondrianwall.com/2011/03/21/benefits-to-your-school/

This resource can be used to help revitalize your curriculum.  This is a program you have to pay for.  I found it interesting that I was able to find a tool like this on the internet- It seems almost like signing up for someone to do your taxes through an online program.

http://www.edutopia.org/neuroscience-brain-based-learning-relevance-improves-engagement

This article discusses the science of the brain and how relevancy really matters.

“Students need a personal connection to the material, whether that's through engaging them emotionally or connecting the new information with previously acquired knowledge (often one and the same). Without that, students may not only disengage and quickly forget, but they may also lose the motivation to try.”

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/23/tech/innovation/ipad-solid-education-tool/index.html?iref=allsearch

This article discusses how a classroom has improved their math scores by having the student use IPads instead of textbooks.  The article later goes on to say that IPads are making access to knowledge easier and that using an IPad may be less daunting of a task for students.

http://mcpopmb.ning.com/

“A resource sharing community for educators interested in best practices and teaching with/about pop culture.” You must become a member to access.

Cycle One: What is Curriculum? What is its Purpose?

             Curriculum, as used by schools, is a tool that is meant to guide both teachers and learners on an educational journey.  Curriculum is used to help ensure that students are given an “appropriate” and “equal” education.  I put the words appropriate and equal in quotations because I struggle with accepting those words as they are.  I am only in the early stages of the MATC program, but thus far I have learned much about the short-comings of current state mandated curriculum and the potential we can have as educators to make a difference when we have the opportunity.
            I agree that the purpose of curriculum should be to set a roadmap for teachers to follow in order to create a meaningful education.  But I think we need to step back for a moment and reassess what meaningful really means.  I believe that the purpose of education should be to create and metamorphosis a student into becoming the most productive and well-rounded human being they can be.  In order to do this, we need to look at each student as a person and not as a number.  Not everyone is made to attend a university after high school.  It is our job as educators (and sometimes our students biggest cheerleaders) to guide our students to individual success.
            Reading Donovan’s article reaffirmed my belief that education and curriculum needs to be differentiated from person to person.  However, in the case of Donovan who is severely handicapped, the issues in his curriculum are much more clear and easier to see.  Donovan clearly needs differentiated care, but there are so many students in various schools all around the country who are falling below the radar and not being cared for, as they should be.  Schools are relying on a liberal arts education that puts each student on a path geared towards college. The two chapters by Nel Noddings helped me see these issues clearer.
            I would like to address this issue on a personal level.  Currently one of my good friends is going through a personal crisis that is the result of a kindergarten though 12^th grade education that taught him to believe that the only worth while path in life was to graduate from high school and to pursue a college degree.  Now, this may not be an issue for the millions of students out there who fall into that category, but for my dear friend, he is currently 27 years old and STRUGGLING with an undergraduate degree.  Not only is he struggling to succeed in basic classes, but he is also suffering in a severe loss of self-esteem.  However, my friend is very capable of many different skills.  But society has set him up to believe that if he doesn’t receive a college degree, then he is less of a person in society.  It saddens me to think that if he had been offered vocational courses in high school, and a support system that recognized the theory of multiple intelligences that he would not be in the place he is today.  Today, as and educator and a friend I may be able to relay to him that the ability to succeed in a traditional classroom or college is not a measure of intelligence and value, but I hate to say it- the damage is already done.  Personally, I feel very lucky that I am part of the percentage that found “school” to be easy and openly accepted that college was the next path after high school.  I was even able to find a balance in incorporating one of my hobbies (visual arts) into my education.
            I enjoyed reading Noddings perspective on how it is important for us as educators to also consider our students physical and spiritual well being.  If our job is to help students become their best selves, we cannot forget about those two aspects.  When I think about the concern regarding our students spirits’ my mind goes to friends and students who have taken their own lives.  If we as teachers could be more in touch with matters other than the popular math, science and social studies I feel there would be a stronger sense of care and a stronger willingness to be open.
            I feel that the issue of curriculum is bigger than we are as educators, and that seems very scary.  It seems quite a bit easier to focus on following the standards and benchmarks than to introduce a new perspective that encourages us to look at each student as an individual- but in order to encourage individual success, it is necessary for us to do that.
           
Resources
http://www.houstonpress.com/2008-05-15/news/college-immaterial-for-high-school-students-in-vocational-training/
This article, written by Todd Spivak, discusses how vocation programs are providing opportunities for students who are not on the path towards college.  The article discusses students who may have otherwise dropped out of high school had there not been an alternative route.

http://www.infed.org/thinkers/gardner.htm
This website explores Gardner’s theory of multiple intelligences.  Explores the different ways in which people learn and therefore the different ways people can teach.

http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/college_guide/blog/ignoring_vocational_education.php
This blog by Dan Luzer discribes how America's economy could benefit from more vocational schools/program- Yet we are cutting our funding for vocational programs. 

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2010/Mar/15/op/hawaii3150309.html
 This article, written by David Matsumoto, discusses how Hawaii is reevaluating its education system in order for improvements.  Hawaii is trying to make great efforts to help prepare students for their futures whether it be a vocation or college. "Especially during three years of public high schools in Hawai'i, curricula should be tailored to the student's abilities and aptitudes."


http://www.readingrockets.org/article/263/
This website focuses on differentiated instruction based on the students' needs.  What it is and how to do it.

Introduction

Hello! My name is Becky and I am an elementary school art teacher.  For the last three years I have worked for the same school district in Metro Detroit.  Currently I travel between three different schools each week, which means I have roughly 600 students!  I have to admit, the travel and the great amount of students are a challenge, but it's important to me that I can help make a positive impact on my students' lives.  I have a particular interest in helping to end bullying.

I received a Bachelors of Fine Arts and Art Education degree from Michigan State University a few years ago.  My concentration in the Fine Arts department was painting.  I also enjoyed many of the art history classes I attended- in particular Italian Renaissance painting.

In addition to teaching I am also a professional make-up artist.  Between graduating from MSU (I graduated after a fall semester) and my internship year in the Fall I moved to Toronto to study make-up artistry.  When I was there I studied the art of prosthetic making, special effects, bridal, fashion and theatrical make-up.  I have been able to work on some fun projects during the summer.  In addition to make-up artistry I also like to travel, go to concerts and play with my dog!