(summer camp, not my school)On Friday night I noticed my blog follower-ship has gone up a lot this week. That's odd I thought (brb one of the chickens is walking around in the kitchen...woops, I forgot to close the door, kitchen is now chicken free) anyway, why would all these people be joining my blog? I have barely posted this year and I doubt that many people want to know the gory details of loosing a parent. While reading comments I found a note telling me that:
"I recently compiled a list of the Top 20 art blogs for educators, and I just
wanted to let you know that you made the list! It
is published online at
http://www.onlinedegrees.org/top-20-art-blogs-for-educators/"
Well that explains that. I don't fancy myself a top 20 anything but if they want to include me, what the heck and if you want to burn some time in your day reading my blathering then go for it:) It's just funny, I never expected anyone to read this. I started the blog because I always loose my paper lesson plans and lesson plan book. I figured it would be harder to misplace the Internet. 50 more people read my blog now then the last time I posted my basic info/warning list: Enjoy:
1. This is a personal blog, not a school blog. At times I will talk about non art things
2. If you don't like something; a project, a belief I have, whatever, then do as I ask my students to do..." If you don't have something nice to say keep it to yourself" and I will do the same
3. Steal my lessons, most likely I stole them from someone...I probably already stole some from you
4. No I will not give specifics on the school I teach at
About me:
I'm a female
I'm rapidly approaching 30
I'm married
I have no kids
I have a dog and four chickens
I live in rainy Portland, OR
I teach at a K-8 school
I have taught in both high schools and middle schools
I got me one of dem master degree thingies
I like to sew, read and belly dance in my free time
I love to eat
I'm five feet tall and am referred to as "little shark" by the staff at my school
I don't take s*&t from kiddos
That's why I am able to successfully teach at one of "those schools"
Yes my school is everything a movie producer dreams of when doing a feel good teacher/student movie:
we got your low income
we got your drugs (kids and parents)
your weapons
your cussing and racial issues
your broken homes
parents in jail
Little budget
A falling apart playground
We feed into the neighborhood HS that graduates less than 50% of the students each year (yah that's depressing, looking at your class of middle school students and knowing only half will graduate high school)
3 DHS workers dedicated to just our school! How cool are we!
92% of our kids enjoy a nice free breakfast and lunch...and "dinner" thanks to the government
The dental van comes to see us twice a year
Our school has five official languages and 17 more unofficial languages
A super cool Spanish immersion program (no sarcasm with this one)
2 life skills classes (nursing)
A multi national, multi cultural staff and student body
Some kick ass teachers
Some teachers that need to retire
Some teachers who need to find a new line of works
And one little, bossy art teacher who is going to run the best damn art program possible.
And a lot of kids who are trying their best, despite all the obstacles they come across, to be great kids. See I told you the movie producers would love it!
The End
I am SO happy to hear you are in the Top 20 Art Blogs for Educators. I chose you for a Versatile Blogger Award (ok, not quite as big of an honor)because you are so matter of fact about your, shall we say, less than ideal situation as an art teacher. Your recent post about a knife in the classroom is just one example. Yes you are a movie producer's dream. But they would just change your Portland locale to somewhere current in the news: Newark maybe. :) And your story may just be reduced to a romantic comedy. How do you feel about Jennifer Anniston playing you?
ReplyDeleteDespite your adversities, you manage to post some really great art lessons. I am working on some clay (salt dough) aboriginal animals thanks to you.
Please keep your wonderful tongue in cheek sense of humor and your warts and all stories about your "in the trenches" experience as an art teacher. We love it!
Wow. I feel very ignorant. Somehow my impression of Oregon didn't include racial tension, multilingual study body, extreme poverty. I realize how very lucky I am with what I have. I have supplies, I see my students for 40 minutes with 5 minutes in between, the teachers pick up and drop off the kids at my room. I am on an annual schedule committee, and I protect my schedule by serving on this committee. As much as possible, I have my grade levels separated from each other and classes in the same grade level stacked one after the next.
ReplyDeleteI started reading your blog late last spring, and I didn't have the background about your school until reading today's post. It puts everything you've written about in a different perspective. I love your cheeky "take no prisoners" attitude and impressed by what you manage to create with your students in what is certainly a challenging situation. (and by the way, I'm also 5' tall!). Congrats on your top 20 and keep up your strong spirits!
Congrats on your award! I enjoy your blog! The best part about blogging is that you get to tell you opinions and form them as you write! You go for it!
ReplyDeleteHope you can stop on by to my blog, too! Great work!
Jessica
The ART of Education
www.theartofeducation.wordpress.com