The students from Y2K

A few of my fellow new and seasoned educators were chatting about the students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades this year - mostly the 9th graders from last year who are now (mostly) 10th graders.

Now, 9th graders are a species of their own, granted. Last year, there was something especially unusual about these kids. Something in their attitudes led most of the teachers to wonder why they were so jaded and indifferent - much more so than the typical teenager. A common thread among this particular bunch - across all schools and districts in our region - was that they seemed to be indifferent to consequences. We educators wondered what about the kids from this year was so different.

These are the Y2K kids. These students are all about 14, 15 years old this year. Nearly seven years ago, according to the media and computer 'experts', the world was going to end. Maybe not literally - but there were times when it seemed that way. Everywhere you looked, the Y2K was coming! Banks sent out notices about their preparedness for impending disasters. Every company hired whatever computer tech available to update their hardware in a panic to retain their data. People built bomb shelters and cleaned out old, forgotten fallout shelters from the cold war era. Emergency preparedness kits were flying off the shelves just as fast as people stock piled canned goods, batteries, and toilet tissue.

We all watched with a morbid curiosity as the ball dropped over Times Square.

Then nothing happened.
The world didn't end.

Imagine being a 7 or 8 year-old child when all of this is going on around you.

While these students as 9th graders made teaching quite difficult last year, they all seem to be doing well this year - especially in their service-learning projects. It would appear that having first-hand experience in affecting (positively) someone else's environment through service learning projects, is helping these students to learn about consequences - both positive and negative ones.

Anyway, it will be interesting to follow these students in the next few years.

Resources to explore

In my research of Art Education and Home-Schooling throughout this past semester, I have compiled a list of links and books to peruse. I am currently writing up a few reflection papers on the topic to submit to my professor. I am including my list here for your interest, too. Some of the books I have read, and many are on my to-do-list.

With Student-teaching approaching for next semester, I probably will be taking a short recess from research and developing the thesis project. The experience will demand most of my attention and time. I intend to continue the blog, though. I hope to add insights and reflections from the public-school teachers' perspective.

I hope this helps some people out. Here goes:

Books:

1. Patricia Lines: “Homeschoolers: Estimating Numbers Growth”
2. NCES: “Issue Brief: 1.1 Million Homeschooled Students in the United States in 2003”
3. NCES: “Projection of Education Statistics to 2013”
4. Brian D. Ray: “Worldwide Guide to Homeschooling; Facts and Stats on the Benefit of Homeschooling”
5. John Cloud & Maggie Morse: “Home Sweet School”
6. Michelle Duggar & Andrea Cooper: “
7. Mitchell Stevens: “Kingdom of Children; Culture & Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement”
8. Howard Gardner: “Multiple Intelligences”
9. California Alliance for Art Education
10. Linda Jewell Carr: “Instructional Programs Used in Five North Carolina Counties”
11. Brian D. Ray: “Strengths of Their Own; Homeschoolers Across America”
12. Brian D. Ray: “Homeschooling on the Treshold”
13. Chris Jeub: “Why Parents Choose Homeschooling”
14. Jane Van Galen & Mary Ann Pittman: “Homeschooling: Political, Historical, and Pedagogical Perspectives”
15. Pat Farenga: “Teach your own, The John Holt Book of Homeschooling”
16. Suzanne Stephens: “The New Pioneers: Black Homeschoolers”
17. Chris Klicka: “The Right To Homeschool”
18. John Holt: “How Children Fail: Revised”
19. William Upski Wimsatt: “No More Prisons”
20. Genevieve Vaughan-Jackson: “Sketching and Drawing for Children”
21. Mona Brookes: “Drawing With Children: A Creative Method For Adult Beginners Too”
22. Kat Rakel Ferguson: “Creative Kids Artistic Drawing”
23. MaryAnn F. Kohl: “Science Arts: Discovering Science Through Art Experiences”
24. MaryAnn F. Kohl: “Global Art: Activities, Projects, and Inventions from Around the World”
25. Alexandra M. Terzian: “The Kids’ Multicultural Art Book: Art & Craft Experiences From Around The World”
26. Arlette N. Bramen: “Kids Around The World Create!: The Best Crafts and Activities from Many Lands”
27. Jennifer Tjomas: “Masterpiece of the Month”
28. Kinghorn: “Let’s Meet Famous Artists”
29. MaryAnn F. Kohl: “Discovering Great Artists: Hands-On Art for Children in the Style of the Maters”
30. Joy Evans: “How To Teach Art to Children”
31. Darcie Clark Frohardt: “Teaching Art With Books Kids Love: Teaching Art Appreciation, Elements of Art, and Principles of Design with Award Winning Children’s Books”
32. M.L. Libby: “Using Art To Make Art”
33. Eric Booth: “The Everyday Work of Art: Awakening the Extraordinary in Your Daily Life”
34. Helen D. Hume: “A Survival Kit for the Elementary/Middle School ArtTeacher”
35. Nancy Beal: “The Art of Teaching to Children: In School and At Home”
36. Helen D. Hume: “The A rt Teacher’s Book of Lists”
37. Barbara Mc Nally: “Complete Art Curriculum Activities: 150 Easy-To-Use Art Lessons in 8 Exciting Creative Media For Grades 1 – 8”
38. Angela Kesselring: “The inclusion of visual art in home education : a qualitative microethnographic case study”

Websites:

1. “A History of Public Education in the United States” by Deeptha Tattai
www.servintfree.net/~aidmn-ejournal/publications/2001-11/Publications.htm
accessed 10-16-2006 at 8:35 a.m.
2. “Federal Requirement for Homeschoolers Seeking College Admission and Financial Aid” author – HSLDA staff
Home School Legal Defense Association Website
www. Hslda.org/docs/news/hslda/200306200306190.asp
accessed 10-30-2006 at 9:48 a.m.
3. “American Education History: A Hypertext Timeline” by Edmund Sass, Ed.D
www.cloudnet.com/~edrbsass/educationhistorytimeline.html
accessed 10-19-2006 at 12:50 p.m.
4.”A Brief History of Homeschooling” by Patrick Farenga, Copyright 2002
www.hsc.org/professionals/briefhistory.php
accessed 10-19-2006 at 1:16 p.m.
5. www.homeschoolarts.com

6. www.familyeducation.com/home-schooling/art/38701.html

7. www.homeschooled-kids.com/hssart.html

8. www.homeschooling.about.com/od/fineartsa/freeartsnews.html

9. www.homeschoolartvideos.com

10. www.homeschoolingonashoestring.com/art.html

11. www.cricketchurping.blogspot.com/2005/08/nada-on-art-for-homeschoolers.html

12. www.homeschooling.gomilpitas.com/explore/drawing

13. www.homeschoolcentral.com/resource/art.htm

14. www.christian-parenting-source.com/home-school-art-curriculum.html

15. www.windycreek.com

16. www.thejubileeacademy.org/blog/2006043w.html

17. www.thejubileeacademy.org/blog/2006073w.html

18. www.homeschoolclassifieds.com/show-activity.asp?which+882

19. www.creativeartsinaction.com

20. www.wetcanvas.com/forums/showthread.php?s+8threadid+364572

21. www.robinsoncurriculum.com

22. www.homeschool.com/bookstore/art.asp

23. www.artistshelpingchildren.org/artsarticles.html

24. www.homeschooling.suite101.com/article.cfm/teaching_art_at_home.html

25. www.teachathome.com/HSO/?group=TRLHSG

26. www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com/waldorfgallery.html


Many thanks to CSULB Graduate Angela Kesselring for such an excellent thesis to start from, and also to blogger "Cricket" from whom many of the books on the list comes from. (#11 on the web links list). Of course, I welcome your input and resources, also. I will post them here if you like.

Portfolio Review - I am an artist

I have passed the portfolio review which is required prior to student-teaching. I have a spot waiting for me at a local school, and I'm really looking forward to the experience. It was grueling, almost, to show all my best works, stand in front of strangers and familiar faces, introduce myself, and wait for the challenging questions to begin. And they made me go first. "Set the tone" Liz said. Wow.

Overall, I feel like it was successful. Something opened my eyes, though - a few of the questions that were posed to me were very broad... so non-specific that it took me a few seconds to narrow down a feeble, yet intelligible response. I actually thought some of the questions posed to my colleagues were far from insightful - one of them was what I would call a DUMB question.

One of the questions related to how I would incorporate Art Criticism in my lessons. I was struck dumb for a few seconds because I include all 5 points of Art Education in every lesson (art production, aesthetic valuing, art history, art criticism and interdisciplinary relations). I don't compartmentalize them - they all go together, and all aspects are addressed. I felt goaded into agreeing with the reviewer when she suggested I use the "old Masters" to demonstrate a successful art criticism. Ugh - three years of being thrust willingly into the arms of multi-culturalism, only to be shoved back into relying on the dead white guys for the "true" example.

So after considering the experience a bit, I have somehing to watch for when student-teaching: how teachers compartmentalize aspects of lessons. I'm not sure this is as good an idea as some others do. I would be naive to think that I could do anything without categorizing and compartmentalizing things.. but isn't it stealing the creative thinking process from the students when you don't present all aspects of art as inter-related? Something to look for.

I got to hang my paintings in my own home, and put my ceramics back up in my cupboard. They've been in my garage for years, now, and have stock-piled as I have made them. Now I can receive enjoyment from my own works - every day. My home reflects more of me.

That has me thinking more about seeing myself as an artist. I know (logically) that I am an artist. There's something that has been engrained in most of us - that your art is what you do on the side, and you are what your occupation is.

I am myself.
I am also an artist.
I'm also now officially a teacher.

It seems like it would be tiring trying to compartmentalize all the aspects of myself - I am all of those labels, and much more. All those compartmentalized things are inter-related.



Shifting focus a bit: the thesis project is evolving, and I now have tons more tools at my use, and at the ready. I'm anticipating a great experience in assembling this project. I hope it won't be too long before I can share it with you all.