The wonders of Student Teaching, I mean, Observation...

So now it's been about 3 weeks since I first arrived at Chelsea Vocational to observe the lovely Miss Tilly, and her studio art classes. It's hard to tell at Chelsea, that has been described to me as a "failing school" what kind of school spirit/pride the students feel, if any. I quickly learn that Chelsea seniors need to pass Miss Tilly's class in order to graduate. How many of the students actually care about art, versus the fact that they want to graduate, somewhat, on time, remains unclear. Some of the students produce really nice work (be sure to check out the slideshow on the right) and some of the students work very hard, and you can tell. It's weird, being considered the student teacher and all, especially since this class was supposed to be about observing...and also since many of the students are fairly close in age to myself. "Miss! Miss" they call out to me, "Miss can you draw this for me?" Most show me utmost respect, which is pretty exciting to see as a prospective teacher! There's still the occasional student who feels compelled to talk back- which usually means, talk forward, since it is usually the student who "starts it up" anyhow. Some of the students might even like me! I try my best to be young and cool, friendly and approachable, of course, lots of fun!

A Fight!

First time for everything, I actually witnessed the beginning of a full-fledged fight at my observation today at good ol' Chelsea Vocational High School. One student got so angry she grabbed her metal stool swung it over her and head and BAM! one of her fellow classmates caught it, and her, before she could do any damage. It didn't even stir the other half of the class that was sitting on my side of the room. Oh man. Welcome to public school, Rach!

Why Blog?

So I've reached a point in my life, where I can no longer deny the advancement of technology. It's here, and there's not much more that I can do, except embrace it... 25 years late, I am going to start accepting it. I'm Rach, and I'm here to share my teaching/educational experiences with you, and with anyone else who might also be interested in people, studio art, and connecting the two. Aileen, my professor, believes it will help me as a future art educator. Although I'm not yet convinced, I am going to give it a try, and track my thought process here with you. Enjoy!

Self-portrait