BLOG # 4, 5 & 6

Music
I have such a passion for music and I am a big believer that music is something in which all children should be involved in. Music can set any mood you want it too, and it is a wonderful way to teach curriculum to students. Memory is jogged by singing songs that teach concepts. I plan to use music in my future classroom in MANY ways!

Visual Arts
The Visual Arts are perfect for incorporating into any lesson. I think it's important to teach about the visual arts in a deeper sense. Students' can learn a lot about themselves through analyzing the arts, because finding beauty in art is all about perspective. I look forward to teaching about the elements of visual arts in my future classroom, and taking it to a deeper, more meaningful level with my students.

Field Experience
The past three weeks at field were amazing. I learned so much about myself and my skills as a teacher. I learned things that boosted my confidence, and I also learned many things I need to work on professionally to become a great teacher. The arts bring joy to any classroom, and this was evident to me during field. Any type of art makes a boring lesson lively, and excites the students. Arts turns learning out of obligation, into learning out of desire. I really enjoyed my experiences within the schools and cannot wait for next semester to take more risks with incorporating the arts into my lessons.

Field Week: BLOG # 6

Wow! This past week I have been in a 5th grade classroom, observing, teaching and learning more than I could ever imagine. I truly feel that teachers learn more from children, than we could ever teach them. Each student it so unique and has such specific needs, that being a teacher really requires all of you. I didn't quite know what to expect through this whole experience. All i knew was that I was excited, nervous and anxious to get in a real classroom and try out what i've been learning. I feel like the biggest thing I have realized this past week, is not only does teaching require all of your energy, but it also requires all of your heart and passion as well. I can see how someone would get burnt out from teaching, if they were in it for the wrong reasons. Although, I can't really think what the wrong reason would be, because the money definitely is not a reason. It would be extremely easy to loose sight of why you wanted to be a teacher if you let the frustrating moments of children misbehaving, or the overwhelming feeling of a pile of ungraded papers, get to you. I think I've learned patience more than anything through this experience. Teaching isn't all happy little kids and coloring books. At the beginning, I think that was sort of my imagery of what teaching was. I am a creative person and love to be around lively young spirits, but I have realized that being a teacher requires so much more than that. You need to have a love for people. Teaching to me, is really a very selfless profession, where you give much of yourself to see others succeed. I have loved getting to know the students in my 5th grade class, although some moments have already proved to be a challenge, I know that the gratification of watching them grow and learn, would be enough for me.
I am excited to mature and grow as a person, because then I know i'll be even better prepared to handle students of all kinds, and bestow the best knowledge and effort I have, for my future classroom.

Teaching with Visual Arts: BLOG # 5

The Visual arts are very compelling to all types of students and can really be used for bringing a classroom together. Regardless of artistic ability, creating visual arts through it's many mediums is something anyone can do. Teachers can use many different types of activities to inspire their students and create an outlet for them to express themselves through. Visual arts is a very deep form of art, which can be evaluated and looked at from many perspectives. That is apart of what makes the visual arts so beautiful, is so many perspectives can interpret its different meanings. You can take one picture and have many different students examine it. With each student, you might hear a completely different emotion or perspective, regarding the meaning of the picture. Art really isn't about what the artist was trying to portray, it is about the emotions it evokes in the eye of the beholder. I will definitely use the visual arts in my class as often as possible, because I know how powerful they are.