2 Presenters from Onalaska Area

            We had two presenters in class on February 17^th.  They were both from the Onalaska area, a middle school and a high school art teacher.  One thing that I was happy to hear is that they work with other teachers to create lessons that go along with things the students are learning in other areas.  This is something that I am really hoping to incorporate into my art classroom so it makes me hopefully when I hear of teachers in the field doing this.  The two teachers also showed us a great PowerPoint with really interesting and well-done projects.  This makes me hopeful that I can have high expectations for my students and know that they are able to meet my expectations.

            We have another presenter via skype on February 22^nd and I look forward to learning and being able to share my thoughts with you.   Stay posted!

Guest Speaker in class on February 10th

On Thursday February 10, 2011 we had a guest speaker come to class. The speaker was a Menomonie area Elementary art teacher. She covered a lot of material in a short amount of time but found having her come into class was very meaning full.
One thing that I found to be very reassuring was that she says she “teaches children.” It’s not so much that she teaches art as much as it’s about the children that she teaches. She does teach art but there are many other things that she teaches in addition, including social skills, manners, etc. Sometimes I feel that I am not as talented in the art area as some of my other classmates, but I do have a passion for art, but most of all a passion of teaching.
The guest speaker also touched on ordering supplies, which was completely new to me. I found this interesting and the bidding process that she uses to be a good way to go about finding the best prices for needed supplies. My only concern would be how to figure out how much to order and making sure I have all the supplies I need. I’m hoping as we touch on ordering supplies more I will get more of an idea as to how to figure all of that.
Overall she was a great speaker and I look forward to the next. I’ll be sure to write and fill you in on it too!