I hadn't considered a cuppycake...

One of my favorite parts of being a teacher is the little reminders. Fan art from students showing their love, a hand-delivered cupcake on their birthday, the things they give you stuffed in a pocket, forgotten, and found later. Here's the lost cupcake ring that a student found and turned in to me... which best fit my ring finger. I put it on, forgot about it, and wore it for the entirety of the day, 'til I was home and could suggest it as a wedding band to my fiance. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be on board in the same way that I am... :)

Yearbook cuties.

Well now I have to buy the yearbook.

Paper Quilt Squares.

Just wanted to share the Paper Quilt Squares that I did with my first graders... back in February! Oy, I am behind. The basics:

• Used 8.5 x 8.5" white copy paper as the base
• Gave students two 4.25 x 8.5" rectangles for a watercolor resist: one with warm colors, one with cool
• They were asked to draw geometric shapes and patterns with crayon (we went into detail about "geometric" as a vocabulary word) before painting
• We folded the rectangles and traced over our folds to create the triangles before cutting them out
• Glued down the triangles in an alternating warm-cool pattern

This unit opened up a ton of art topics: history of textiles and quilting, pattern, resists, shapes and all things "geometric". For next year I am going to create a visual that clearly outlines how to glue the triangles down... I found that either students "got it" and it was easy and obvious for them, while for some it was utterly confusing. I also would consider providing a photocopied grid for students to work within.

Happy (paper) quilting!

In sickness and in health...

...means taking sick days when you need to, and trying to not feel guilty about it. Especially when no one picks up the job, two days in a row. Assuming they just cancelled art and robbed teachers of their planning time. Guilty guilty guilty. Called in sick both today and yesterday, with the worst kind of illness: stomach virus. Mysterious stomach virus, too, because no one I know has had similar symptoms. The fiance is sick as well, but with a head cold and overall lethargy. We make quite a pair right now!

The issue with being sick yesterday was that the White Flint Arts Fair show had to go up. And I was... throwing up.

Where's the nearest bathroom?!

So. The White Flint Arts Fair is a countywide art show for all elementary and middle schools. It's held at a local shopping mall. Each school gets two panels (each 70 x 38"), to fill with 15-30 pieces of art. I had driven to work on Wednesday feeling pretty crappy, but all the White Flint stuff was at school and I thought, at the very least, I should come in to pick it up. Thought if I felt okay by the time I got to school I would just stay. Got there, still felt like crap. Picked up the work, put it in my car and drove to my parents' house, which is much closer than my hour-long commute. Crashed there until my dad came home from work to me, crying at the kitchen table about the White Flint show.

Isn't it humbling how, even as adults, your parents are still there to catch you when you fall? My dad drove nauseous, exhausted, dehydrated me to the mall and helped me hang the show. Really not sure how it looks, didn't take any pictures, but it's up. That's the important thing: it's up. He even helped me cut little extra pieces of velcro when needed (the work is hung on cubicle-like panels, we put velcro on the back of the work), gave advice about hanging (is it crooked?), and provided overall muscle and moral support. Could not have done it without him! 

I'm volunteering at the host table on Saturday, from 10am-12pm, so I'll have an opportunity to check out all the panels then... and I'll be able to make some adjustments to my own, if it turns out that yesterday's installation was not quite stellar. All I can say is that advanced preparation is what saved me! I had spent long hours after school last week selecting work, putting together information packets and certificates for students, matting, and photographing a predetermined layout for the work.

As for now, I have moved on from yesterday's diet of one small single serving of applesauce plus two pieces of wheat toast, to today's banana, one slice cinnamon raisin toast, and one milkshake from McD's. Making progress, eh?

And the next hurdle...? My school's first ever Art Show goes up next Friday. And there has been very little "advanced preparation", ie: some stuff is matted, but that's about it. Whoops. May my Art Teacher Fairy Godmother heed my prayers and descend at the eleventh hour...

Full circle.

Draining my printer ink by printing certificates for my students whose work will be displayed at the White Flint Arts Fair, a show that my work was shown in as a child.

More to come as this show goes up!

Culture-envy.

Third grade student: "Ms. Dudley, you're Spanish, right?"
Me: "Hmm?" [I heard him, but I was sure I misheard.]
Third grade student: "You're Spanish. Because of your accent."
Me: "Nope, I'm not Spanish. I have an accent?"
Third grade student: "Yes, a Spanish accent."

This post inspired me to watch far too many flamenco videos on YouTube.

I have to work to keep my jealousy at bay in terms of the strong, proud cultural ties that many of my students have. I cope with this, in part, through the culturally-tethered units I teach. No, I'm not Spanish or much of anything else besides American. And while being American has shaped my life in many ways I am grateful for, I can't say that I'm always proud to claim that specific heritage. I think the big flower in my hair might have given me my mysterious "accent" today. I should wear it more often :)

Happy Easter, Happy Spring!

Louis Vuitton Bunny Ears, Tanya Ling. 2010.