April 2011
2 posts
an email exchange:
From: MS GEE Sent: Wednesday, April 13, 2011 3:44 PM To: Mr. Janitor Subject: wittle friends
Mr. ___________
Today I thought my entire class of 4th graders were pointing at me with a look of horror on their faces as I was teaching, but later discovered that they were pointing BEHIND me at a mouse that was crawling down the wall in the art room. There is a small hole in the ceiling above the...
I should practice what I preach
During a 5th grade art therapy session:
“I just wish my mother would’ve… you know…”
“no, I don’t know.”
“you know, wouldn’t have had me”
“See, this is the problem. When things get rough, you get negative.”
“but it’s true. I wish I was someone else.”
“you have to love yourself. you have to...
February 2011
1 post
Ms. G. tryna be more organized
The month of February brought a lot of confusion, disorganization, chaos, and ADD. I was hit with so many different things, from so many different people, that I could barely finish my lesson plans on time…or update this blog.
Long story short, if I would have known how much work/time/energy/heart break/money is involved with becoming AND REMAINING an educator, I maybe would have thought...
January 2011
1 post
no worries! I am here and my students are a-ok
I haven’t been posting, but that is only because before and after winter break is pure chaos. It is even more crazy now knowing that my 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will rotate and I get an entire different section from that grade each trimester.
Regardless, everything is cool. We began new sections with color theory and they are producing some bangin’ work. Things are still dramatic as...
December 2010
2 posts
To be taken srsly
So after I posted about the Art Power program I started at our school, I created a slideshow with the images I posted below & descriptions and sent it to my principal, vice principal, guidance, and head of the board. The head of the board then sent it to a million other people and I received feedback like this via email:
“Dear Amber, You are an amazing teacher. (school’s name) is...
let me show you things
Last year I practically begged to begin a program, during school hours, where I could pull kids from their regular education classrooms and give them extra support via the arts. Towards the last trimester, the principal gave me the go ahead and 2 days out of the week I pulled kids desperately in need of the emotional support.
I called it “Art Power” (everyone calls it Art Therapy,...
November 2010
3 posts
doubt
Last night I couldn’t fall asleep, and when I eventually did I couldn’t stay asleep. I have dealt with severe emotional disturbances for as long as I can remember. I was diagnosed and treated for bi polar disorder at 13. Although I am much more in control of my emotions today, I still have a hard time dealing with this immense amount of pain inside of me. Sometimes I get so worked up...
"I'm scared to go home"
For a select few, a break from school is not a something to look forward to. One of my usually optimistic students said to me recently that she was scared to go home. I held her and we both cried a bit. I said, “listen, when I was your age I was scared to go home, too. It doesn’t even feel like a home, does it?” she shook her head and I went on “but look, when you’re...
big mouth strikes again
I wish I didn’t get as frustrated as I do. I never YELL directly at my kids, but I do raise my voice (it is an art room with 27+ children all talking at once). I’m worried that my loud mouth might scare my students from time to time, although I never observed any of them seeming anxious.
Regardless, after all of that nonsense went down with my 5th grader, I felt a little broken for a...
October 2010
3 posts
tryna get Miss G. in trouble
Never thought I’d have a student HATE me… but I definitely do. One particular student, now a 5th grader, just may be out to get me. I had issues with his negative attitude (dirty looks/eye rolling/non-verbal disruptions/refusing to do work/excessive talking/harassing other students/etc) last year and met with his parents. On Friday the attitude reached a new level. I simply could not...
Murs & 9th wonder - PUSH
I plan on using Murs’ song PUSH in an upcoming project for my art therapy students. If you aren’t familiar:
[Murs] At first no one believed that I could achieve Goals I had set, hopes, dreams Had no respect for my own team So much pressure, felt like I couldn’t breathe and {*Chokes*} …Relieved When I shook all the doubts and decided to proceed Best men, girlfriends, I...
September 2010
3 posts
personal life vs. work life
I don’t know how my art teacher from high school, Laura, balances her teaching career, a husband, her stepson, yoga/going to the gym, making her own artwork, traveling, researching things for her students, and a vivid social life. I admire her more then ever.
During the work week, when I come home from being awake & moving from 5:30am-5:30pm, I feel very much alone. In the art room,...
I haven't cried yet
I’m less stressed compared to last year, but not by much. With the Art Therapy program I am now running 5x a week for both our elementary students and 9th graders, on top of all my regular art ed classes, I’m exhausted. I haven’t been yelling as much recently, and the art room environment with my 3rd-5th graders is beautiful. I didn’t realize until this week just how much I...
teachers have summer vaca, kk?
I had professional development for a week, open house this past Wednesday, and I’ll return to full time teaching in 2 days. I know once I see my kids and adjust to my schedule I’ll be fine… but right now I’m so anxious. Being an art educator is not what I thought it would be, because for the first time in my life I really feel like an outsider. The classroom teachers I...
June 2010
1 post
I have no concept of what is appropriate anymore
I never really had the chance to be young, act young, feel young. The younger my kids are, the harder it is to relate. I have a REALLY difficult time planning lessons that age appropriate. I teach big words, correct art terms, and probably give more information in my project introductions than most kids can handle. However, to my surprise, more kids remember the things I teach more often then...
May 2010
5 posts
the ins and outs
4th Grader: “Ayo Miss G., can I go to the bathroom?”
Me: “You just went. Why do you gotta go again? to mess around in the hallway and avoid doing your work?”
4th Grader: “NO. ‘Cause I don’t feel good and I gotta go….. and I can’t tell WHICH END IT’S GONNA COME OUT OF.”
A different 4th Grader: “AYO MISS G., YOU WANNA BUY A...
sad eyes
2nd grader: “Miss G., you have sad eyes today…. are you hurtin’? you can cry if you need to, we won’t care.”
Tell me how such young kids know me better than most of my friends, anyone I have ever dated, or my parents? I am so frustrated with life right now, but they remind me that I am very much needed. This morning one of my 4th graders had her hand on her hip,...
teacher appreciation week
My principal bought all of us 15min massages. I get mine in about 10 minutes.
I currently have my 2nd graders learning about the first form of writing/art: CAVE PAINTING! Some students are working in the hall, painting on brown paper hanging on the wall. A few are doing the same in the room. I have the lights turned halfway off. First thing I said when I turned out the lights? “YOU ARE IN A...
cinco de mayo?
so what should you play over the loud speaker in the morning to start off our cinco de mayo celebrations? Mambo Number 5, of course! Isn’t the dude that sings this African American? Do you think someone listing all the women he slept with in a song is appropriate? I almost peed myself a little when this came on.
Also, first thing this morning my 3rd grader walks up to me in the bus lines...
when you’re entire teaching staff is born and raised in Philly, it is totally acceptable to write “you guys” in an email.
just sayin’
also, a backwards compliment from my 4th grader: “Miss G., you look skinny but sometimes you wear big clothes…..” oh, cool.
April 2010
5 posts
youz guise so funny
Chante, 4th grader, talking real harsh about something in the bus lines this morning: “MISS G. DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? IF SOMEONE SAID THIS, WOULD IT MAKE SENSE? ‘WHY ARE YOU FUSSIN’ AT HIM?’ DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO SAY?”
Me: “yeah. I think so. Why are you making that face and talking so loud?”
Chante: “Miss G…..I’m just tryna prove A...
Miss G. got tattoos
I love kids because even though they are not afraid to call me out on anything, one thing they simply do not care about is me having tattoos. I have started to care way less about hiding them. When a kid’s eyes dart toward a sliver of color on my arm or nervously blurts out “I KNOW YOU HAVE TATTOOS!” I usually respond with “and does that affect my ability to teach...
Africa
Me “boys and girls…. we will be learning about art from Africa today. Where is Africa? What is it?”
Damion, Kindergarten: “Its a place with no cars!”
how do you
tell a 4th grader that is almost as tall as you and weighs about 15lbs more to calm down when he is throwing a fit? Some of my younger students I have tried to restrain from stomping around the room like wild animals only to find myself being pulled along side of them.
how do you tell a kid that can barely read to try his best on a standardized test that has been hyped up for weeks by...
currently
doing small group testing with my 4th graders for the PSSA. I hated this crap when I was in school - I can only imagine how these students feel. I’m so nervous for them I’M sweating.
March 2010
6 posts
2nd graders
Sometimes I feel like my 2nd and 3rd graders are the most mature out of all the grades I teach. Sometimes. For example, last week my students finished painting their Chilean rainsticks that they made from recycled goods (okay, okay, try not to giggle when you have to say rainstick over and over again to a class of 27 kids: “STOP PLAYING WITH YOUR RAINSTICK LIKE THAT. DON’T HIT IT! IT...
regular art room sayings:
“CLOSE YOUR MOUTH” (accompained with me making the mouth closing gesture with my hands)
“WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO LIKE THAT?”
“WHERE’D MY COFFEE GO? WHO HAS SEEN MY COFFEE?”
Starting sentences with “GIRLS AND BOYS….!”
“Why is your mouth moving more than your hands?”
“GET OUT OF YOUR SEAT AGAIN AND I’M TAPING YOU...
during my bob marley lesson:
me: “boys and girls raise your hand if you ever have a song make you feel a certain way when you hear it… have you ever heard a song that made you happy? sad? embarrased? angry? tired? (students raise their hand when they agree) How about dancing? have you ever heard a song that just makes you wanna dance?”
2nd grader: “YEAH! ME! I DO! I GET DOWN TO SOME WU TANG”
...
this isn't easy.
What do you do when your 4th grader asks you to read her journal and it says “this weekend I had to visit my mom and I found a vibrator and condom in her drawer” ?
what do you do when one of your students that really relies on you for emotional support says, “Ms. G…. my mom has HIV and doesn’t take her medicine. Is she gonna die?”
My kids have all been...
February 2010
1 post
this morning from a 1st grader:
“MS. G! (covering her face) Don’t you see my hands on my face?”
me: “yes… what’s up?”
her: “IT STARTS WITH A ‘B’”
me: “oh, booger?”
her: “YES!”
me: “….go get a tissue.”
There is something really rewarding having a class of 20-something 2nd graders...
January 2010
1 post
After two weeks of no school, I made a promise to myself to give this half of the year all I have. I came back to find that all of my students seemed to truly miss me and miss art class. I received so many hugs and letters on Tuesday morning… and it made me the happiest I have been in awhile.
Although other aspects of my life seem really uncertain and cause me significant stress/pain, I am...
December 2009
3 posts
everything
I can’t stay organized. I can’t stop yelling. I cry on my lunch break. There is never a day when everything goes the way it should. Tomorrow is the last day before winter break and all of my kids seem to be regressing.
As the art teacher I feel constantly looked down on. I don’t know what to do anymore.
these days
sometimes when my alarm goes off at 5:30am I feel like crying. I have been a full time, inner city art teacher now for three months now and it is not becoming any easier. Everything goes by in a blur when you see 135 students a day and 382 in a week. Am I even making a dent in these kids?
Someone drops the N word or inappropriately touches someone else while we’re sitting together on the...
November 2009
2 posts
why I never go out anymore
I am adjusting to the fact that I really can’t change the lives of everyone for the better, especially not my students. I had a shitty childhood and I always had the cheesy idea that “if I can make it and thrived off of the help of my teachers, so can my students!” That was kind of the only optimistic mindset I had left. Recently I have come to realize and accept that a huge...
Ms. G.
I graduated from art school in May 2009 with a BFA in Art Education. I had a rough summer, struggling with money, scrambling to find a job, applying to places I had no interest in working post college. Fortunately, the first job I applied to while still in school in February offered me a position teaching art to k-4th grade at a brand new charter school. I had no idea what I was getting into.
I...