Reflection on
Student Teaching
Student teaching has been an overwhelming, vibrant, joyous, frustrating, exhilarating, exhausting, profound learning experience. After six comfortable years as a guest artist, it was both refreshing and terrifying to find myself empathizing with the students as I stretched and grew beyond what I thought myself capable of.
I was thrilled, relieved, and very proud to find that the students have actually improved, if incrementally, over the course of their semester with me. They are more likely to consider the ideas behind an artwork, identify the motive behind a piece, or single out a particular Element of composition or compositional artistic strategy. Most important to me, they are less hesitant to pick up a pencil and get an idea down; they have gained a little bit of confidence, and perhaps worry a bit less about creating a perfect work in favor of trying something new.
Working with the students at San Andreas was a wonderful and challenging change of pace for me; after years of students who were thrilled to be studying the arts, my biggest difficulty at San Andreas has been to convince the students that Art is exciting, shocking, thrilling, and something that is meaningful to their lives. We have had some great days, but have also had some days where my attempts to engage the students have utterly failed. I must continually keep in mind that without personal relevance, nothing I talk about or ask them to do will resonate. Their curiosity is only piqued very close to home.
The skill I have worked the hardest on, and the area in which I have learned the most is differentiating instruction. I have never had such a variety of students in one class before, both in skill level and level of engagement. I have become more adept at targeting each student individually, and managing my time in such a way that I have much of the period free to address students on an individual level. I have learned to keep moving from one topic or activity to the next, to keep the students moving, shifting and changing focus in order to maintain their attention and to be sure they do not get too frustrated with any one activity, making sure that there is a style or activity or approach in almost every class for almost every student.
I feel that my having worked at both ends of the spectrum of student interest-- from the Tamalpais students who self-identify as performing artists to the San Andreas students who are focused on alternate methods for acquiring an education in order to work through any number of challenges in their lives-- I am ready for almost anything (I'm sure I'll find out otherwise).
The idea I will carry closest as I culminate my student teaching is that anyone can succeed in the arts; that art is not a talent, but a honed skill garnered through hard work; I will work to bring art to students in whatever form they are prepared to receive it.
I was thrilled, relieved, and very proud to find that the students have actually improved, if incrementally, over the course of their semester with me. They are more likely to consider the ideas behind an artwork, identify the motive behind a piece, or single out a particular Element of composition or compositional artistic strategy. Most important to me, they are less hesitant to pick up a pencil and get an idea down; they have gained a little bit of confidence, and perhaps worry a bit less about creating a perfect work in favor of trying something new.
Working with the students at San Andreas was a wonderful and challenging change of pace for me; after years of students who were thrilled to be studying the arts, my biggest difficulty at San Andreas has been to convince the students that Art is exciting, shocking, thrilling, and something that is meaningful to their lives. We have had some great days, but have also had some days where my attempts to engage the students have utterly failed. I must continually keep in mind that without personal relevance, nothing I talk about or ask them to do will resonate. Their curiosity is only piqued very close to home.
The skill I have worked the hardest on, and the area in which I have learned the most is differentiating instruction. I have never had such a variety of students in one class before, both in skill level and level of engagement. I have become more adept at targeting each student individually, and managing my time in such a way that I have much of the period free to address students on an individual level. I have learned to keep moving from one topic or activity to the next, to keep the students moving, shifting and changing focus in order to maintain their attention and to be sure they do not get too frustrated with any one activity, making sure that there is a style or activity or approach in almost every class for almost every student.
I feel that my having worked at both ends of the spectrum of student interest-- from the Tamalpais students who self-identify as performing artists to the San Andreas students who are focused on alternate methods for acquiring an education in order to work through any number of challenges in their lives-- I am ready for almost anything (I'm sure I'll find out otherwise).
The idea I will carry closest as I culminate my student teaching is that anyone can succeed in the arts; that art is not a talent, but a honed skill garnered through hard work; I will work to bring art to students in whatever form they are prepared to receive it.