Art Class

Teaching kids again is something I hadn't really completely thought about before applying for my latest job as an art teacher, and while I am working hard to become good at handling classroom management (last week I decided it's necessary to have the kids sign out X-acto knives and things of this nature which often turn up missing or in the wrong place, like in the sink, not to mention problems with talking and the like), which is frustrating, the things the kids produce are pretty neat. Have a look at a few examples.






































The 7th graders made some nice masks in what I think was their first 3D project of the year (I'm the second teacher they've had this year, and the third in the past 2 years...). These are just a few examples of some of the fine work they did after we talked about the uses of masks in different countries and cultures, and looking at many examples of African masks used in dance ceremonies.




















In the 6th grade classes we just finished a unit on design and linoleum printing. This project was pretty complicated for them, but they also did quite a nice job with it, and stayed pretty engaged though it went on for a long time and was frustrating because printing can be an unpredictable process. The historical background for this project was the use of quilts on the Underground Railroad in the United States. We learned about different quilt patterns and their meanings, then the students created their own designs to print. On the left you can see our sampler quilt, and on the right the quilt prints from the students of one class.