At this point in the semester, each an every one of us is anxious about going into the student teaching phase. In an attempt to make this assignment therapeutic, I decided to go about compiling images that suggest that I am a teacher already, that I've been teaching throughout my life, and that this is just another step on the journey of teaching. I put together a series of images that show my teaching journey so far (reading to the kids I babysit for, teaching swimming lessons in high school, teaching Vacation Bible School at church, AVID tutoring, Intercession), and a final image (the road) to show that I will continue to acquire experiences and images along the way. Super cheesy, but I guess that's where I'm at right now. I think it's the content of the images rather than their composition that holds them together as an essay, and I arranged them in a way that allowed them to build on each other.
All in all, it was an interesting assignment that has a hundred possibilities and is accessible to all students. I really do look forward to finding ways to incorporate art in the classroom, both because I think visual literacy is an important skill in this increasingly visual world and because art is a personal passion of mine. Unlike the teachers Selfe describes in her article, I do have some art training and art history expertise, but even so it's easy to forget to read the visual when English class is so focused on reading the words. This assignment and Selfe's article were nice reminders for me to keep the art supplies handy in my classroom.
I love your essay Emily. At this point in our program, I think it is really important to remember that teaching has always been a part of who we are and we will continue to be. Same goes for being students.
ReplyDeleteAlso, only a totally different subject, I found your blog from 2005 and commented on your quote from Boy's Meets World. Amazing!
Emily,
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your statement that "it's so easy to forget to read the visual when English class is so focused on reading the words." I think this really gets at the heart of what you're trying to say and what we should all be striving for in our classrooms. I like the progression of jobs/interaction with kids and it shows how far and wide your journey has taken you.
I agree that the Selfe article reminds us to keep art supplies handy. My cooperating teacher has several shelves of art supplies and implores the students to use them as often as possible when creating posters or even decorating their poems/sonnets.