IETC

This year I have been lucky enough to attend the 17th annual Illinois Educators Technology Conference in Springfield Illinois. First, I have to start by saying I Love Conferences! I really do. At this point some of you are thinking I am completely nuts. But it is what it is. I think every teacher needs to walk away from the classroom, submerge themselves in with all kinds of Educators and find themselves again. Find the passion, the enjoyment, and the desire to try new things. I like conferences for the simple fact that you come out of them feeling refreshed and excited about heading back to classroom with new ideas. I have found that I enjoy tech conferences sometimes more than I enjoy art conferences. Don't get me wrong I love those too, but there are times when you attend conferences with those that teach the same subject matter as you and you have to play the who's the better art teacher game. I hate that. Tooooo much competition. With a tech conference you have a splash of everyone and it is great to see what people do and the things that they know coming from so many areas. I have been in a lot of different classes in the past two days and I have to admit that I am looking forward to coming back to school and trying some new ideas. I am also thinking about putting in for a session of my own here next year. With the way that schools are changing and headed to project based instruction, I think I can find something to talk about. I'm actually considering a new blog on 365 days of art and technology projects. A blog a day. That would be a challenge! But if I was successful, wouldn't that be a great presentation! Just an idea!

Veterans Day

To many students and teachers alike, veterans day is just another day off of school. To others and some you least expect it is so much more.

My husband is a Navy Veteran from Desert Storm. He served on the Naval Carrier USS America. My husband has such fond memories of his days in the military. He met some of his truest friends in his service. I asked him once if he was ever scared about being in a war. And he simply replied no. And that my friends, is the American Soldier. They have no fear in risking their lives to protect and serve their country. Not many people can say that. So on November 11th, I ask you to think about those people you may or may not know that have served or currently are serving our country and thank them in word or deed or thought. But please take a moment to thank them.

Altered/ Handmade Books

My Art 1 Students started the task this week of creating handmade altered books. This is very hard for some of them to think of a book as a piece of art. It is a challenge to create a book that is inviting and interesting. We have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on bookmaking and creating the individual pages which are each a single piece of art. I am looking forward to how these books will turn out.

off day

I haven't blogged in a few days. Not really sure why. But I have not been myself lately. I even cried yesterday...during class. I know, I know, "There is no CRYING in ART CLASS." But sometimes it just happens. My kids were sweet about it, but still. What a blubbering idiot. Oh well, so today I am just quiet. Can't think well. Again not sure why. Started my kids on some detailed projects today dealing with altered collage which makes them a little quiet too. I think I need to remember that we all have our days where we are on or we are off and then we have those days where we are scattered in between.Tomorrow I think I need to start thinking with my mind and not my heart. That should help. Until tomorrow...

100 things

I know we aren't there yet, but eventually it will be the 100 days of school celebration, where all the elementary students in the world bring 100 things to school, put them in a big mish mash tub and celebrate by eating a mix of the oddest things. So I decided to give my high school students an early assignment of finding 100 things and photographing them. These were so much fun and some of them were so clever.

Mrs. Block

Well according to the kids...she is AWESOME and CR-A-ZY. They are looking forward to one said race in the alley between the buildings next hour with Dalton Chambers. According to rumor he was talking smack about being faster than her so she is going to prove him wrong. Excellent, I may just head out there to watch. That sums up Mrs. Block. She is the chem teacher at PCHS and is always entertaining. She makes those kids work and learn by doing. I once got to judge the homemade boats her students made and raced at the YMCA pool. The boats had to race with two people in them. I particularly enjoyed watching a few of them sink into the depths of the pool. OK so that was rambling. But in the classroom she pushes her students to excel and are rewarded for it. They come out of her classes understanding far more than ever thought. Her teaching comes from the heart. She takes this ownership in her students and works so diligently to make them learn and understand what they are learning. Many times kids have this awesome ability for short term memorization just to get by, but in her classes it seems that she creates a learning environment that forces them to step away from that.
As a peer in education, she is always creating and organizing activities which get the teachers into the world of school spirit. I always enjoy her decked out on game days with her orange and black and her extremely tall chuck Taylors. So thanks Mrs. Block for making the kids at PCHS get it!

Mr. S Cox

When I asked the kids why I should write about Mr. Cox, they said because he is a good teacher. When I asked why, they said I don't know, he just is. Well OK then. Sometimes there isn't always a lot of explanation for things, they are what they are. Mr. Cox came to PHS a few years ago after being in the banking business. He said he just decided one day that he wanted more and wanted to teach, so here he is. Mr. Cox is the Ag teacher at PHS as well as the FFA sponsor. I enjoyed watching him and his laid back style walk into teaching. Although enthusiastic, I find him quite calm with his students. He knows how to interact with his students and there is a unique style in his teaching. I enjoy talking to this man. He has a jolly temperament that makes you smile. He is game for about anything, is always ready to take on and challenge his students in Agriculture. I like the way that Mr. Cox has brought the real world into school world. He provides a variety of real speakers from the Ag fields into his classroom. More of us should do this. I think it is important to get the kids thinking about their future fields outside of this school. Mr. Cox is one of those teachers who promotes his classes and his belief in agriculture and getting students active at the state and national levels in FFA. I think this is a wonderful thing. Having these kinds of experience such as life stock judging attending the national FFA convention give our students a unique education, one that just doesn't come from their nose in a book! Thanks, Mr. Cox for your hard work keeping our Ag and FFA programs strong!