Two weeks from tomorrow, I will greet my students for the first day of school. I am working furiously to prepare for the students' arrival as I transition to a TAB classroom. I have rearranged the art studio, supply hubs, and storage closets in an effort to make materials easily accessible to students. I have spent countless hours reading, posting, revising, and questioning. How can I best introduce this new teaching philosophy to students and parents? How do I best assess what the students are creating while allowing students ownership in their process? What are the MOST important skills for students to practice at each level? How do I prepare them to gain mastery in these skills while giving them the freedom to choose how? So many questions and so little time! Every year before school starts again, I have nightmares of my preparations falling flat with unexpected issues like 60 kids in a class or being unable to access my classroom. As I prepare to take this turn into the unknown, I feel anxious about starting the year with something so far out of my comfort zone, but I know it is the right thing to do for my students. I need to remind myself that the goal of this new way of teaching art is to help the students become their own artists and this will come with some ups and downs. We will walk together on this journey to authentic art experience and I know the students will be ready for the challenge. Together we SO can do it!
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AuthorMrs. Taborda is the studio art teacher at Oxford High School in Oxford, MA. This blog will document her journey as an educator and share the happenings of the OHS art room. Archives
November 2018
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