Operation Drying Rack

Today was our first day in our classroom - for me, that means classrooms - to set up and get organized, and this had been the first time I was seeing them. I share both my rooms with the music teacher. She teaches on opposite days that I teach art. I got my keys today, and it was very exciting. It wasn't as glamorous as I had envisioned. That vision included holding a handshake for a photo-op but that did not happen, not even close. I just had to sign a note card, not even my own note card, more like something you would find in the back of a really old public library book. I managed to get a lot done for one days worth of work, though I tried my hardest to get it ALL done in 6 hours.

When I got into my room, I had all these materials just waiting to be opened and organized. It's exactly like Christmas morning. I had a brand new drying rack that I was determined to tackle. I saved it for last, knowing it would be my biggest job. Turns out that the people who make this thing have never actually put it together with the tools they send with it...jerks. It took soooooo long to put together and I made hardly any progress with it but at the end of the day, it resembled something where someone might ask, "hey is that, like, a rack for art or something?" so I'll count that as a win for the day.

I also have part of my bulletin board as the 'Artist of the Month' - where I will put up a Getting To Know the Artist poster every month that features an artist who has a birthday in the month. September is Louise Nevelson (her birthday is September 23.) I'm going to introduce the artist at the 1st class of the month, then give out bits of information from the poster throughout the beginning of the month so I can give the older students an extra credit quiz on that artist at the end of the month, and the younger students an opportunity to create a mini-art project in the style of that artist.

This was the most productive thing I did today. I put up all the Elements/Principles of Design cards and the Spanish color cards. (My district has a lot of Spanish-speaking students.) I still am mulling over want I should do on the other side of my board, maybe an artist of the month within my classes-a place to display their best work that month? I also could only find yellow boarder, definitely not my first color choices but I can live with it, I think.