Well, we’ve been in school with students for a week and a half now and I am a little late in making this post. The first exciting note is that we rolled out our 1:1 laptop program for MS/HS students and set up a Connected Learning Community, which I was a member of drafting, alongside other talented teachers such as Kim Cofino, Adam Clark, Rebekah Madrid, admin, some parents, students, our great IT team, amongst several, several others. In regards to this, I am attempting to go paperless (as an art teacher!) in delivering the art curriculum documents to students. I started using this wiki 1.5 years ago but would like to take it further with the introduction of the laptops. Ideally, I’d like the students to assist in building the wiki and think about how to change, enhance and improve my pedagogy. Hmm…skype lessons from home perhaps? ; )

Secondly, we have continued to implement the MYP now into grade 7, so I’ve also been busy restructuring and changing those units as well. Not perfect yet, but getting there. Each additional year will see it creep up a grade level.

Lastly, in addition to teaching art to grades 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 & 12, I am also teaching one class each of grade 7 and 8 drama. I’ll admit I was a little nervous at first but my colleague Shane has done a great job at planning and writing those units with some really fun activities, and I’m learning to boot (even with my drama background!).

Unfortunately, I haven’t had much time to do my own art and have been really slipping on my one “drawing” a day promise for this year. OK, OK. I’ve been slacking since the summer because I got “kind of” lazy and instead caught up on a lot of reading, and have been trying to get into some kind of respectable shape. But, September the 1st would make a nice start to get back at it.

So, in my classes, I’m teaching:

Grade 6 Art: Realist Portrait Drawing, Grade 7 Art: Visual Journals, Grade 8 Art: Abstract Painting, Grade 9 Art: Observational Drawing, Grade 10 Art: Observational Figure Drawing, Grade 12 Art: IB (no link)

Grade 7 Drama: Mime, Grade 8 Drama: Characterisation

Here’s to a good year! Oh, and have I mentioned my grade 7 tutor (homeroom) group are great?

(photo credit)