In the last sessions of the UAYSFA, I really think our students were able to realize their ideas and make something that they couldn't at school or on their own. This was obviously the goal all along but I was nervous that they would run out of time and be disappointed.
On top of being happy that they were able to finish their projects, I was also sad to know that our time would be running out and that the workshop would be ending. This was my first time teaching that age group and I found it to be both a challenging and rewarding experience. I think I will miss the weekly workshop even with all the prep work and planning.
The last full work day of the workshop, our students were working on the final touches of their pieces in full force. They needed little guidance as to what to do, they all seemed to have their ideas in site and just needed to deliver on their plans. For the most part my co-teacher and I were helping when needed and also trying to encourage one of our students to push their piece further. This particular student was very resistant to any suggestion but in the end she liked her piece. It was maddening to not be able to sway her but I guess that it is more important in this case the she enjoyed the workshop and her piece.
Overall I am proud of the students in my workshop and I am happy with the way it turned out.
I can relate to the maddening aspect of teaching when it involves getting students to put the maximum amount of time and effort into their pieces. I'm not sure why, but the guys in our class really had a hard time finishing anything with good presentation without being pushed. I wish I had taken progress photos so they could see how much better their projects were after nagging them to finish their projects to the best of their abilities.
ReplyDeleteI think we're always going to be somewhat disappointed when our students don't push themselves to the next level. Though "ultimate satisfaction" is somewhat expected in an art workshop (after your first try), I think it becomes increasingly important with each project thereafter. We experienced a lot of "Okay, I'm done moments". It will undoubtedly be a challenge to help students understand that they have the talent and drive to make something better.
ReplyDeleteKnowing a student has a lot of talent and potential and just isn't applying themselves the way you would like was a very hard thing for me as well. We had a middle schooler with the attention span similar to that of my 4 year old sister's, but she was a very talented artist especially in drawing and painting. I kept encouraging her to put more drawings into her journal but she simply refused every time. It was certainly a big challenge to me and I was often frustrated. I also will miss the workshop very much though because even with all the challenges I still felt like the kids had a very endearing quality to me and I enjoyed seeing all of the UAY kids so proud of their work at the show.
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