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Ten Things I Learned During My First Semester as an Art Teacher
Have you ever been an art teacher before? Me, either! Well, up until this year, that is. I taught art for a few months at the end of the last school year, but really began teaching in earnest this fall. Over the summer, one of my very talented students gave me drawing lessons and I also read both of Mona Brookes’s excellent “Drawing…” books. Here’s what I’ve learned during my first official semester of being an art teacher. Some of these lessons come directly from the classroom, and some of them come as a combination of classwork, drawing lessons, and Mona Brookes’s guidance. (Note: Illustrations to follow.) First, art is…
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Piles: A Poem for Exasperated Moms
Piles and pilesAnd piles galore,Piles all over the floor My son came homeAnd stacked up a pileOf papers returned that day My daughter stayed homeAnd built many piles Of delightful, five-year-old play The man of the houseStores his socks in a heap;I imagine things I’ll never say Really, they’re all heathens!But me?I’m perfect in every way Piles and pilesAnd piles galore,Piles all over the floor *** This post also includes something special! I had a good friend mention to me earlier this year that including an audio reading of blog posts, articles, etc. is becoming more popular online and allows more people to access information. So, without further introduction, here’s…
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Bill and Margie On the Open Road
School started about a month ago, and I can’t believe I haven’t posted since before then. I’ve been doing a lot of writing, but haven’t had a free moment yet to collect my writing and publish it here. I hope that now that the school year is underway, I’ll be able to start posting regularly again. This year I’m doing something new at school. I started a Story Club, inspired by Anne Shirley, which meets Friday afternoons during the school day. Each week I give the students a writing prompt, and then the following week we give each other feedback and talk about a writing-related topic. The students can write…
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An Ode to High School Study Hall: “Quiet”
Quiet, all is quiet,Except for the turning of pages,We sit and study quietlyFrom the halls of the knowledge of ages. Cars drone past outside,The heat from the furnace hums,A pencil scratches then stops,Feet tap the floor like drums. Students with heads in handsLook up from their quiet reprieve,Like a herd of bustling cattleThey close their books, pack up, and leave.
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Magical Writers and Inner Creativity
I think writers of books are amazing human beings. This post contains a few of my thoughts about the creative process and some encouragement for my writer friends.