At first, I was somewhat nervous meeting our students mainly because we didn’t know too much information on each individual. However, when we all were playing the name game to try and introduce everyone, the setting became a lot more comfortable and welcoming. I noticed that many of the students seemed to be very enthusiastic to be there which was great.
When we went to the museum, I also noticed an enthusiasm to go and look at the artwork. The students also seemed very intent on answering the questions and analyzing the work.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear some of the responses that some of the students had. They were very articulated and well said. Some had very inventive stories to go along with the paintings that they choose to write about. I liked Jared’s answer where he had said that he would be riding a horse through the painting and walking the dog on the horse and how the people in the painting smelled.
I also thought Corey’s response was really intelligent. He opened my eyes to the sculpture and made me look at it differently then when I originally looked at it. I’m looking forward to seeing what the other students have to say about art and the art process.
I was nervous to receive the students in to the classroom environment. Any time you introduce new people in to a group, the dynamic changes, and for this group of people, who would be my students, I feel a responsibility to be well prepared and present, neither of which I felt upon the circumstance of our first meeting. I have some fear of the unknown in this instance, and it is probably seeping out of my pores since I feel as if I have little control over whatever is going to happen. With such an emphasis in the art education program on lesson planning and preparedness, I feel kind of naked without that level of involvement from myself.
Much to my surprise, all of the children seemed very happy to be there and all seemed quite pleasant, themselves. I was taken with the shy girl who came in to the class late. She was visibly nervous and quiet as a mouse, as if not to bother anyone. I get the sense she has been conditioned to be very afraid of something, but my heart was warmed when I saw her interact with the group and with individuals right away. It was as if she was crawling on hands and knees, parched in the hot desert and she found in us her oasis. I felt proud of her whenever she spoke up.
The boy who chose the metal sculpture as his piece of artwork to discuss also struck me. His insights were better articulated and more provocative than that of an art history student’s I heard about the same piece the previous week. It goes to show you that some disabilities seem hidden or subtle or maybe even get erased when the person is doing something they are engaged in.
Upon reflection, I suppose I wasn’t expecting to have a group of students with disabilities, rather I was just worried about the disabilities – which is counter to what I believe and have been taught as a massage therapist. We say, “you aren’t treating a pathology – you are treating a person”. And it is the same here. While the disabilities we are studying have particular symptoms or traits, we are really dealing with people, and people are precious and individual, disability or not.
While I understand the importance of being educated about many disabilities in order to be the best teacher I can be to the broadest audience, it is also important to remember the people. I hope that more experience with these particular people with disabilities serves to remove or at very least reduce any fear I may continue to have regarding teaching them.
I remember be really nervous the first day the kids were going to come in and I think that’s pretty much what everyone else was feeling. However, I found it very comforting that as they showed up one by one and joined the group that they jumped right in to the activity we were doing and seemed to be having fun. Seeing them relax and have fun ultimately made me feel a lot more comfortable. I liked how we had to keep replaying the game with the ball every time a new person came in because we got to know a little more about the kids each time. For example, Corey said, “I like to sketch and draw,” Neil told us, “My birthday is this weekend and I’ll be 15,” and Judy would throw the ball to Corey every time she got it, which made everyone laugh; we learned that she had this incredibly infectious energy about her.
Taking them to the exhibit was a lot of fun because I feel it gave us an insight to how much these kids really do appreciate art. It was amazing to me to see how perceptive they were and how imaginative they could be when looking at a painting or a sculpture and discussing it; they came up with ideas that I hadn’t even considered. I worked with Judy and she chose a painting called “The Crossing.” She told me, “I would see a sparkly sky. I would hear the ocean. I would feel the mist.” I asked her how she had gotten there and she said, “I just walked right in,” and she started explaining to me how she had jumped into the painting like they did in Mary Poppins. You could ask her anything about that painting and she had an answer. Corey also amazed me with his interpretation of a sculpture, “The Second to Last Bird.” He was like a little curator, talking about the work and coming up with a very clever interpretation of the work saying, “It’s called the second to the last bird because it’s the second to last thing you see when you look at the sculpture.” Afterwards he said something like, “After, you can come up and walk around it and look so you can see for yourself.” Having them here was a lot of fun and I look forward to working with these kids.
Like everyone else has already stated, I too was very nervous and anxious before the students arrived in the classroom. When Corey walked through the door it hit me that Arts-2-gether was going to be a wonderful experience. By simply observing how comfortable Cory was with the class I realized it was going to be okay. As each student arrived tensions in the room diminished. I was shocked at how out going and friendly the students were. Originally I though they would be shy and after a few classes they would warm up to us. I was also surprised about how happy everyone was to be there, especially Matt. When he arrived he instantly ran into the classroom showing his excitement and happiness.
The name game was a great way to get everyone situated and comfortable with one another. I was able to learn small details about each student (Corey likes to draw, Jared likes sports, and mostly everyone has a pet). The role playing game was also a successful method of interacting with the students.
While walking down to the museum it was clear that all the students were very excited. As they entered the museum they instantly ran around making sure to see every piece of artwork. Towards the back of the museum I was looking at an abstract sculpture with Neil and Ethan. I asked them questions about the sculpture. They really didn't know what to say other then, "This is cool, is what wood? Is there blood on it?" Both of them kept trying to touch the sculpture to try and figure out what the surface was made of.
When we listened to the student's responses about the artwork I was shocked at how descriptive and detailed their answers were. Jared had a great story to accompany his response. When anyone would ask him a question he would offer an extremely quick and witty response.
Overall I'm excited to see how things progress with the students. I think this will be a beneficial experience for both the students and our class.
I had been a bit nervous about the first day, but as the students began to slowly filter in my bits of anxiety transformed into sheer excitement. They were not what I had been expecting, quiet, barely verbal, perhaps overly literal, in general different. Cory, the first to arrive, surprised us all I think with how social he was, how comfortable he seemed in his environment, and how funny and well-spoken he could be. As they arrived one after the other, Audi, Jared, Ethan, Matt and Judy, Angel, etc., I found I was really genuinely enjoying their company. While playing the catching greeting game, I was acutely aware of their humor and socialization. Certain students, like Cory and Judy, seemed more eager to speak and interact. Judy and Matt in particular were full of such openness and affection, it was really refreshing to experience as a change from the social norms that confine that level of humanity. Noticing the shyness of other students, such as Ethan and Audi, I wondered how much of that was influenced by Aspergers and how much influenced by their age. Where is the boundary between personality and disability, and how much are they meshed?, I wondered. The gallery was the most revealing experience of the day. I spoke with Jared mostly, who told me in detail about his dogs. The painting he was most drawn to, and decided to write about, was the only painting with a dog in it. I had a feeling his interests lied with canines. He mused on what kind of dog was in the painting, while counting off the names of his own which were more than I could keep on one hand. Though his subject was focused, I had met other pet-lovers before, and the lack of a great disparity between him and anyone else I might know was enlightening. I was really glad that I was able to see them as people and not as specimens, solely for the purpose of reflection about disability. Jared, Ethan, and Angel tended to stay with each other, a small pack of boys roaming the gallery. It was interesting to see how different they were, and how comfortable they were with each other. Angel was the most curious about his surroundings out of the three of them. I noticed he strayed quite a bit while group discussions were taking place, and when I asked him why he told me it was because he felt almost compelled to inspect the walls and the information that hung upon them. He wanted to know what was going on in each piece, what and who things were, why they were. His appetite was inspiring. It was intriguing to see how different and no different at all each student was. Engaging with them was exciting and after the class I felt so inspired and motivated to go further in the Arts-2-Gether program. This initial experience brought the person to the disability for me; I wasn’t seeing symptoms, I was seeing them.
Meeting the students for the first time was very exciting and made me a little anxious because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Meeting new people no matter what age you are can often be a scary experience, and I thought about how I would feel if I were in middle school or high school in a room full of adults. With that in mind, I wanted to do my best to make the students feel welcome in this new environment and keep the energy in the classroom as positive and stress-free as possible.
To my pleasant surprise, the students got right into our icebreaker activity with so much enthusiasm. It was great to hear a little about each of the students so I could get a sense of their personalities and who they are. Sometimes icebreakers can feel forced or stress inducing, but many of the students had a great sense of humor that seemed to brighten my mood and set the tone for the rest of the class.
Our trip to the museum was a great experience, and gave me an opportunity to talk one-on-one with some of the students. When I previously went to the Dorsky Museum to look at Eugene Ludins’ work on my own, I noticed his detailed painting style and appreciated his surrealistic scenes. However, when we all went together, the students helped me notice parts of the paintings I hadn’t noticed before. Imagining what we would smell, see, taste, touch, and hear was a great exercise, because as humans we are connected by our senses. Several of my classmates, students, and I found ourselves in front of a painting where several men sit in a boat as a woman rows with one oar. We discovered that the men in the painting were all paralyzed so the woman was the only one who could row the boat. Taneya asked what paralyzed meant, and went on to describe that she would feel very tired and scared if she were the woman in the painting. She was very empathetic towards these fictional, two-dimensional characters in the painting, which I found refreshing and thought provoking. During this experience I didn’t see “disabilities,” I just got to get a glimpse of who these insightful and interesting people are, and I’m very excited to learn more about them as well as learn from each other.
Before the first Arts-2-gether meeting I felt like I had no idea what to expect. However, after the meeting, I am relieved at how smooth everything went. With so much emphasis on ‘disability’, it’s easy to forget that the children are children first. Surely some of their challenges are more apparent than others and require thoughtfulness. So being aware of their idiosyncrasies is important to seeing them for the children they are. Sitting next to Audi, it was immediately apparent he was avoiding eye contact. He would say something under his breath and when I would turn to answer him he was either looking down or away. All I could think to do was to go back to watching the group and hope that turning to him was enough to show he was being heard at least. He did seem to have been more comfortable by the end of the day when he was talking about the art work. Matt on the other hand was a force of nature. And his sister Judy as well, although in a different respect. In their case it was more a matter of getting them to focus rather than getting them to talk. Judy, in particular, had a lot to say once given the opportunity and guidance. This actually goes for most of the children. Once they were given a voice, and saw people were interested in what they had to say, it was obvious they did have a lot to say. This was distinctly true of Jarod. At first it was unclear if he were taking the gallery and artworks seriously. As can be indicative of ADHD it seemed as though he might be dismissive of the project, but I think when he saw that people were interested and taking him seriously he was able to elaborate on what he was seeing in the painting. Cory, on the other hand, took to viewing a sculpture like a fish in water. He was right at home in finding and describing subtleties in the artwork most would miss without careful inspection.
Last Tuesday was a refreshing eye opener, serving as evidence that no one can be labeled by definition in a text book study. During our ice breaker activity, everyone, including those with autism, aspergers, ADHD and other learning disabilities were not only fully capable of participating in our game, but they were eager to do so, comfortably remembering a hand full of new names and faces. Typically, people with autism, aspergers and ADHD are “socially challenged” which was not my impression of this group of kids. However, when students did struggle, like with their speech for example, the other kids displayed empathy by not teasing the struggling student, and by being patient and as understanding as possible.
After our ice breaker games, we went on an exclusive visit to the Dorskey Art Museum. We were given a small questionnaire to fill out. “Where is this painting? How did you get there? What do you smell and hear? What would you do in this painting?” Every student successfully made a personal connection to one piece of art of their choice. All of them were able to write out their response in words, with exception to one student, and everyone was eager to share their experience to the group with exception to one other student. One student, truly with the mind of an artist abstracted the assignment, voiding out the word painting and wrote about a sculpture. Before he began writing, we talked about the piece one on one together. In it, he saw many wild animals, most importantly, the bird. When I asked him where he would go and what he would do if he were the sculpture, he said “What do you mean? It wouldn’t matter where I’d go or what I would do, because birds are free, unlike people, stuck doing things they have to do every day.”
The eagerness to verbalize personal experiences to the rest of the group was very inspiring, especially considering how poetic some of the responses were, and how each student connected to a pretty powerful work of art. Overall, I thought we had a good group of listeners, however, there were some strays. Perhaps we can create or find some good games involving listening and communication to keep listening skills on their minds. Telephone-Operator could be a start.
When the students arrived I found myself torn between two behaviors. On one level I wanted observe them from a distance with acute attention to their behaviors (searching for evidence of their disability) and on another level I wished to forwardly introduce myself as a future art companion. After a few of them were present, I was surprised at how well adjusted they were. I compared myself to them, considering what a nervous wreck I can be when introduced to a group of people on a professional level. These kids were the opposite, they simply seemed content to be with us. This gave me a positive outlook for the future of working with them, teaching experiences will be fluid and dynamic.
During “the ball game” I gained a better sense of how the kids operate in groups. Some were shy, others were really excited to share, but they all still seemed comfortable. Also, during beginning of the game I was seated near Matthew who made me really nervous for a couple of different reasons. First, with his outgoing personality he engaged me in direct conversation almost immediately. This is an experience I typically avoid until I have acclimated to a group, my communication skills are virtually none prior to this (I was vocally paralyzed). Second, I could not tell what he was saying. After this interaction I found myself thinking how important it would be for me to work with Matthew on a one on one or small group basis. Also, I thought about how Matthew lives in the moment, allowing his experiences to be fluid, flowing from one thing to the next with out hesitation – that would be nice.
During the trip to the museum I observed a range of interest and imagination in each student. Some filled out their paper as if it was simply a writing assignment, others really wanted to share their visual communication with the art work. For the students who were disinterested I thought about how important it is for learning experiences in the art classroom to contain a certain amount of personal interest. I immediately wanted to obtain a relationship with the students to find out how that learning experience could have been more effective for them.
I was pleased to quickly move from feeling like “anthropologist on Mars”, to some one who is simply going to share an education experience with other people. I typically feel like some one who is an observer until I have found evidence of being appropriately assimilated. I could tell with these students that would be a quick process. I was also pleased by my own change in attitude, I was not looking forward to having a sort of strained and unnatural experience as an educator searching for “incapabilities” or “dysfunction”. Those aspects of a student are always going to be present, it is important (especially in an educational environment) to focus on what we can do/what we can learn.
There was Matt and Judy! Both having down syndrome. They came with their mother, who disappeared into the back of the room, giving them their room to experience a new atmosphere with out the comfort of her around. Judy sat in between Kate and I and just opened up immediately. Telling me about the puppet that she's making of herself in class, and wished to show it to me. She was very affectionate and open. Holding both Kate and I's hand during the game, telling us about our attractive attributes and kissing our hands. Matt loved Megan, always passing her the ball. Megan was one of the only names he remembered fully. I noticed Matt had ticks, and comfort words like "spaghetti", and certain words that I don't know had any meaning or context, but loved to share them with the class. His actions reminded me of when I feel a strong amount of love inside my chest and just need to make a noise to release some of the overwhelming joy and energy trapped inside me. I'm not sure if that has and meaning to why he does what he does, but that's something I can relate to in my own experiences. After a few paintings with Matt and Megan, I saw Audie, alone looking at one of the blurbs that were written about the author. I walked over to him and talked to him about the history that was present in the paintings. I told him that the author moved to Woodstock. Audie giggled at that, I asked him what was so funny. He said " I know what went on in Woodstock", I said "do tell", he so wittily responded, "I think we both know what happened, and can go with out saying". We laughed, and I took him to the section of the art gallery where the artist had more of a free colorful flow. This was after WWII when the artist moved back to Woodstock and the paintings had a lot of color and love depicted in them. We talked about how the colors were used, and I asked him how things would smell in this one painting where it was a few people and few horses on a nature walk. He said that they were in the jungle and that the horses would smell bad, because it looked like a hot summer day. We had some really good laughs. He then something that I noticed when I went on my own. The artist really plays with how the sky reflects the emotion of each piece. He said to me "I noticed the skies in his paintings, they are all different, but are beautiful and varied." I was astound that he noticed this. We were then "summoned" (audio and I really liked that word) to the center of the gallery to talk about what everyone talked about. The children had some really funny responses to the art, especially Jared. I loved Jared response to the "Family Portrait", it showed wit but a high amount of intelligence on dogs and history. When he said " I think they would smell bad" and talked about the smells he would experience in the painting were so dead on. I asked him "why would the people smell bad" and he responded quickly " well back then they didn't shower as much as we do". I was so shocked by his intelligence and interest in dogs and how much knowledge he has on all the different breeds. I'd like to be able to focus on that some how with a art lesson for his interest. Cory's response on the sculpture was so beautiful and deep. On top of having a conceptual idea of the piece, he also spoke confidentially displaying his amazing vocabulary on art concepts and emotions. I can't exactly remember the quotes that he said, but I do remember feeling relieved that his interests have a lot to do with art.
The time I spent with the students at Arts-2-Gether was incredibly rewarding. All of the students seemed so happy and excited to be there. I was very surprised to see how easy it was for most of the students to be opened and interact. During the name game, they seemed to really be enjoying themselves while getting to know all of us; Especially Judy. She loved getting the ball and throwing it to Cory each time. Her energy was so infectious, and really lived in the moment. I think we all can learn something from Judy. Most of the children were very enthusiastic and positive. And I can confidently say they all loved visiting the museum. They all gravitated towards pieces that interested or reminded them of something. Many had problems staying with the group, but that is something that any child has a problem doing. When you’re in an overwhelming environment such as a museum it is expected to feel over stimulated. I was very impressed with Cory and his interpretation of the sculpture. They way he took it upon himself to view the sculpture at different angles and really take time to think about it was very thoughtful. He spoke to the class in a very professional matter, and you can tell he really enjoyed looking at the pieces of art. This experience proves that you can never judge a student by labeling them. Every teacher should take time to get to know the individual first.
I had really been looking forward to starting to work with the students in class, but when we finally met them it was even more exciting than I could have hoped. I was thrilled to make a new friend almost immediately – Matt! Though I did spend a great deal of the class interacting with Matt I did enjoy all of the students! I was especially excited and impressed to see the connection that Cory seemed to make with the artwork, and sculptures in the museum. He gave very thoughtful responses to all my questions, and was very eloquent when expressing his thoughts in front of the whole group. In interacting with Matt I wonder why he seemed to get attached to me almost immediately. He was very sweet, and a very tactile young man. He seemed to always want to be touching someone or something. He was constantly seeking my attention, which made it difficult to interact with other students. However, I didn’t really mind because talking to him and learning about him was very stimulating. My favorite part of the whole class was when we were all in a large group playing together. It was fun to see each student’s personality slowly come out throughout the game, as they got more comfortable. It was also refreshing to play a game with students who had little inhibitions in front of their peers. Matt and his sister were especially kind and polite. Every time I sneezed (I’ve been sick lately so I sneezed a lot) I could always count on Matt to bless me and ask if I was okay. I am so thrilled to be working with Ethan in the next few weeks. He seemed like one of the quieter students, but I’m looking forward to really getting to know him and seeing him grow!
At first, I was somewhat nervous meeting our students mainly because we didn’t know too much information on each individual. However, when we all were playing the name game to try and introduce everyone, the setting became a lot more comfortable and welcoming. I noticed that many of the students seemed to be very enthusiastic to be there which was great.
ReplyDeleteWhen we went to the museum, I also noticed an enthusiasm to go and look at the artwork. The students also seemed very intent on answering the questions and analyzing the work.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear some of the responses that some of the students had. They were very articulated and well said. Some had very inventive stories to go along with the paintings that they choose to write about. I liked Jared’s answer where he had said that he would be riding a horse through the painting and walking the dog on the horse and how the people in the painting smelled.
I also thought Corey’s response was really intelligent. He opened my eyes to the sculpture and made me look at it differently then when I originally looked at it. I’m looking forward to seeing what the other students have to say about art and the art process.
I was nervous to receive the students in to the classroom environment. Any time you introduce new people in to a group, the dynamic changes, and for this group of people, who would be my students, I feel a responsibility to be well prepared and present, neither of which I felt upon the circumstance of our first meeting. I have some fear of the unknown in this instance, and it is probably seeping out of my pores since I feel as if I have little control over whatever is going to happen. With such an emphasis in the art education program on lesson planning and preparedness, I feel kind of naked without that level of involvement from myself.
ReplyDeleteMuch to my surprise, all of the children seemed very happy to be there and all seemed quite pleasant, themselves. I was taken with the shy girl who came in to the class late. She was visibly nervous and quiet as a mouse, as if not to bother anyone. I get the sense she has been conditioned to be very afraid of something, but my heart was warmed when I saw her interact with the group and with individuals right away. It was as if she was crawling on hands and knees, parched in the hot desert and she found in us her oasis. I felt proud of her whenever she spoke up.
The boy who chose the metal sculpture as his piece of artwork to discuss also struck me. His insights were better articulated and more provocative than that of an art history student’s I heard about the same piece the previous week. It goes to show you that some disabilities seem hidden or subtle or maybe even get erased when the person is doing something they are engaged in.
Upon reflection, I suppose I wasn’t expecting to have a group of students with disabilities, rather I was just worried about the disabilities – which is counter to what I believe and have been taught as a massage therapist. We say, “you aren’t treating a pathology – you are treating a person”. And it is the same here. While the disabilities we are studying have particular symptoms or traits, we are really dealing with people, and people are precious and individual, disability or not.
While I understand the importance of being educated about many disabilities in order to be the best teacher I can be to the broadest audience, it is also important to remember the people. I hope that more experience with these particular people with disabilities serves to remove or at very least reduce any fear I may continue to have regarding teaching them.
I remember be really nervous the first day the kids were going to come in and I think that’s pretty much what everyone else was feeling. However, I found it very comforting that as they showed up one by one and joined the group that they jumped right in to the activity we were doing and seemed to be having fun. Seeing them relax and have fun ultimately made me feel a lot more comfortable. I liked how we had to keep replaying the game with the ball every time a new person came in because we got to know a little more about the kids each time. For example, Corey said, “I like to sketch and draw,” Neil told us, “My birthday is this weekend and I’ll be 15,” and Judy would throw the ball to Corey every time she got it, which made everyone laugh; we learned that she had this incredibly infectious energy about her.
ReplyDeleteTaking them to the exhibit was a lot of fun because I feel it gave us an insight to how much these kids really do appreciate art. It was amazing to me to see how perceptive they were and how imaginative they could be when looking at a painting or a sculpture and discussing it; they came up with ideas that I hadn’t even considered. I worked with Judy and she chose a painting called “The Crossing.” She told me, “I would see a sparkly sky. I would hear the ocean. I would feel the mist.” I asked her how she had gotten there and she said, “I just walked right in,” and she started explaining to me how she had jumped into the painting like they did in Mary Poppins. You could ask her anything about that painting and she had an answer. Corey also amazed me with his interpretation of a sculpture, “The Second to Last Bird.” He was like a little curator, talking about the work and coming up with a very clever interpretation of the work saying, “It’s called the second to the last bird because it’s the second to last thing you see when you look at the sculpture.” Afterwards he said something like, “After, you can come up and walk around it and look so you can see for yourself.” Having them here was a lot of fun and I look forward to working with these kids.
Like everyone else has already stated, I too was very nervous and anxious before the students arrived in the classroom. When Corey walked through the door it hit me that Arts-2-gether was going to be a wonderful experience. By simply observing how comfortable Cory was with the class I realized it was going to be okay. As each student arrived tensions in the room diminished. I was shocked at how out going and friendly the students were. Originally I though they would be shy and after a few classes they would warm up to us. I was also surprised about how happy everyone was to be there, especially Matt. When he arrived he instantly ran into the classroom showing his excitement and happiness.
ReplyDeleteThe name game was a great way to get everyone situated and comfortable with one another. I was able to learn small details about each student (Corey likes to draw, Jared likes sports, and mostly everyone has a pet). The role playing game was also a successful method of interacting with the students.
While walking down to the museum it was clear that all the students were very excited. As they entered the museum they instantly ran around making sure to see every piece of artwork. Towards the back of the museum I was looking at an abstract sculpture with Neil and Ethan. I asked them questions about the sculpture. They really didn't know what to say other then, "This is cool, is what wood? Is there blood on it?" Both of them kept trying to touch the sculpture to try and figure out what the surface was made of.
When we listened to the student's responses about the artwork I was shocked at how descriptive and detailed their answers were. Jared had a great story to accompany his response. When anyone would ask him a question he would offer an extremely quick and witty response.
Overall I'm excited to see how things progress with the students. I think this will be a beneficial experience for both the students and our class.
I had been a bit nervous about the first day, but as the students began to slowly filter in my bits of anxiety transformed into sheer excitement. They were not what I had been expecting, quiet, barely verbal, perhaps overly literal, in general different. Cory, the first to arrive, surprised us all I think with how social he was, how comfortable he seemed in his environment, and how funny and well-spoken he could be. As they arrived one after the other, Audi, Jared, Ethan, Matt and Judy, Angel, etc., I found I was really genuinely enjoying their company.
ReplyDeleteWhile playing the catching greeting game, I was acutely aware of their humor and socialization. Certain students, like Cory and Judy, seemed more eager to speak and interact. Judy and Matt in particular were full of such openness and affection, it was really refreshing to experience as a change from the social norms that confine that level of humanity. Noticing the shyness of other students, such as Ethan and Audi, I wondered how much of that was influenced by Aspergers and how much influenced by their age. Where is the boundary between personality and disability, and how much are they meshed?, I wondered.
The gallery was the most revealing experience of the day. I spoke with Jared mostly, who told me in detail about his dogs. The painting he was most drawn to, and decided to write about, was the only painting with a dog in it. I had a feeling his interests lied with canines. He mused on what kind of dog was in the painting, while counting off the names of his own which were more than I could keep on one hand. Though his subject was focused, I had met other pet-lovers before, and the lack of a great disparity between him and anyone else I might know was enlightening. I was really glad that I was able to see them as people and not as specimens, solely for the purpose of reflection about disability. Jared, Ethan, and Angel tended to stay with each other, a small pack of boys roaming the gallery. It was interesting to see how different they were, and how comfortable they were with each other. Angel was the most curious about his surroundings out of the three of them. I noticed he strayed quite a bit while group discussions were taking place, and when I asked him why he told me it was because he felt almost compelled to inspect the walls and the information that hung upon them. He wanted to know what was going on in each piece, what and who things were, why they were. His appetite was inspiring.
It was intriguing to see how different and no different at all each student was. Engaging with them was exciting and after the class I felt so inspired and motivated to go further in the Arts-2-Gether program. This initial experience brought the person to the disability for me; I wasn’t seeing symptoms, I was seeing them.
Meeting the students for the first time was very exciting and made me a little anxious because I wasn’t sure what to expect. Meeting new people no matter what age you are can often be a scary experience, and I thought about how I would feel if I were in middle school or high school in a room full of adults. With that in mind, I wanted to do my best to make the students feel welcome in this new environment and keep the energy in the classroom as positive and stress-free as possible.
ReplyDeleteTo my pleasant surprise, the students got right into our icebreaker activity with so much enthusiasm. It was great to hear a little about each of the students so I could get a sense of their personalities and who they are. Sometimes icebreakers can feel forced or stress inducing, but many of the students had a great sense of humor that seemed to brighten my mood and set the tone for the rest of the class.
Our trip to the museum was a great experience, and gave me an opportunity to talk one-on-one with some of the students. When I previously went to the Dorsky Museum to look at Eugene Ludins’ work on my own, I noticed his detailed painting style and appreciated his surrealistic scenes. However, when we all went together, the students helped me notice parts of the paintings I hadn’t noticed before. Imagining what we would smell, see, taste, touch, and hear was a great exercise, because as humans we are connected by our senses. Several of my classmates, students, and I found ourselves in front of a painting where several men sit in a boat as a woman rows with one oar. We discovered that the men in the painting were all paralyzed so the woman was the only one who could row the boat. Taneya asked what paralyzed meant, and went on to describe that she would feel very tired and scared if she were the woman in the painting. She was very empathetic towards these fictional, two-dimensional characters in the painting, which I found refreshing and thought provoking. During this experience I didn’t see “disabilities,” I just got to get a glimpse of who these insightful and interesting people are, and I’m very excited to learn more about them as well as learn from each other.
Before the first Arts-2-gether meeting I felt like I had no idea what to expect. However, after the meeting, I am relieved at how smooth everything went. With so much emphasis on ‘disability’, it’s easy to forget that the children are children first. Surely some of their challenges are more apparent than others and require thoughtfulness. So being aware of their idiosyncrasies is important to seeing them for the children they are.
ReplyDeleteSitting next to Audi, it was immediately apparent he was avoiding eye contact. He would say something under his breath and when I would turn to answer him he was either looking down or away. All I could think to do was to go back to watching the group and hope that turning to him was enough to show he was being heard at least. He did seem to have been more comfortable by the end of the day when he was talking about the art work.
Matt on the other hand was a force of nature. And his sister Judy as well, although in a different respect. In their case it was more a matter of getting them to focus rather than getting them to talk. Judy, in particular, had a lot to say once given the opportunity and guidance. This actually goes for most of the children. Once they were given a voice, and saw people were interested in what they had to say, it was obvious they did have a lot to say.
This was distinctly true of Jarod. At first it was unclear if he were taking the gallery and artworks seriously. As can be indicative of ADHD it seemed as though he might be dismissive of the project, but I think when he saw that people were interested and taking him seriously he was able to elaborate on what he was seeing in the painting. Cory, on the other hand, took to viewing a sculpture like a fish in water. He was right at home in finding and describing subtleties in the artwork most would miss without careful inspection.
Last Tuesday was a refreshing eye opener, serving as evidence that no one can be labeled by definition in a text book study. During our ice breaker activity, everyone, including those with autism, aspergers, ADHD and other learning disabilities were not only fully capable of participating in our game, but they were eager to do so, comfortably remembering a hand full of new names and faces. Typically, people with autism, aspergers and ADHD are “socially challenged” which was not my impression of this group of kids. However, when students did struggle, like with their speech for example, the other kids displayed empathy by not teasing the struggling student, and by being patient and as understanding as possible.
ReplyDeleteAfter our ice breaker games, we went on an exclusive visit to the Dorskey Art Museum. We were given a small questionnaire to fill out. “Where is this painting? How did you get there? What do you smell and hear? What would you do in this painting?” Every student successfully made a personal connection to one piece of art of their choice. All of them were able to write out their response in words, with exception to one student, and everyone was eager to share their experience to the group with exception to one other student. One student, truly with the mind of an artist abstracted the assignment, voiding out the word painting and wrote about a sculpture. Before he began writing, we talked about the piece one on one together. In it, he saw many wild animals, most importantly, the bird. When I asked him where he would go and what he would do if he were the sculpture, he said “What do you mean? It wouldn’t matter where I’d go or what I would do, because birds are free, unlike people, stuck doing things they have to do every day.”
The eagerness to verbalize personal experiences to the rest of the group was very inspiring, especially considering how poetic some of the responses were, and how each student connected to a pretty powerful work of art. Overall, I thought we had a good group of listeners, however, there were some strays. Perhaps we can create or find some good games involving listening and communication to keep listening skills on their minds. Telephone-Operator could be a start.
When the students arrived I found myself torn between two behaviors. On one level I wanted observe them from a distance with acute attention to their behaviors (searching for evidence of their disability) and on another level I wished to forwardly introduce myself as a future art companion. After a few of them were present, I was surprised at how well adjusted they were. I compared myself to them, considering what a nervous wreck I can be when introduced to a group of people on a professional level. These kids were the opposite, they simply seemed content to be with us. This gave me a positive outlook for the future of working with them, teaching experiences will be fluid and dynamic.
ReplyDeleteDuring “the ball game” I gained a better sense of how the kids operate in groups. Some were shy, others were really excited to share, but they all still seemed comfortable. Also, during beginning of the game I was seated near Matthew who made me really nervous for a couple of different reasons. First, with his outgoing personality he engaged me in direct conversation almost immediately. This is an experience I typically avoid until I have acclimated to a group, my communication skills are virtually none prior to this (I was vocally paralyzed). Second, I could not tell what he was saying. After this interaction I found myself thinking how important it would be for me to work with Matthew on a one on one or small group basis. Also, I thought about how Matthew lives in the moment, allowing his experiences to be fluid, flowing from one thing to the next with out hesitation – that would be nice.
During the trip to the museum I observed a range of interest and imagination in each student. Some filled out their paper as if it was simply a writing assignment, others really wanted to share their visual communication with the art work. For the students who were disinterested I thought about how important it is for learning experiences in the art classroom to contain a certain amount of personal interest. I immediately wanted to obtain a relationship with the students to find out how that learning experience could have been more effective for them.
I was pleased to quickly move from feeling like “anthropologist on Mars”, to some one who is simply going to share an education experience with other people. I typically feel like some one who is an observer until I have found evidence of being appropriately assimilated. I could tell with these students that would be a quick process. I was also pleased by my own change in attitude, I was not looking forward to having a sort of strained and unnatural experience as an educator searching for “incapabilities” or “dysfunction”. Those aspects of a student are always going to be present, it is important (especially in an educational environment) to focus on what we can do/what we can learn.
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ReplyDeleteThere was Matt and Judy! Both having down syndrome. They came with their mother, who disappeared into the back of the room, giving them their room to experience a new atmosphere with out the comfort of her around. Judy sat in between Kate and I and just opened up immediately. Telling me about the puppet that she's making of herself in class, and wished to show it to me. She was very affectionate and open. Holding both Kate and I's hand during the game, telling us about our attractive attributes and kissing our hands. Matt loved Megan, always passing her the ball. Megan was one of the only names he remembered fully. I noticed Matt had ticks, and comfort words like "spaghetti", and certain words that I don't know had any meaning or context, but loved to share them with the class. His actions reminded me of when I feel a strong amount of love inside my chest and just need to make a noise to release some of the overwhelming joy and energy trapped inside me. I'm not sure if that has and meaning to why he does what he does, but that's something I can relate to in my own experiences.
ReplyDeleteAfter a few paintings with Matt and Megan, I saw Audie, alone looking at one of the blurbs that were written about the author. I walked over to him and talked to him about the history that was present in the paintings. I told him that the author moved to Woodstock. Audie giggled at that, I asked him what was so funny. He said " I know what went on in Woodstock", I said "do tell", he so wittily responded, "I think we both know what happened, and can go with out saying". We laughed, and I took him to the section of the art gallery where the artist had more of a free colorful flow. This was after WWII when the artist moved back to Woodstock and the paintings had a lot of color and love depicted in them. We talked about how the colors were used, and I asked him how things would smell in this one painting where it was a few people and few horses on a nature walk. He said that they were in the jungle and that the horses would smell bad, because it looked like a hot summer day. We had some really good laughs. He then something that I noticed when I went on my own. The artist really plays with how the sky reflects the emotion of each piece. He said to me "I noticed the skies in his paintings, they are all different, but are beautiful and varied." I was astound that he noticed this. We were then "summoned" (audio and I really liked that word) to the center of the gallery to talk about what everyone talked about.
The children had some really funny responses to the art, especially Jared. I loved Jared response to the "Family Portrait", it showed wit but a high amount of intelligence on dogs and history. When he said " I think they would smell bad" and talked about the smells he would experience in the painting were so dead on. I asked him "why would the people smell bad" and he responded quickly " well back then they didn't shower as much as we do". I was so shocked by his intelligence and interest in dogs and how much knowledge he has on all the different breeds. I'd like to be able to focus on that some how with a art lesson for his interest.
Cory's response on the sculpture was so beautiful and deep. On top of having a conceptual idea of the piece, he also spoke confidentially displaying his amazing vocabulary on art concepts and emotions. I can't exactly remember the quotes that he said, but I do remember feeling relieved that his interests have a lot to do with art.
The time I spent with the students at Arts-2-Gether was incredibly rewarding. All of the students seemed so happy and excited to be there. I was very surprised to see how easy it was for most of the students to be opened and interact.
ReplyDeleteDuring the name game, they seemed to really be enjoying themselves while getting to know all of us; Especially Judy. She loved getting the ball and throwing it to Cory each time. Her energy was so infectious, and really lived in the moment. I think we all can learn something from Judy.
Most of the children were very enthusiastic and positive. And I can confidently say they all loved visiting the museum. They all gravitated towards pieces that interested or reminded them of something. Many had problems staying with the group, but that is something that any child has a problem doing. When you’re in an overwhelming environment such as a museum it is expected to feel over stimulated.
I was very impressed with Cory and his interpretation of the sculpture. They way he took it upon himself to view the sculpture at different angles and really take time to think about it was very thoughtful. He spoke to the class in a very professional matter, and you can tell he really enjoyed looking at the pieces of art.
This experience proves that you can never judge a student by labeling them. Every teacher should take time to get to know the individual first.
I had really been looking forward to starting to work with the students in class, but when we finally met them it was even more exciting than I could have hoped. I was thrilled to make a new friend almost immediately – Matt! Though I did spend a great deal of the class interacting with Matt I did enjoy all of the students! I was especially excited and impressed to see the connection that Cory seemed to make with the artwork, and sculptures in the museum. He gave very thoughtful responses to all my questions, and was very eloquent when expressing his thoughts in front of the whole group.
ReplyDeleteIn interacting with Matt I wonder why he seemed to get attached to me almost immediately. He was very sweet, and a very tactile young man. He seemed to always want to be touching someone or something. He was constantly seeking my attention, which made it difficult to interact with other students. However, I didn’t really mind because talking to him and learning about him was very stimulating.
My favorite part of the whole class was when we were all in a large group playing together. It was fun to see each student’s personality slowly come out throughout the game, as they got more comfortable. It was also refreshing to play a game with students who had little inhibitions in front of their peers. Matt and his sister were especially kind and polite. Every time I sneezed (I’ve been sick lately so I sneezed a lot) I could always count on Matt to bless me and ask if I was okay.
I am so thrilled to be working with Ethan in the next few weeks. He seemed like one of the quieter students, but I’m looking forward to really getting to know him and seeing him grow!