While I have already posted a couple writings already, I think it best to introduce myself not only as a person, but as a student and growing art teacher.
My name is Valerie; at the moment I'm going to omit my last name. Even though my blog profile has one listed, that is my creative made-up one since I want to monitor how easily people can find me through social media. I think that's actually very important as a person participating in daily online activity. Always be aware of what you post because you never know exactly who is reading.
The school I am partnering at is at a middle school about an hour away. I attend my 12:30-3:30 on days when I'm not in class and not working as an assistant manager at a movie/game rental store, and so far, it's been very enjoyable! There is one half hour during that time where he has a 9-12 grade class, and it's very interesting to see the difference in their behavior versus the 6th-8th graders.
Mr. B is the cooperating teacher I was paired with, and I'm looking forward to working and learning from him. I'm interested to see how we get on because today he acknowledged to me that I'm an "A-type" personality, and he is not. I like to think I can get along with anyone - you just need to know how to adjust yourself to fit their puzzle of social pieces - but I still get nervous that people will get annoyed with my loud laugh, constant smiles, and bubbly demeanor. I know it did in high school, and that was four years ago! I think he'll be able to teach me a lot and help me realize what kind of teacher I want to be since he is wise and knowing from 15 years of teaching.
The reason I've been paired with a teacher at a school in the surrounding area was for my ARTED-208 class here at UW-Stout. It's essentially our first practicum experience; getting our feet wet. From my understanding, it's a pretty open-ended experience. There are some requirements, but after that first observational day, our teachers can use us however they need to.
Today, I actually helped Mr. B find a better price for a set of paintbrushes. He has been working on buying certain new supplies for the year. It is crazy, yet awesome how much time he puts into figuring out his budget. He compares prices against four major businesses, and then, "other" stores that might include Walmart, Menards, etc. Going back to how I helped him today, as sort of an example, he gave me a catalog and told me to find a set of brushes; not coarse bristles, a mix of round and flat, and preferably a fan brush too.
I found three sets total to compare against. Two of them were ones he had already found, but then, I found one that he somehow missed. The first set came with 5 brushes and was only $2.10, but didn't have a fan brush. The second set was $6.95, set of four and came with a fan brush. The one I found was only $4.95, came with six brushes - one of which being a fan brush. After doing the discount the company offers, the set was only $3.28 and was the cheapest option against all the difference choices he had picked from the company. It felt....good, knowing I helped him save some money. My first little success. :)
It also showed me the importance of good budgeting. Mr. B gets a very nice budget for the art department, but he has shown incredibly responsibility with that money. Yeah, comparing and contrasting prices to multiple companies may take up my time, but it helps save money; and some schools definitely struggle with funding their fine arts programs enough.
So yes! That was my first day. I'll be hashing out an entry probably tomorrow or shortly after answering specific questions required of the ARTED208 class. Chip, chip, and cheer-io!
No comments:
Post a Comment