If you haven't heard from me in awhile...

it is the end of the 9 weeks.  (Insert sigh of relief here).  It is also the week before Fall Break.  I (a usually organized person) may very well be found buried under a pile of Frankensteins and Seascapes (and owls, and paperwork).  Did I forget to mention that my order of art supplies arrived today?  Not that I don't love a big box O' supplies (or 7) but in the midst of the grading/evaluating frenzy, I feel as if the boxes just walled in my prison. 

In all seriousness, Artsonia has helped me to stay more caught up, so that I am evaluating through the 9 weeks, and not at the end.  It also allows me to look at the overall progress of a student portfolio style.  For the next few days, my goal is not to just hand back artwork, but to have a small chat with each student about what they did, and what our goal is moving forward.  It went well today, and I think the students were surprised and pleased to not only see their progress on my grade sheet, but to know that yes, I look at what they do, and I remember what they've done before. I even got to congratulate one student who is usually a problem on his improved attitude and artwork this 9 weeks.  How do you tackle the end of a grading season?  Frenzied grading?  Honest conversations?  Denial? 

New (Free) Art Supplies!

My goal this year was to begin using Artsonia, not just as a display for my awesome students' work, but as a communication tool for my parents and I.  I have been uploading artwork for all students, good or bad, so that the parents have a digital portfolio of their student's progress in art.  It also helped on parent conference day to be able to refer to a student's work.  Because, if you are like me, by the time report cards go home, I have looked at a dizzying thousand or two pieces of artwork, and sent it home for the students to enjoy.  Artsonia ran a Fall Art Drive, where your goal was to submit 300 works of art by a specified date.  You could be entered more than once, if you uploaded more.  And, I was a really lucky art teacher to have won a $300 gift card to Dick Blick Art Supplies.    I was able to purchase  a few of those "extras" that I normally would put at the bottom of my list, because other things were more important.  I also took the advice of my Kindergarten students and bought new glue bottles for the new art room.  But, before they use them, I'm gonna break out the vaseline in hopes of reducing clogs.  I would like to give a shout-out to Dick Blick for their generous support of Artsonia's effort to involve families in their student's artwork.  And, if you haven't visited Artsonia, may I suggest that you do?  Even if not to upload work, there are lesson plans, and lots of great ideas.  To visit my Artsonia. click the link on the left.