Art Journal, a novice approach

So, I have taken an attempt at ART JOURNALing. Love the freedom, love the uniqueness of it all, and mostly I love that there are NO rules! I have mostly just been playing around, trying to figure out what mediums cause what effects.

My staple beverage these days as I have seemed to have caught whatever has been floating around. Thank God, it's not too bad, just a runny nose and sinus pressure.

And this boy is crazy artistic. This is his current obsession - rectangles and square. He also can write the numbers 1, 2, 7, and 0. It is amazing to see (wow, and he just successfully wrote a 3 as I type) !

Some of the things that make me smile, even on Mondays

10. Pitter patter of little feet

9. Praise and Worship

8. chocolate cake

7. not having anything to do

6. sushi at Kampai

5. preparing brunch

4. A play date that makes mama spend time with one of her best long time friends

3. one happy baby so excited about learning

2. A night OUT of the house

1. sharing dessert with my husband on date night

Create in a crunch

The first scrapbook page since my last post. I must have been REALLY wanting to scrap, because this baby practically made itself.

estimated time to complete = the time it took hubby to give Seth a bath!

I love the sound of crafting in my house. Silent scraping of paint on paper, or tiny fingers. Creativity resounding throughout inspiring hearts to recreate on paper feelings, images, and moments we just don't want to ever leave us.

Now, it's time for me to reconnect with the inner creative child within me. She is just dying to come out and play. So, I present two projects I will attempt to tackle in the next months.

ALTERED PROJECT #1: Recipe Roladex

ALTERED PROJECT #2: Monthly scripture focus board

two layouts of my favorite little men

10 things THURSDAY

1. What I like to do...

2. What I should remember...

3. What inspired me today...

4. What I'm thinking....

5. What I love hearing...

6. What my son is doing...

7. What a happy meal looks like...

8. What made me smile today...

9. What made me do a double take...

10. What makes everything better...

50 years

This is just so true.

And in reading some of the comments that followed, I was appalled to see some of the following, "It's about time teachers were accountable" and "Time to get rid of these teachers that are in it for the easy money" Wow.

Easy, are not the kids that come from one-or-none family homes. Those who have a heap load of problems even before my 8:15am shift begins. Teaching them consists of daily deodorant routines and counseling sessions prior to the pledge. Easy does not describe the dealings of parents who refuse to sign off on weekly progress reports of their child's needs of improvement. Or their neglect to meet me for conferences about their child's academic success. Perhaps easy is the feeling I get when they at least agree to have me 'babysit' their kid for an hour and half after school while I push and prod to get in all the skills not attained that school day. Hey, at least I know they will have their homework done, even if it isn't done at home.

Easy can not begin to describe the volcanic mounds of paperwork that needs to be completed every four weeks which involves data charts, graphs, tables, and diagnostics. Easy can't be the districts tightly locked handcuffs directing me with pacing guides, implementation rubics, and focus calendars. The scheduling nightmare continues to twist and turn me in all directions forcing me to be in four places at once. A rollercoaster of objectives that bring the students though loops of multiplication and division before they have mastered simple number sense. Ghosts and goblins reveal themselves through former teachers with scary stories of students they have had and now, "Oh, you have him" The fun house continues with ogre-sized third graders held back to many times to believe. Thanks to No Child Left Behind. Reality is distorted when they've transformed me into the leader of a three ring circus of centers, interventions groups, and mandated software that must be utilized daily by every single child.

With ten years under my belt, I can definitely say there is nothing easy about teaching, that is, of course if you only count the summers. In which, you finally have the chance to break away from the day to day rigor of pushing a cheat-code generation of children to care about... anything.