Whoa! I have neglected this blog for a long while. I am entering my third year of teaching art at Alexander Hamilton High School in the Milwaukee Public School district. I couldn't be happier. It is an urban school and I love my students. I am teaching all clay this year, which will give me a chance to get really structured and even more organized. I also work on multicultural events at the school and I will blog more on that later.
Wednesday, August 12, 2015
Monday, July 15, 2013
OK, so now school is over....
I have to say, it is quite a let down to be done with school. Mostly, I miss my fellow artists and teachers. The campus was my community for the last four years. I feel like a ship with no mooring. I spoke to my cooperating teacher last week and she said Milwaukee Public Schools is WAY behind in their hiring. That's good news - at least I have a good shot at a job there. Keeping my fingers and toes crossed.
The main question I am asking myself, is what should the theme of my blog be? I had intended to document my experience going back to school, but there were not enough hours in the day to do it justice. Now I have the time, but not much to write about. LOL! Live life, or write about it? Any suggestions would be much welcomed.
Between job hunting I have been doing some drawing for my new Russian "cousin" from Germany. It is a challenge corresponding with someone, when neither of us speaks a common language. But a fun one indeed. I never realized how much slang I use. Or humor. Neither translates very well. But the drawing is of our oldest known ancestor Johann Adam Wagner. Neither my cousin Arthur or I know what Johann looked like, so we are collaborating long distance, creating an image. What fun! And it is managing to keep me out of trouble :->
But some of the ancestry research is quite sobering. We are both descended from Germans who settled in Russia along the Volga River. Arthur sent me an email yesterday. "In the Fall of 1941, the Communists-Bolsheviks expelled about 2,000,000 Germans from Russia to Siberia, Kazakhstan, Ural, Uzbekistan. The end of 1941, beginning of 1942, 1.5 million men, women and children were rounded up as slaves in concentration camps. Half of them were killed. 09/28/1941 was the day the German colony along the Volga disappeared from the map."
Getting that email made me think of Maya Lin, who conceptualized the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. "The Wall" was funded entirely through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed. Wouldn't it be fantastic to do such a thing to memorialize the German Russian tragedy? Everyone remembers the Holocaust, not many people I know are aware of this bit of history. What, I thought, would be a powerful visual statement? The sheer numbers of people taken is staggering. Since the German Russians were farmers, something to remember their agrarian heritage seems appropriate. Perhaps a public sculpture depicting one stalk of wheat for every person lost? Or something else. Did they even grow wheat? But where would it be located? Where would one start to make this idea reality? And most important, does the world care to remember?
As usual, more questions than answers. Maybe I need to change this blog to the German Russian Memorial Art Project......
The main question I am asking myself, is what should the theme of my blog be? I had intended to document my experience going back to school, but there were not enough hours in the day to do it justice. Now I have the time, but not much to write about. LOL! Live life, or write about it? Any suggestions would be much welcomed.
Between job hunting I have been doing some drawing for my new Russian "cousin" from Germany. It is a challenge corresponding with someone, when neither of us speaks a common language. But a fun one indeed. I never realized how much slang I use. Or humor. Neither translates very well. But the drawing is of our oldest known ancestor Johann Adam Wagner. Neither my cousin Arthur or I know what Johann looked like, so we are collaborating long distance, creating an image. What fun! And it is managing to keep me out of trouble :->
But some of the ancestry research is quite sobering. We are both descended from Germans who settled in Russia along the Volga River. Arthur sent me an email yesterday. "In the Fall of 1941, the Communists-Bolsheviks expelled about 2,000,000 Germans from Russia to Siberia, Kazakhstan, Ural, Uzbekistan. The end of 1941, beginning of 1942, 1.5 million men, women and children were rounded up as slaves in concentration camps. Half of them were killed. 09/28/1941 was the day the German colony along the Volga disappeared from the map."
Getting that email made me think of Maya Lin, who conceptualized the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. "The Wall" was funded entirely through private contributions from corporations, foundations, unions, veterans and civic organizations and more than 275,000 individual Americans. No Federal funds were needed. Wouldn't it be fantastic to do such a thing to memorialize the German Russian tragedy? Everyone remembers the Holocaust, not many people I know are aware of this bit of history. What, I thought, would be a powerful visual statement? The sheer numbers of people taken is staggering. Since the German Russians were farmers, something to remember their agrarian heritage seems appropriate. Perhaps a public sculpture depicting one stalk of wheat for every person lost? Or something else. Did they even grow wheat? But where would it be located? Where would one start to make this idea reality? And most important, does the world care to remember?
As usual, more questions than answers. Maybe I need to change this blog to the German Russian Memorial Art Project......
Monday, July 8, 2013
Gallery Night in July at Elaine Erickson Gallery
Good news - my artwork is currently in the Elaine Erickson Gallery in the Third Ward. Elaine is having a 3D show for Gallery Night at the end of July.I am kiddy-korner from my colleague Mike Ware, who is currently showing at Katie Gingrass Gallery. I also have been getting positive feedback from the Creative Souls network online and they have suggested doing a feature story on me....WOOT!
Still looking for that perfect art teaching position. If you know of any people I should contact, please feel free to jot me a note. In between job hunting, I am once again renewing my family ancestry search. Family is bothering me to print something out already, but I keep turning up interesting tidbits, so it will have to wait for now. So terribly fascinating to actually be corresponding with people from Germany and Russia. I have been thinking of ways I could incorporate some of this into my teaching in the Fall....
Sunday, March 3, 2013
Things They Don't Teach You in College
You complete four years of higher education to learn all the intricacies of teaching. They cover classroom management techniques, your teaching philosophies, how to be a reflective teacher, teaching using enduring ideas and all those very important topics. But what I have learned in my last four weeks were not taught to me and yet I think they are important to share. Keep in mind I am teaching Kindergarten through fifth grade.
Make sure you have air freshener in your classroom. It is important to know what the children are eating for lunch. Some days no matter where you wander in the classroom you smell the remnants of the children's "toots" from beans at lunch. Also, kindergartners and some first graders may have a tendency to have mini accidents and sometimes have the light odor of the bathroom lingering in their pants. Not to mention that 4th and 5th graders can have strong body odor if they haven't bathed.
And speaking of accidents, find out what the school policy is if a child doesn't get to the bathroom in time. I was alone in my class one day and heard a child wailing in the bathroom outside my hallway. I went in to locate the source of concern and found a little girl from kindergarten sobbing in a stall because she had an accident. When I got her to open the door, I discovered she had completely wet her dress, her tights and her boots. I didn't think, just went into action mode. Told her to take off her clothes and I went to the classroom to get a smock (an old t-shirt) and told her to put that on for now. I grabbed a bag and rinsed her clothes as best I could and put them in a bag. I then went to the office and asked if we had extra clothes. Long story short, my teacher came back and asked what I was doing and she said..."Friese, you don't do that, you send them to the NURSE!" Sheesh. Live and learn,
Prepare to be sick for your first year at least. I rarely have colds that keep me down and almost never go to the doctor for them. This semester I caught a devil of a bug that has already sent me to Urgent Care and the Student Health Center. Two different antibiotics, cough syrups, and an inhaler later, I am crossing my fingers I might get rid of this bug before the end of the month. And yes, I do know the month only just started.
Stay away from the lost and found. Our school keeps all the hats, mittens and scarves that children have lost in a cabinet outside our classroom. Whenever a child asks me to help them look for their Hello Kitty hat, I've learned to answer, "you need to look harder yourself." Normally I would not have hesitated to help a child in need, but a lice outbreak at our school has made me leery of touching the little darlings head gear. Just saying.
Keep your hands and fingers away from your eyes if at all possible. Pink eye is another fact of life. One day I asked a child why he was rubbing his eye and he responded he had pink eye. My cooperating teacher and I exchanged a look of horror and sent him directly to the school nurse. Quite fortunate my teacher has wipes with bleach in her classroom. Note to self: wipes with bleach a must.
Make sure you know your school's policy on bullying. I am fortunate in that my cooperating teacher runs the program for the school and has put an excellent program in place. It has been my observation that most of the issues have originated with girls, but there are issues with boys as well. I am continually surprised at how manipulative they can be. It tends to be the same students and some of their classmates recognize the wisdom of staying away from those students. One girl looked at me during an incident with two other girls in art club and said quietly to me, "Drama. I stay away from it." Smart girl.
Just so I don't sound completely negative, I would like to add, that at least once a day I am blown away by the level of maturity and insight some of the students display. Some of these kids could school my classmates in college on how to give a presentation, write an insightful reflection, and carry themselves with dignity and respect. One thing they did teach us in college was to have high expectations of students and I can see for myself how valuable that lesson can be.
Make sure you have air freshener in your classroom. It is important to know what the children are eating for lunch. Some days no matter where you wander in the classroom you smell the remnants of the children's "toots" from beans at lunch. Also, kindergartners and some first graders may have a tendency to have mini accidents and sometimes have the light odor of the bathroom lingering in their pants. Not to mention that 4th and 5th graders can have strong body odor if they haven't bathed.
And speaking of accidents, find out what the school policy is if a child doesn't get to the bathroom in time. I was alone in my class one day and heard a child wailing in the bathroom outside my hallway. I went in to locate the source of concern and found a little girl from kindergarten sobbing in a stall because she had an accident. When I got her to open the door, I discovered she had completely wet her dress, her tights and her boots. I didn't think, just went into action mode. Told her to take off her clothes and I went to the classroom to get a smock (an old t-shirt) and told her to put that on for now. I grabbed a bag and rinsed her clothes as best I could and put them in a bag. I then went to the office and asked if we had extra clothes. Long story short, my teacher came back and asked what I was doing and she said..."Friese, you don't do that, you send them to the NURSE!" Sheesh. Live and learn,
Prepare to be sick for your first year at least. I rarely have colds that keep me down and almost never go to the doctor for them. This semester I caught a devil of a bug that has already sent me to Urgent Care and the Student Health Center. Two different antibiotics, cough syrups, and an inhaler later, I am crossing my fingers I might get rid of this bug before the end of the month. And yes, I do know the month only just started.
Stay away from the lost and found. Our school keeps all the hats, mittens and scarves that children have lost in a cabinet outside our classroom. Whenever a child asks me to help them look for their Hello Kitty hat, I've learned to answer, "you need to look harder yourself." Normally I would not have hesitated to help a child in need, but a lice outbreak at our school has made me leery of touching the little darlings head gear. Just saying.
Keep your hands and fingers away from your eyes if at all possible. Pink eye is another fact of life. One day I asked a child why he was rubbing his eye and he responded he had pink eye. My cooperating teacher and I exchanged a look of horror and sent him directly to the school nurse. Quite fortunate my teacher has wipes with bleach in her classroom. Note to self: wipes with bleach a must.
Make sure you know your school's policy on bullying. I am fortunate in that my cooperating teacher runs the program for the school and has put an excellent program in place. It has been my observation that most of the issues have originated with girls, but there are issues with boys as well. I am continually surprised at how manipulative they can be. It tends to be the same students and some of their classmates recognize the wisdom of staying away from those students. One girl looked at me during an incident with two other girls in art club and said quietly to me, "Drama. I stay away from it." Smart girl.
Just so I don't sound completely negative, I would like to add, that at least once a day I am blown away by the level of maturity and insight some of the students display. Some of these kids could school my classmates in college on how to give a presentation, write an insightful reflection, and carry themselves with dignity and respect. One thing they did teach us in college was to have high expectations of students and I can see for myself how valuable that lesson can be.
Saturday, March 2, 2013
Student Teaching at Jefferson Lighthouse and Applying for Jobs
It's been about a month into student teaching. I have a great cooperating teacher, Julia Kopp, who also graduated from the UW-Milwaukee program. She is truly amazing and I am learning so much, my head is swimming. It's an International Baccalaureate elementary school Primary Years Program, which is K-5. IB schools offer challenging programs and rigorous assessment that encourages students to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand that other people, with their differences, can also be right. About half of the students are gifted and the other half is a wide mix of all different levels. I am truly amazed every day at what these kids can do. It has really opened my eyes to a different way of teaching that is inquiry and reflective based.
The students make a lot of decisions in this type of teaching and at first it was a bit scary. You have no idea how it will work, if it will work, but because these students have been learning this way for years, it sort of magically happens. It teaches you to trust in the experience and let go of trying to control how the lesson will evolve.
It has been interesting teaching 2nd graders how to make African animals using clay in only two class periods. Thank goodness Ms. Kopp help me with the demo! The 3rd grade has a unit on energy and we are collecting recycled items and creating four murals for the entrance to the school. 4th grade has a unit on health and we are concentrating on mental health - teaching the students about art journaling. My sister Claudia graciously agreed to come and speak to each class about mental health and the benefits of art journeying. 5th grade just finished a lesson on Art and Advertising and now are starting to learn perspective.
In April I switch to a secondary school and will be learning from Bari Bacun at Hamilton High School. I'm sure it will be as equally rewarding of an experience. One of my cohorts had the same placement and he said she was awesome.
Mostly I have been busy applying for jobs, attending job fairs, and preparing for classes. I miss my studio time but I have been kept so busy I hardly have time to think about it.
Speaking of job fairs, I attended the Milwaukee Public Schools fair today. They predict they will need to fill 700 jobs at least by next school year. I was glad I got there early, because by the time I left it was a mob scene. Contracts were being offered on the spot for choice areas like Special Ed, Science, Math, etc. I noticed those candidates name tags had color coded dots on them. When I would approach someone who had an opening for an art teacher, I could almost see their eyes glaze over. I still think many people misunderstand the importance of art education. Subject for another post I think. I made some great contacts though and for the most part it was very informative and I think I have a better idea on which schools I am interested in.
The students make a lot of decisions in this type of teaching and at first it was a bit scary. You have no idea how it will work, if it will work, but because these students have been learning this way for years, it sort of magically happens. It teaches you to trust in the experience and let go of trying to control how the lesson will evolve.
It has been interesting teaching 2nd graders how to make African animals using clay in only two class periods. Thank goodness Ms. Kopp help me with the demo! The 3rd grade has a unit on energy and we are collecting recycled items and creating four murals for the entrance to the school. 4th grade has a unit on health and we are concentrating on mental health - teaching the students about art journaling. My sister Claudia graciously agreed to come and speak to each class about mental health and the benefits of art journeying. 5th grade just finished a lesson on Art and Advertising and now are starting to learn perspective.
In April I switch to a secondary school and will be learning from Bari Bacun at Hamilton High School. I'm sure it will be as equally rewarding of an experience. One of my cohorts had the same placement and he said she was awesome.
Mostly I have been busy applying for jobs, attending job fairs, and preparing for classes. I miss my studio time but I have been kept so busy I hardly have time to think about it.
Speaking of job fairs, I attended the Milwaukee Public Schools fair today. They predict they will need to fill 700 jobs at least by next school year. I was glad I got there early, because by the time I left it was a mob scene. Contracts were being offered on the spot for choice areas like Special Ed, Science, Math, etc. I noticed those candidates name tags had color coded dots on them. When I would approach someone who had an opening for an art teacher, I could almost see their eyes glaze over. I still think many people misunderstand the importance of art education. Subject for another post I think. I made some great contacts though and for the most part it was very informative and I think I have a better idea on which schools I am interested in.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
It has been such a long time since I have posted here. I finished the Spring semester with flying colors, although it was not easy. The last week of classes was marred by some culprit who stole Justin's computer and my backpack from the ceramics studio. Why do people do things like this? I had a brief break after the semester ended, only to start working on my summer research with the McNair Program.
I can hardly believe I was selected for this prestigious honor, but I am excited to continue my research. We had an orientation for McNair last Thursday and Friday, and I am in quite an elite group. I never met so many talented people. There are 25 of us, including the senior scholars (students who are participating for the second time). Grad school sounds intimidating so it was good to know that was a normal reaction. I am really looking forward to this experience.
My mind is also spinning with ideas for ceramics for Fall 2012. Below is a small sample of some of my work from Spring. I have so many ideas, I will probably be getting started before classes. I am thinking about my classmates in Peru and reflecting on the differences in our summer experiences. While I would love to travel, it just isn't in the cards for me. For now, I will concentrate on the opportunities before me, you never know what to expect!
I can hardly believe I was selected for this prestigious honor, but I am excited to continue my research. We had an orientation for McNair last Thursday and Friday, and I am in quite an elite group. I never met so many talented people. There are 25 of us, including the senior scholars (students who are participating for the second time). Grad school sounds intimidating so it was good to know that was a normal reaction. I am really looking forward to this experience.
My mind is also spinning with ideas for ceramics for Fall 2012. Below is a small sample of some of my work from Spring. I have so many ideas, I will probably be getting started before classes. I am thinking about my classmates in Peru and reflecting on the differences in our summer experiences. While I would love to travel, it just isn't in the cards for me. For now, I will concentrate on the opportunities before me, you never know what to expect!
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| The Othering 2012 Cindy Friese |
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| Antipathy 2012 by Cindy Friese |
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| Bereft 2012 by Cindy Friese |
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| The Outsider 2012 by Cindy Friese |
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Brazilian Artist Norma Grinberg
This week Brazilian ceramic artist Norma Grinberg visited at UWM Peck School of the Arts for three wonderful days. The ceramics club I belong to, CASA, sponsored her visit and it was awesome. I was fortunate to attend two very inspiring lectures, one on her work and on Friday she presented another lecture on Brazilian ceramic art. It was especially interesting to me, because all of the work was in a style that is appealing to me. On Thursday she was able to view a piece of mine that was on display at school for a scholarship competition and she told me my work was very strong. I explained I am having trouble making progress on this work, because I wasn't certain which direction to take it in. She made some helpful comments and said we would continue the work on Friday in a special workshop for our wood fire class. I am so glad I got to know Norma and hope to be in touch with her in the future. If you want to see Norma's work her website address is:
http://normagrinberg.com.br/ just a note, I use Chrome as a browser and it translates it from Portuguese to English.
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http://normagrinberg.com.br/ just a note, I use Chrome as a browser and it translates it from Portuguese to English.
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