I am delighted to announce that I will be teaching two, weekend workshops in November and December respectively. There is a lovely art and community center right around the corner from my home. I am looking forward to getting back into the studio and refreshing my jewelry and metal skills.
Accessible Art Virtually
Mandala by Me!
I have been spending quite a bit of time lately thinking about how students can access enriching art education without all the materials we have in the classroom. The search lead me to art games, digital drawing, and many other things. I wanted to share a new video I recently made to share a fun program I found with my students. The simplicity of the program along with the almost guaranteed fun outcome really sold it for me. The drawing program was posted on the website Rectangle World. They host all sorts of code tutorials and experiments. Feel free to take a look at their other projects as well.
Diverse Children's Books
Since starting my journey as an educator, I have developed a deep love of Children’s Books. The more thoughtful, unique, and beautifully illustrated the better. I love teaching from them and creating unique units based on their joyful expression. I have been even known to gift some of these books to my husband over the years. Recently, I have begun to collect book lists, and compile my own, to create a diverse list of books for young children. It is essential that children see themselves represented in the books they read. It is also crucial for them to see people that are different from them to begin to understand and build compassion for those around them. These books represent diversity in regards to race, country of origin, family structures, gender identity, language, ability, LGBTQAI+, and many more. Take a look below at a few books I am excited about!
Boston Higashi School
Beautiful drawing of our school by John Kolwaite
My dream job! Years before moving to Massachusetts, I learned about this amazing program for students with Autism. I looked at their website, and thought well I will never live in Boston so I am never going to work there. Much to my surprise, I ended up moving with my partner to Mass! And I was even more surprised to see that they had an art teacher position open. I knew that this was my dream, combining art and special education. And even more specifically working with students on the spectrum. I feel so lucky to be working with amazing students everyday, and so lucky that I get to work at an amazing school.