#7 Get Political

These last few months there have been on overload of controversy on Goshen’s campus regarding the National Anthem. Personally I feel that when something is this controversial to the school, I as a student should take time to understand both sides. That is exactly what I did. At first it was hard for me to get involved with this subject. First this was a challenge because as a middle child, I am a big peacemaker and just want everyone to get along I dislike conflict and do not like to get in the middle of it. Secondly it was hard for me to find a personal stance on subject, and it required a lot of thought and information to make a choice on what I believed.

I first started paying more attention to this subject after Goshen made the decision to play the National Anthem at basketball and baseball games. Following the announcement of this happening there were many discussions help talking about the subject. I tried to attend as many as possible. At these discussions I took notes about how different people felt and represented the issue. Outside of these meetings I had great talks with many students and faculty about their personal thoughts on the subject. The most interesting part of this to me was how personal it was to everyone. It seemed that everyone I talked to and everyone one who spoke at the public discussions had a personal beliefs behind the stance they took on the subject. It was so interesting to hear everyone’s response and thoughts on the issue. This made me realized how important it is to understand two sides of issues no matter what you believe. Some words that the President stated helped me a lot in making my personal choice. In on of his press releases about the subject he stated:

"The crux of the matter has to do with our relationship with God and with our country. We are asking ourselves such questions as: how should faithful Christians order their allegiances? How do we celebrate the freedoms and opportunities of this country and still challenge injustices that also exist in our midst? And how does a church college retain its historic peace heritage while welcoming an increasingly diverse student body from other traditions?”

This quote make me think about lot about how I myself can be welcoming to peers, professors and future students of different backgrounds and beliefs. Also I do believe in a peaceful lifestyle but I think our freedoms should be remembered. There is quote in the Bible where Jesus is talking and says give to Cesar what is Cesar and give to the Lord what is the Lord’s. I found this to be helpful too in my own process of understanding this issue. I came to the thought that my country is the USA. I am proud of being an American because God chose for me to be here. If I were an Olympic athlete and won, when I got on the podium I would want them to play our National Anthem. Also I want to honor the fact that people have fought for me to go to a Mennonite college and go to a church I chose without going to jail for it. That doesn’t change how I feel about war, peace or pacifism.

I started this process for the reason of being more political. It ended up being very helpful me personally. The most interesting part was being able to hear so many different sides of the issue. From public talks, to reading the Record to the actual playing of the National Anthem at the baseball game, it all was a learning experience.

#6. Recharging your Batteries

College brings many eye-opening experiences during its time, one of them being just how much stress learning can bring on. I was prepared for the stress of class, long days and big assignments. Before it even started I knew it would be stressful. It never occurred to me though that as my stress changes so should my ways of dealing with it. One of my biggest mistakes this year was trying to deal with new stress in old ways. When I finally did figure this out it was like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders. My plan this semester was to work out a few times a week to help reduce my stress. At the beginning of the semester I found two times a week that worked for me. I planned on going by myself and spending about an hour there. Over the semester though my plans changed slightly.

The most efficient way for me to deal with stress is exercise. I have been given the advice to “work off stress” by many people in my life. At the start of the semester I would go to the RecFit twice a week and work out. It was something I looked forward to and enjoyed. I planned my schedule around it and it relieved a lot of stress. This taught me how much my body needs some sort of physical workout to keep me healthy. About of two month later my schedule got chaotic. I had little time for myself and got frustrated at how much time I was using with my two workouts a week. Needing that time, I dropped both of them to get assignments done. After being so frustrated with this and other stressful things in my life I had a talk with a professor. She gave me some great advice that will be so helpful now in the future. After telling her my issue she pointed out that my way of recharging my batteries does not have to be so time consuming. I could go for a ten-minuet walk instead of an hour-long workout. This is such a good point; I do not know why I never thought about that.

Now I enjoy ten minuet walks anytime I have a spare ten minuets and the weather is nice. My fiancé and I started walking together when we talk about wedding and house plans. When I am stuck with a homework problem or have writer’s block I take a lab around campus. This was of recharging my batteries is so perfect because it does not take up so much time, therefore adding more stress. Also I realized from my professor who suggest this, just how important it is to have a person to talk to outside of my friends and family. While my close friends and family members are great listeners, it is important to have someone outside of them that I can talk to. It is a big stress releaser and way of recharging my batteries to have a person hear me talk and give me supporting advice. This year was a huge year stress wise for me. I had more stressful things happen than ever before. Yet, in this time I learned so much about handling stress and understanding myself more than I ever thought I would.

#10

I. Classroom management and discipline

I got the chance to student teach at Parkside Elementary School. My aunt, Jan Holsopple, is a second grade teacher there and let me observe and interact with the students for a few hours in the afternoon. After having some field placement experience with special education it was interesting to compare a full classroom of students to one on one teaching. In this second grade class there were students at many different levels, especially in reading. There was also one boy who was autistic in the class and had frequent outburst and need a lot of attention. It was very interesting to see how special needs are delt with from the general education point of view compared to the special education teacher. I also had the change to do some field placement work during mayterm in a middle school art classroom. This class consisted of eight students, six of which were classified under some type of special needs. All of these experiences were great ways to view different teaching styles and techniques.

Since the setting of a large class creates the challenge of stronger class management it was interesting to see the ways Jan used to keep the kids focused and on task. The middle school art students I had observed had little trouble staying on task, unlike the elementary kids who needed to be reminded of the present topic and work. When the class got loud or out of control Mrs. Holsopple used techniques to get the kids attention back. One of the techniques she used was clapping a simple pattern of claps and the students would clap back. Another one that I really enjoyed was when she would say the first part of a compound word and the kids would finish. For example she would say, “When I say cow you say boy” and then say “cow” with the kids following with “boy”. After doing a couple of these she asked who could tell her a compound word. I was really excited about this because not only did it get the kids attention it helped them learn compound words.

Another aspect of teaching that I got to experience that I have not dealt with much before was a child with emotional problems. During my field placement I had a chance to talk to the special education teachers about children with behavioral disorders, but did not have a chance to watch a teacher work with a student. While at Parkside one girl was being disruptive in class and had to be told to sit in her seat. Instead she went to the corner and sat on a pillow, not following the directions. Mrs. Holsopple then told her she lost the privilege of attending the assembly that afternoon. Later she explained to me that she came from a bad family life and acts out for attention because she is lacking it at home. She explained that even though sometimes it is important to put consequences with her actions it also helps to give her more attention. An example of this was in a past week when the girl had started to act up, she put her on her lap and kept teaching. The extra attention settled her down right away and allowed her and the rest of the class to keep learning.

II. Observe Teachers

I walked in the back of the room just in time to hear the last page of the book that the teacher was reading. About three-fourths of the first graders turned around to see who was entering the room, which followed by them announcing to the teacher that there was a visitor in her classroom.

Caitlin Lanctot, a Goshen college graduate, is now an art teacher at Park side Elementary. She was gracious enough to let me sit in on two of her afternoon classes. This was so exciting for me, not only could I compare it to my field placement, but I have hardly any experience in an elementary art room.

I had previously been in a middle school art classroom last may and was able to compare what I observed in the different classrooms made up of very different age leveled students. It made me more aware of how different activities and lesson plans are needed for certain age levels and grades.

I think the biggest difference overall from the middle school students to the first grade classes I saw was their shorter attention span. The middle school kids have projects they work on for days or even weeks depending on the project, where the first graders had projects that lasted for only their forty-minuet class period. The first class listened to a book about summer and then got paired up in groups to think of a picture they wanted to draw that described summer. They then got to go outside and draw their pictures with sidewalk chalk. While they all had come up with great ideas of swimming pools and fireflies more chalk ended up on the students than the ground. The second class learned about a tribe in Africa that was famous for their beadwork. They then had a chance to make a bracelet out of an old toilet paper roll and a necklace with plastic string and beads. This class stayed on task very well even though there were many beads that ended up on the floor.

Although they only had the attention span for a one-day project, they had almost four times the enthusiasm as the middle school students. They were so excited to do the activity planned for them. The first class was slightly distracted by being outside but the second class was focused on the jewelry and made some very creative pieces.

I enjoyed watching Mrs.Lanctot’s technique while dealing with the first graders. One thing that really stood out to me was an activity corner she set up for the kids who finished projects early. She called it the art smart corner and it was filled with things from picture books of famous arts to building blocks. When students were finished with their projects they got to go to the corner so they did not distract the other students. Also She had a game called “statue” that the kids played while waiting for their classroom teacher to come get them. To play the game one student called out a noun and the other student made a statue of this item. To play though you had to stand still and not talk, just like a statue. This was such a great experience and I loved watching the kids create

III. Watch a movie about a teacher and compare teachers in media to real life

Randomly last year I bought a movie off the five-dollar rack at Wal-mart. It was a film from a few years ago entitled “ Mona Lisa Smile.” It had a cast of almost all women, including Julia Roberts, who I like as an actress, so I bought. I finally got the chance to watch it one rainy afternoon at college. I hadn’t really read the description but had heard from my friends it was good. It turns out that it is about an art teacher, played by Julia Roberts in the mid fifties. I become completely fascinated by the movie and often think of and compare it in some of my classes.

The story line follows young women who get a job at an all women’s college on the east coast. She is very excited for her new job, picturing a room full of girls who want to break the mold of the typical housewife, get and education and become independent. It takes very little time for her to realize her students are the exact opposite. Not only do they have intentions of becoming the traditional American housewife, they almost resent her for not encouraging them. Through struggles and a few fights, Roberts’s character uses art to show how each individual has the right to be unique.
One of the moments that stand out for me in the movie is a scene between Julia Roberts’s character, Miss Watson and her student. The student was one of her favorites and she helped her get accepted to law school, only to come to find out she has eloped and plans on being a wife and mother. While almost screaming with frustration Miss Watson tries to tell her that she can be both. To her surprise, her student tells her that while she realizes that, law school was not her dream, being a wife and mother is.

It’s a touching story with great art history, but I find a few ideas a little too realistic. Starting with the scene I described, I feel that there is a line teacher and educators should not cross. When I am an art teacher I want to be as encouraging and helpful as possible to my students. Learning form this scene, I realized that you could only do and say so much for your students. I feel that it was inappropriate the way the teacher handled that situation. It was obvious she only wanted the best for her student, but she did not take time to step back and analyze what her student may want from her education. Its almost comical thinking about how odd it would be to see a teacher show up at a students house and discuss life issues with them now days. No matter the time period, some of the actions of the Miss Watson in this movie are very unprofessional or acceptable in today’s society.

Actions aside, the motives that moved Miss Watson to help her students are very inspirational. I also enjoyed the way she did conduct some of her lessons in the classroom and the way she challenged her students in and out of school. It was obvious she was a teacher that would be remembered. I always enjoy this movie because it brings me back to the reason I want to teach, especially art. She emphasizes that there is no right answer and pushes her students to see the beauty in everything, especially themselves.

#9

I. Reconnect with a past teacher in my content area

Over fall break I got the chance to visit my art teacher from high school. Mrs. Hurst has been teaching high school art for over thirty years and was one of the people who gave me the idea of looking into art education. She has been a great encourager as well as educator for me while in college.

I stopped by my old high school, at her art room to talk to her and observe her class for the afternoon. I got there during one of the advanced art classes and got to see their projects and talk to the kids. Many were interested in what I was doing at college and it was great to be able to talk to them about my journey so far and see their work. Even though I always had some idea what I wanted to go to college for when I was still in high school I always was interested in talking to college students about their experiences and classes. I could tell many of the art students felt the same and was happy to answer their questions.

Mrs. Hurst and I talked about my classes and field placement I have been doing this semester. It was eye opening to hear how much has changed in education, especially special education, since she had gotten her license. I talked a lot about the factors that created challenges for students in my special education field placement. She attended college and has taught at schools that were well funding and were made of students who came from white, upper-class families. She seemed shocked to hear about some of the students and families I had seen and heard about.

While I was at the high school Mrs. Hurst showed me some projects the students were doing in class as well as some she was working on herself. She gave me many project ideas for not only my art classes but my education ones as well.
When I was one of her students I did take a lot of out of class time to talk to her about art education and art projects, but it seemed like a whole different experience. It was so different to not be a student but to be able to talk Mrs. Hurst like a friend and bounce ideas off of her. I found it very encouraging and inspirational to be able to talk and spend the day with someone I looked up to and learned from.

II. Connect Spiritually with someone who I can talk to on a daily basis

This year I have had the privilege to meet new friends and cherish old ones. This is something that helps me relax and enjoy my time as college as well as benefits me in many more ways. As a teacher I will need to have someone who I can go to with my ups and downs of my job, someone who can keep me motivated and excited for helping students. Connecting with someone on a spiritual level is something that I found I need more than I ever realized, especially now in college. I am someone who tends to keep things to myself, which ends up stressing me out and frustrating me.

One of my friends, who I had met last year as a freshman, is living in the dorm right beside me this year. Although we were not best friends or even especially close, she is someone who I always enjoyed being with had a lot of respect for her values. In the past few months Julie and I have gotten a lot closer and formed a deeper friendship than I expected. Julie also started a bible study for the girls on or hall, which is something that although is not one on one has created another way for me to bond spiritually with a close group.

Julie and I do not have regular set meeting for us the way we do the bible study, which is every Thursday night. We normally just stop in and see each other as often as possible and take time to talk about our frustrations, stresses, and joys of the day. I found it very relaxing have someone at the end of the day who you can just spill all your thoughts too. While Julie is not the only person I can talk to she is very trust worthy and always close by. I know she will take time to listen to me and give her honest opinion, but my thoughts will not leave the room. I think Trust is a key to any relationship weather it is two friends or a teacher and student.

I have many friends who I can talk to, but connecting on a spiritual level is something I do not do with many people. Julie has a very strong faith and is not afraid to show it. I tend to be more reserved in my faith and walk with Christ, because of the way I was raised. We both have a deep love for family and friends and value many of the same things. One of the things that really help me feel good about Julie and my talks is how different our schedules and daily lives are. There is some similarity in that we both are Goshen College students, but we still have a lot of differences. She is a communications major and works off campus. Her close group of friends, while they are friends with me, is not my closest friends. I am an art education major; I work on campus and spend much of my time with my close group of friends. Also I have and boyfriend I have been dating for over a year and Julie has been single for a while. These are just a few factors that allow us to bring different points of view to the table while talking and connecting about our lives her at Goshen.

Having a friend there to listen and pray for you is such an amazing joy. While I may not always have Julie living next door I will always try to keep close friends who can share my joys and struggles. As teacher I realize that I will need allies to help me through the tough times to make me the best educator I can be. Also while having close friends with different experiences, I have found how much I put myself in other people’s shoes. This is a great trait as well for my future in education. I am so glad I have friends like Julie to help me connect with others and myself spiritually.

III. Find a Study buddy

Looking back on my first year at Goshen, many of my first friends and I meet because of the classes I was taking. Studying was a great reason to get together and hang out. Now, a year later I have many great friends, some of which started out as study buddies. From Group projects to Final exams there are many times I use friends and other students as resources for an effective way to study.

There are a few of my friends I find easy to study with and helpful while studying. It took me a while to figure out what type of person I like and need to have as a study partner. I also realized how healthy and efficient to have more than one person as a study partner. With a variety of classes and conflicting schedules it is easier to have more than one person to study with.

My friend Kristi is someone I find easy to relate to academically and to study with. We both are education majors but only have had a few classes together over the past year. This semester we have an education class together, in which we were able to be in a few groups together as well as study research different topics for class. Our class required many hours of outside work and projects, which can become demanding if you are working by yourself. I feel like it takes stress off of me to be able to bounce ideas and questions off other group members or friends. From being able to work with Kristi and few other friends I realized how their styles of studying help me stay focused and get work done. I work well when I have a task to complete, Kristi is good at splitting up a large project into smaller parts. When we realized this we were able use our strengths to help each other. She could split up parts and I could work more efficiently at smaller ones.

I have also realized that when my study buddy is someone I enjoy being with it gets me more excited for studying and doing homework than I normally would by myself. Knowing I did not have to attack a whole project or study for a large test all by myself takes some of the stress away allowing me to approach the time with an open mind. Also this year when I looked into having a studying buddy and my studying skills I realized how much I enjoy working in groups. While this is not ideal all the time I do enjoy this once in a while. I enjoy how creative you can be when viewing ideas and concepts from other people’s point of view. It really opens the door to future collaboration as a teacher.