Reflection

When I first learned that I was going to be doing an internship I was a bit Overwhelmed; I was new to this city, new to this state, and I had just taken over a kindergarten class at the school I decided to be a substitute teacher at forgoing teaching until I finished my master’s program. To say that I fell into the opportunities in front of me would be an understatement. My new kindergarten team and colleagues are smart, caring, and talented, and my new home is full of wonderful, caring individuals; something I have never had before. So, when another kindergarten teacher came to me and told me they had a friend that is a youth program coordinator at the YMCA and said that she would love to have me as an intern for the summer and fall semester, I jumped at the opportunity. To be surrounded by more people that care about the well-being of their students and want to provide them with fun engaging life lessons through art, music, stories, and varying experiences was more than I had hoped for.  

I was given not only the opportunity to work alongside one of the most patient and caring people I have met, but also the chance to build and implement my own art curriculum. That came as a challenge where I am used to process based art units extending over a couple of days or weeks, the program and space we were in did not allow for that Y.  

So, I was challenged to produce activities designed to be one day projects that my students could take home when they were picked up, which could be at any time of the day. These projects were supplemental following the unit theme for the week and extending the students learning through art. We had a week in the summer based around different authors and books so my projects in art centered around creating simple books, such as an accordion book, an explosion book, and we even did a little bit of book binding where the students created unique hand painted paper and bound it together using yarn. The book binding project was over multiple days and I realized how challenging completing long projects could be, I had to take home the painted papers to dry and had to create a few extra for students that might come the next day because there was not going to be another time they could create their own, but at least they would be able to work their fine-motor skills and bind the pages together.  

Another challenge was trying to remember that students have had a long day and were exhausted from being at school all day and being active with friends. So even though I understood coming from instructing a rambunctious group of kindergarteners I was constantly reminding myself that they are also tired and when children are tired, they act out and I needed to be patient with them and with myself. We were about to begin a project of crafting our own paper beads and making bracelets when a student began challenging me, talking back, refusing to participate, and when I asked what they needed if they needed to take a moment for themselves, they continued with their own line of commentary. I asked them to sit separately for a moment while I modeled to the other students what to do and help navigate their collecting of supplies then I made a tray for the student full of all the supplies they might need with a few colors of paper I knew was their favorite and went to sit with them. I did not ask them any questions; I just sat with them and began cutting and rolling paper stripes to make the paper bead. The student eventually began to watch what I was doing and started doing it as well, that is when I began to speak with them asking if they were okay, what they needed and how I could help them. It turns out they were only tired and did not know how to cope with being so tired and having the expectation that they needed to complete more work. I was able to show them that I was there for them and that the work could be fun. The student ended up making two hand-rolled paper bracelets.  

Interaction was one of the most impactful for me. It showed me that I can be there for my students in different compassionate ways, and that having empathy with them and just being with them is what is going to catapult the necessary relationship between student and teacher. This student went on to sit by me during free art time and ask my opinions and thoughts on a comic book they were creating.  

This experience has shown me that not every art classroom will be similar. Not every classroom or student is alike, but I feel that in some instances they can differ even more than we originally think. While my internship with the Y was part of a school’s out and after school program for children it differed completely over the summer and during the school year. While art was maintained solely in the cafeteria during both times, during the summer we were able to leave out materials and even able to complete some projects that spanned over a couple of days, and during the school year we had to clean-up and put all of our materials away for the school day, and that made it impossible to do projects spanning over a course of time.  

Another thing I noticed is that most people have this idea that children are only doing fun crafts during programs such as this; however, what I observed and some I had the opportunity to teach was the opposite. The projects might have been one-day activities, but they still reinforced art practices, skills, and techniques and taught 21st century skills like collaboration, creative thinking, and problem-solving. I even incorporated some into my own kindergarten curriculum such as the paper quilt project. It was a larger unit for my internship where my mentor taught and discussed different patterns and shapes used within quilt making. I have made a couple of quilts myself and after hearing her thoughts on this unit I wanted to incorporate it into my own kindergarten lessons tying in indigenous culture and community.  

I loved having the opportunity to work with and instruct older children, and I will be going back this upcoming summer as a staff member, but it has not changed the age group that I want to teach. I love my kindergarten students as challenging as they might be and having new and inventive ways to increase art integration in my kindergarten curriculum only makes teaching kindergarten more impactful and meaningful. However, if I ever can teach art at an elementary school, I would be lucky and happy to work with all the students in that age range. Each grade offers something new for me to learn and my internship has only proved that I would be happy working with any elementary grade level.