Lindsay

 cake batter puppy chow Growth Reflection  On the first day of this class, I was nervous because it was an art class. In the past, I have always felt that I did not have a shred of artistic ability. It was also intimidating that we were given the opportunity to do any sort of craft or art that we could imagine. The options were literally endless, and I had no idea where to begin because in my previous art classes, we were told exactly what to draw or what to construct. While I was intimidated at first, this turned out to be my favorite part of the class; I loved being able to have the freedom and choice to make crafts that I was interested in or would enjoy. Every day, everyone in the class had their own activities or projects they were working on, yet we were still able to offer ideas or advice to our peers. I was shown how effective the idea of “student-directed” curriculum is in the classroom. I truly enjoyed this class and was motivated to work on my projects. I never realized how creative I could be, and I will definitely use this teaching method to foster my students’ creativity in my classroom. This class also really showed me my artistic abilities when I had choice and ample time to complete projects. I am much more confident in what I can do now, and I’m sure my students would be surprised as to what they are capable of doing as well. They would also love being able to take home and show their parents what they have made in class. Even I, as an 18-year-old, was excited to show my friends and roommates what I had made in class.  I have also never played a musical instrument because again I am not musically talented. I still do not believe I am necessarily talented when it comes to music, but I do believe that if I chose to, I could learn. When we had our first blue-grass day, I was able to play “Boil that Cabbage Down” on several instruments I had never even seen before. The step-by-step instructions followed by the repetition made it very easy to play the instrument. It was a great learning experience, and I was surprised, again, that I was capable of doing something that I never imagined I would be able to do. Young students would love activities like this one because it is hands-on and would develop a sense of confidence in attempting new things.  Finally, this class gave me the opportunity to use many tools that young children wouldn’t use regularly, if at all. I used an electrical sander, a scroll saw, and a sewing machine. Many teachers would not allow their students to use these tools in the classroom because they could potentially be dangerous. This is very true but with supervision it could be very empowering for students to be allowed to use these tools. It shows them that their teacher trusts them and believes they can be safe and responsible.