Today I finished my fieldwork hours at Buffalo Academy of Visual and Performing arts. Again, I observed the "Intro to Photo" class of Rachel Lyons. Today Ms. Lyons gave the students a demonstration on how to do the photo transfer technique. She showed how to spray the photo on sticker paper with hairspray. You have to use just the right amount. Then, flip the image to a textured paper and burnish it, using the handle of scissors. The assignment was to use a picture they had taken on a field trip to the Botanical Gardens and adjust the contrast and saturation. This would make the image look better when transferred. There was some trial and error when the students tried the technique for themselves, which Ms. Lyons understood and allowed them to print out another image until they got it right. The students were so happy when they got their desired results.
The next class was the double period of "Computer Arts" for visual art majors. These students were beginning a new project using Adobe Illustrator, where they would take two images, morphing one into another. It is a vector based drawing program, and the project required using the tools of "anchor points", "strokes" and "paths". I thought this was a great way to teach students to master this program, as I saw examples of previous years work that came out really well. Some students had a hard time coming up with ideas and spent the whole class looking for references, while others got very far in the process, some even finishing! It just shows that every student works at a different pace. Ms. Lyons also mentioned that there are some students that don't participate and work on their own. One student in particular that she said likes to "push her", often does twice the work because of this, having to figure things out on his own.
Rachel Lyons seemed to have a great relationship with her students, she seems laid back and comfortable with them. She talked to them in a casual, calm manner and they did too. She never had to raise her voice. There were, however, some disadvantages that could be a consequence of such a laid back style. Her class room was quite a mess, with projects, materials and papers scattered about the desks. She also let the students listen to headphones, which some students took advantage of. Some students would blast their music from their headphones so everyone could hear it. Ms. Lyons had to warn, "They are headphones, not speakers, I will have to take away the privilege for everyone if you don't use them properly." I thought it was very appropriate how she addressed this issue.
One concern of the teacher was the state mandated teacher evaluations, called "SLOs". Apparently 20% of her evaluation is based on her student's performance on a test. While she knows her students will do well, she doesn't see it as an effective evaluation manner and thinks the Buffalo school district has put it together very haphazardly. One great piece of advice that I received from Ms. Lyons was to take advantage of grant opportunities. Through a "artist in residence" grant she received an iPad, an expensive poster printer and a professional artist that came to teach in the classroom. She said, you just have to do a little extra work, send in some applications and it is well worth the effort. That was a very valuable piece of knowledge that Ms. Lyons shared. I think she is a great role model for a teacher. Although I am not completely confident in my technological skills yet, I hope that like Ms. Lyons I can teach myself as I go and learn by doing.
