I'll be the first one to admit that summer is a rad time for teachers. I have no idea what Ms. Lana Del Rey is talking about when she refers to this thing called "summer time sadness." After wrapping up a very busy end of the school year, I am ready to shift into a lower gear and take some time to smell the roses. Where does a 30 year old art teacher find her zen, you ask? Philadelphia's Schuylkill River is just about as zen as it can get in my book. I've been trying to get at least one run in each day when my husband goes to work. The river banks surrounding the mighty Schuylkill are filled with several great people watching opportunities such as a dog park, a state-of-the-art skate park, a multitude of gorgeous deco-era sculptures, and an every so picturesque row of boat houses that are home to several university rowing crew teams. Beholding the river on my morning route makes it very clear why William Penn chose these shores as the place to orchestrate his plans for a new burgeoning city! But alas, let's move on, before I digress into an anthem about how much I love my home state of Pennsylvania. But please don't think that my zen focus is merely physical. I have a boatload of books I want to check off of my list as well. I am currently between 10-100 pages into each one! Nothing a bit of backyard sitting and iced coffee can't remedy. And last, but certainly, not least, a big piece of my zen comes from the birth of this new blog. I relish the extra time that summer brings to reexamine the work I have done as a teacher during the past year. I love scouring the blogs of fellow colleagues and connections who are changing the face of art education each and every day in their own idiosyncratic art-making spaces. It is amazing the comfort that comes from "talking shop" with others in the field who are just as excited about the potential that creativity has to enhance and transform our lives. The ability to troubleshoot lesson ideas and cross-pollinate pedagogy at the press of a button. Everyone knows the horizon line shows what is farthest and nearest to you in a landscape and that is exactly what my intention is in starting this blog. By putting a glimpse of my every day life out into the Blog-o-sphere, I hope to connect with those of you that exist just beyond my line of sight, just out of reach beyond the edge of my page.
1 Comment
Angela
11/4/2015 07:43:53 pm
Just wanted to leave a comment saying I loved what I saw on here! You clearly put a lot of time, effort, and enthusiasm into teaching. The PECS looked great. I'm currently just creepin' on blogs as I progress through my MAT program, don't mind me. Hope to see more posts from you... have a great school year!
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AuthorSunny is an art teacher who is living the dream. The only thing she enjoys more than her curious students are the adventures she has with her loving husband and cat in the fabulous city of Philadelphia! BlogrollArtful Artsy Amy
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July 2017
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