Day Thirty-four

Mar. 6
I did not record any notes for this day.

Testing is going on this week. It is primarily ninth grade.

Several students were absent in oils, although they were not out for tests. This class is a good way to learn about interacting with students, because they are advanced enough to carry on discussion about art in an advanced way, but they are still unable to make some of the higher-thought connections without a little prodding. For the most part, they are vocal about their thoughts and can relate the intent of their artwork.

I sometimes assume they know more than they do. One student commented that he thought is was funny that I mentioned artist's names like I thought the class knew who they are. He was joking that I was over their heads, which was a good clue-in that it was time to use the computer and the art history books and do some introducing. They at least seem to appreciate that I talk to them as if they are real artists.

Most of the instruction I do with this class is aesthetic choices. I have discussed composition with several of them, specifically, unifying their artwork. I think many students of this age 16-18 who are talented are often unwilling to change a portion of a work that they have labored over, even if a change would be in the best interest of the composition. Also, there still seems to be an internal focus of many of the works with little concern for communicating the idea, that they articulate in detail when asked, to an outside viewer. They are on that brink of realizing so much about art, and even though are told the same thing multiple times (i.e. consider the outside viewer) they don't always make a breakthrough right away.

B2 was hit hard by the testing. There were only a handful of student here. I felt like I might be hovering a little much with so few students to monitor, so I made sure as long as they were working, which they did, and weren't having trouble, which most weren't, that I talked about something other than the art or that I left them alone.