I Love Art (#14inFeb #4)

I am proud to say that my guest blogger has returned for at least one post during the 14 in February Challenge.

Without further ado, here are more words from Maya.

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I Love Art 

by Maya Fliegelman

I love art because I have a really nice teacher. My teacher's name is Mrs. LeCours. She is fun.

I really like the projects that we do. They are really fun!!!! We made clay owls, but only their heads! We also made paper owls to wear around our necks. We can also hang them up. 

We also drew self-portraits. Mrs. LeCours taught us a drawing technique: sketch, outline, color-in. Sketch means use a light pencil. Outline means to draw with a darker line on the sketch. For the color-in, we can use paint, markers, or crayons to draw in the inside of our picture.

I really, really, really, really really, really, really like art!

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Profound, eh?

Hopefully, I can get Maya to tell us more about school in a future post.

Thanks for reading.


image: Original art by Maya

I am an Artist (#idesmar)

A few weeks ago, I was asked to write about how the arts have influenced me personally and professionally. Here is what I wrote:

I am an artist. There I said it. I am not a bohemian walking around with oil paint on my pants. I am not an art student who knows the difference between a 6B and 3B pencil. I am not a trumpet player busking at the train station. I am not a poet in a beret with one of those really long cigarette holders. No, I am not that kind of artist.

Still, I am an artist. I've been creating and enjoying a variety of art my whole life.

The arts have been a part of my life since the beginning. My parents have finally forgiven me for drawing on the hallway wall when I was 2. I was fortunate to attend a middle and high school that valued the arts. I acted in every play from 6th through 12th grade. I sang in the regular and select choirs. I was the photography editor of the school newspaper. One summer, I attended the National Music Camp at Interlochen, MI, as a theater major. In college, I focused on technical theater and built scenery and props. I continued with tech theater for a couple of years and gradually got interested in woodworking. Although more a craft than an art, my woodworking was a creative outlet for a few years.

My daughter has been the impetus for another artistic outlet: drawing. Some yeas ago, I collected a few drawing pencils and started to sketch. I found that I liked to draw, but I did not like to show my drawings to anyone. Now, I watch her draw and end up joining in. This year, I took a leap and created an account on ArtSnacks. I have only uploaded a few drawings so far, but it is a thrill knowing my drawings are out there. (OK, so maybe I do know the difference between 6B and 3B pencils.)

Something kind of cool happened about ten years ago. I found an old trumpet. I played for a while and then forgot about it. In 2007, when I became principal of Spofford Pond, I could hear the different bands practicing each morning before school. One day I remembered that old trumpet. As a way of showing support for the band program, and to satisfy my own artistic drive, I asked if I could sit in on the beginning band once they started in January. The band director was thrilled. So, I was the tall one sitting in the back row with the fourth graders in the band. I was the only band member to bring coffee and my school walkie-talkie to rehearsals. I even joined the group for the big concert (I ended up filling in on snare drum for the Theme from Star Wars when none of the kids could keep the beat). I still play the trumpet, although too sporadically to get any good. Now, my daughter (5 years old) has started to play. Maybe she will one day be the busker.

Professionally, the arts have always been part of my educational outlook. I integrated arts into my history lessons back when I taught middle school. As an administrator, I have supported arts during tough budget times. I have made it clear that I value the arts for the benefits they bring to children.

The arts are known to improve children’s academic motivation, achievement, and school attendance. Training in and practice of the arts helps students gain self-confidence, creativity, and success. Children feel good about themselves when they have something non-academic to enjoy and find success in. Students can create fantastic art together regardless of their background. Stanford Thompson, Director of Tune Up Philly, also notes that the arts nurture social-emotional and behavioral development by providing family and community experiences. Performances at school are something parents can enjoy and appreciate regardless of language barriers or cultural differences. Nothing brings parents of all different ethnic groups together at school faster than a concert, play, or art show. The arts are vital to a full education and a full life.

I still don’t own a beret, and I’ve never used oil paint. I do draw and play the trumpet. I do support and value the arts in school. The arts benefit me, and the arts benefit children. I am an artist. Students are artists.

What about you? Are you an artist? Do you truly support the arts in school?

Artist Ellen from jimjarmo on flickr CC BY 2.0

A Tale of Two Portraits (#14inFeb)

Twice during my career a student has given me a portrait of me. The two stories are very different, but connect in one important way that I will reveal at the end.

This first "portrait" was created in 1999 by my student Jimmy and his father Jim. Jimmy was in my 7th grade honors-math social studies class (the last year that students at that school were leveled and traveled by math class). Jimmy was one of the smartest students I had that first year teaching public school. He was smart enough to know that his father would do anything to ensure that Jimmy had whatever he needed to succeed. Jimmy was also a very eager student who either actually got my warped humor or knew enough to pretend (either way works for me). Jimmy made me a few things during the year (I still have them all), but this portrait is my favorite. Jim Sr. worked in the print shop of the vocational school in town and loved to have his students make things for Jimmy's teachers. We all got great content-themed writing pads with our names on them for Christmas (I still have some of these left too).

Jim and Jimmy both loved that I tried to bring some technology into my teaching (not previously done at that school due to complete lack of equipment). Since I was able to score some discarded computers and a printer (Mac LC 575 and an Apple ImageWriter), I could actually have students do some activities on the computer or at least type and print some assignments. I also gave out my email address to students and parents (it was on my class website, too). Well, James began to email me with questions, comments, stories about Jimmy. Jimmy also emailed from his father’s account. We made a good connection.

In January of Jimmy’s eighth grade year (we were still in touch as he was in my History Day Club), Jimmy and Jim created the tiger illustration using Photoshop and emailed it to me.

The story behind this second portrait is much simpler. At one of my assistant principal jobs, we held a year-end banquet in the library after the students left for the summer. Well, one of the years, the shelves near the tables of food were lined with staff portraits painted by seventh graders. Each student took the yearbook photo of a staff member and created a work of art. I was getting my food and most of the way through the line (and rather exhausted after 180 days with nearly 1000 7th and 8th graders) when one of the teachers told me she thought my portrait was the best. A bunch of others agreed. Well, I had to see it. I was amazed. I didn’t even know someone had painted my portrait. In fact, I didn’t even know who the student/Artist was. This student that I did not know made a portrait of me that is far better looking than the real me.

So, how do these two stories connect. I was planning on coming up with a deep, philosophical way to connect the two. Since, I couldn’t do that, I will conclude this tale of two portraits with a simple idea:

Kids are awesome!

The Dragons! Have Finally Come to Life

Previously, I posted photos of Dragons under construction here and here from Ms. Dalton's sixth grade class. Here are some of the finished works:

Tree Tiles

These gorgeous tiles are currently on display in the main lobby. Mrs. Davis' fifth grade students have a fantastic sense of color. Please come in and check these out.

More Dragons! Aaarrgghh Again!

See this post for more information about Ms. Dalton's art assignment.

Dragons. Aaaghhh!

Dragons at Spofford Pond School!

Ms. Dalton's sixth grade art class is in the middle of creating these wonderful dragon masks. The two examples here show masks in progress. The first photo shows the frame that has to be created. The second photo shows the layers of plaster sheets used to form the facial details.

Without the plaster covering, by Maddie Taylor

Dragon with plaster covering, by Michael Lavoie

I will try to post photos of some finished masks in the future.

- Larry Fliegelman

Tonal Collages

These beautiful images come from Ms. Marino's art class with Ms. Dalton. The project is called "Tonal Collages." Come by the school and take a look in the hall near the art room to these up close.


- Larry Fliegelman

Grade 6 Art

This great art project, created by the sixth graders are recreations of the Lascaux cave drawings. Come in anytime to take a look.



- Larry Fliegelman