Week 6: Art Shows And Field Trips

Hello everyone! This week was full of Art shows field trips and interesting data so let’s dive right in!

This weekend was the Art show for the younger schools. This was a wonderful event because I saw all the hard work my classes put on display and witnessed how proud the students were to be sharing their work with their families. Watching siblings, parents, and families enjoying the art was magical and so exciting. Not only did I get to speak with students I also spoke with parents which gave me insight into their children’s lives and behaviors.

On Monday I was only able to attend the morning class with the 4th graders. Today gave me insight less into their artwork and more into their teamwork and individual social skills. During class, they were tasked with cleaning up from the Art Show and taking down all the artwork from the fold-out bulletin boards. Some students were bossy and trying to control everyone in their group which worked well for some of the mini-task forces. Some were eager to accept my help taking down art from the top row and some would start saying “I got it” if I even got close. It definitely helped me understand them more as artists because I understood them more as people. I saw that students that felt overwhelmed by all the commotion were the same students who struggled to initially focus and get work done on time in class. The students that never asked me for help were the same ones that seemed almost afraid I would take their job If I got too close. Those students are the ones who I think take a sense of control over their life through their art and artistic process. Overall this showed me how kids manage their lives and personalities through their artwork styles.

At RHAP this week we painted and took a field trip to the Mary Whalen. On the painting day, I helped kids get to set up and then later in class, I painted with them. It was really fun for me to get to make art again as well. I felt like I was really right there with the kids. At RHAP I notice that kids won’t ask for help and a lot of which I attributed to their home lives after speaking with a number of the older students. When I offer help or just get them something they need there is a deep bewildered gratitude that is very different from the BASIS students. When we went to the Mary Whalen we drew the inside of the boat. I talked more with some of the other interns and got to overhear a lot more of the kids’ conversations. They were definitely silly this day- lots of giggling and chaos. I walked one girl to her dance class after their drawing time was over. She was telling me how she liked the boat and it was really relaxing to draw all the details of the engine room. Overall it was a great week on and off campus!

I have finalized my parent survey and that is being sent out to parents next week, so stay tuned for updates!