Art Teaching Experience

On Friday, I had my first run at teaching art at the elementary school.  I was at the school from 8:30 am until 1:25 pm, the full school day (Fridays are early-release days here).  I taught each grade level a presentation about the artist Henri Matisse, complete with pictures on a screen using a "dot-cam" (not sure what that is short for and we didn't have those when I was teaching nine years ago).  I gave an overview of the artist's life, the art period he was from, and a new vocabulary term.  We also discussed some elements of the artwork the students were going to recreate.  Then the classes separated and teacher's aides taught the actual drawing portion in the individual classrooms while I waited on the next grade level of students.

One thing I gleaned from this was that I really do enjoy teaching.  I  have enjoyed teaching my own kids preschool.  I have enjoyed doing summer learning with them each summer, including art and music and culture.  I even enjoy tutoring them in their homework.  But I also learned that I am very glad that right now I'm doing what I do.  I stay home with my kids and it's the right place for me to be right now.  Maybe some day, when my kids are grown, I will return to teaching.  I will enjoy this year's opportunity of teaching art, but I'm glad it's only once a month and only for six months of the school year.

I'm glad I have the skill set I have for teaching school so that I can use it if I need to, but I'm glad that right now, I get to stay home and focus on being a mother to my children.

*Goldfish by Henri Matisse, 1911.