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Wowza, where is the time going? I am right now starting my last week at my elementary school at Alcott College Prep in Lincoln Park. My cooperating teacher throughout these seven weeks has shown continuous passion and patience with me (and the students). She has shared new things with me, including how to make a mosaic, and I can honestly say I’ve seen/heard/done it all during this time while teaching. Fire drill? Check. Power outage? Check. Kid germs everywhere including uncovered sneezes and coughs? Check. Crying kindergartners? Done. Non-stop chatty middle schoolers? Finito. Projector deciding to take its time and cool down on its own clock and not turn back on when I really need it? Been there.

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Through all the chaos, what has impressed me most is all of the artwork that gets done in the art room. I’m glad to have been a part of that and literally had the chance to work with every single student in the school. My cooperating teacher typically does different projects for every grade level which can be a little hectic and clutter-making, but it has kept me busy and makes the day go by so fast. I didn’t have to look at the clock to tell what time of day it was, but instead just looked at how much space was left on the drying rack.

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All of the projects I taught to the elementary students were based upon introducing them to a contemporary artist. For example, the 7th and 8th graders learned about Ai Wei-Wei and the 5th and 6th graders were introduced to Chris Ware and graphic novels. My biggest fear was that my students wouldn’t finish their final artworks in time before I left, but actually the timing is working out perfectly.

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It’s so gratifying to know that the projects are coming out as I had pictured them in my head. I was worried that some students would rush through, or not be invested, but the opposite started happening. Students came in after school so they could have additional time. Just by coincidence, Ai Wei-Wei has been in the news recently and multiple students came into class so excited to share what they had heard. Just as I’m starting to learn all the students’ names and getting comfortable, I’m leaving for high school, and about to start all over.

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