Beach Time. Christine Reed. Elementary Education MAT. 7/4/14

It’s summertime and I am loving it!  Along with the relaxation from the hot sun mixed with a cool breeze and the lounging on my deck or the beach, I have been making huge strides in my work.

I am having a blast at Steve and Kate’s Camp as the Assistant Summer Director. It is such a great experience to work in a self-directed play and learning environment where children make the decisions and guide what’s happening. Today I witnessed campers make phenomenal art after a child suggested making a mural to celebrate the USA for the Fourth of July holiday. Other campers learned ballet from each other and then performed their dances, and two campers built an amazing block structure while using principles of geometry and measurement.  I am fortunate to work at a place where I am able to use the tools I learned in Columbia’s Elementary Education MAT program and practice fostering an environment conducive to constructivist learning experiences.

Camp Creations. Christine Reed. Elementary Education MAT. 7/4/14

In other exciting news, I have found a teaching position! I am happy to announce I am now the dance teacher at Ravenswood Elementary School! Starting this fall, I will teach students in grades pre-K through eighth grade dance and movement. I am charged with starting the dance program from the ground up, as the school has not had dance as a specials, auxiliary or elective class before.  And I am up for the challenge!  I also will be teaching arts integration, specifically dance integration, within the core content areas of language arts, mathematics, science and social studies.  Recently I have met with the school administration, the arts integration team, a parent group, and the other arts teachers to get to know the school community, start curriculum mapping, begin work on a PSA for the arts at our school, and to start collaborating.  I can already tell this is going to be a great place to work that is supportive of the arts, dance and arts integration.  I couldn’t be more excited!

Suzanne and I heading to Pride 2014. Christine Reed. Elementary Education MAT. 7/4/14

Now that I have found my groove with my new summer job and have found a teaching position, I am happily taking some time to enjoy summer.  For the next month and a half I will be working, but also enjoying Chicago’s many festivals, the beach, BBQs and cookouts, family visits, and a vacation.  I look forward to sharing more of my summer adventures and my journey into my new job with you soon!