And the list goes on... 

In my last post, I spent the whole time reviewing places where learning happens outside of the conference center. It took me a few years to realize this was an important part of attending a National Art Education event (and I could really kick myself for not doing do sooner)...

However, it would not be much of a conference recap, if the sessions were not a part of it. Please feel free to post your favorite "ah-ha" moments, sessions, and favorite speakers in the comments below (because I selfishly want to know more). (disclaimer: This is in no way a comprehensive list of all the amazing things that happened at the conference - although I wish I could clone/time travel/speed warp during it so I could've offered that.)

It is always super charging to return from a great conference. Hearing inspiring stories, learning new techniques, and seeing amazing feats performed by my peers leaves me filled with hope (and some envy) that maybe I can do it, too. 

I try to be mindful in those moments because this time of year can be brutally difficult for me (I am still working up the courage to share more on that one). Seeing, learning, and sharing what is possible with others helps break me from the strangle-hold the mid-year blues can bring and I am incredibly thankful for that. 

Most of the vendors did not disappoint.

​They had their freebies ready (although some made you earn it through activities, which to be frank, I was kind of annoyed with) and some upped their game with interactive options to pose as your favorite work of art or artist. This is all very fun, but my favorite parts of being in the hall is to see what new things they are showcasing or what old things I can use in new ways...

It would not be a great conference without the presenters (most of whom give their time and expertise for free - even paying their own way to travel and attend the conference). If it were not for these teachers who spend months preparing proposals (many of which are rejected), getting together slides (although one of my favorite presentations this year had none), and taking their time away from attending sessions so they can help teachers like me learn more (and then pass that learning onto my students), there would be no conference.

From design thinking, to technology integration, TAB (Teaching Artistic Behavior), and more, the sessions did not disappoint and I am excited to bring everything I learned back to my classroom. 

I have had the privilege of presenting at conferences ever since Carrie (my conference buddy) convinced me to co-present with her at the 2008 MAEA Conference. I blame her for the giving me the sharing bug, that I probably will never shake. 

It also helps that I have seen some of the most inspirational speakers over the years (one of my first and most memorable is Rick Wormelli, who really made me think "I want to do that."). 

This year, I had the most fun presenting because the pressure was off a little. The two presentations I was in were with other teachers I admire and enjoy being around (Theresa McGee, Holly Bess Kincaid, Stacy Lord, and Cassie Stephens). If you did not get a chance to be a part of the fun, you can access the presentations below.

I approached Cassie Stephens with the idea of presenting together once a call for presentations became open. She was super gracious to accept and we had a blast working together on our presentation that explored how we use collaboration, permanent (and sometimes not so permanent) installations, and social media to connect with others to leave a lasting impact.

I have gotten to know Stacy, Theresa, and Holly over the past seven years (with our first face-to-face in 2013. These ladies are some of the best teachers (and friends) out there. It was a blast to respin our presentation (first tested out at #NAEA15) and share ideas about how we integrate technology, engage learners, assess students, and make meaningful connections in our classrooms. TEAM middle will hopefully be back again for #NAEA17 to share even more tips and tricks from the center of education. 

Every year is the best one yet.

There are so many things that happened this year that I could not have predicted and I am very thankful for that. Even so, there are some things I have yet to accomplish that I am very hopeful for in the coming year.

I do not have a list of resolutions, just a focus on wanting to be better, more positive, and hopeful for the "what ifs" that are both exciting and unknown. I know 2016 is poising itself to be ever better, but before I finally say goodbye to 2015, here are a few of the things that made it one heck of time in my life:  

This was the year I got back to making art on a semi-regular basis. It is funny to think as an art teacher I would have trouble making art myself. This year I made a point to carve out time to learn new techniques, paint paintings I have had in my mind for years, and explore what I love most: drawing. Here's to even more making in 2016!

This year was filled with sharing various tips and tricks for building, maintaining, and growing a great program. As a way to give back to the #artsed community that has helped nurture me into the teacher I am today, I feel it is important to share what has worked, what has not, and what is possible when you reach out, try new things, and let your students lead their learning experiences. FromMACUL, NAEA, AOE Live, #k12artsedchat, and finally MAEA, it was a blast to learn and share with teachers wanting to improve their craft, too!

​I already have some exciting ways I plan to share even more in 2016 (even as soon as January for ECET2 in San Diego), but I am very thankful for having the opportunities in 2015 to work both face to face and online with the best community I know! 

The biggest jump for me as a teacher has been from stepping back. I moved to a Design Thinking Process with students that focuses on making original works through the examination ofThemes. By allowing my students to take the lead when it comes to their learning, I have been amazed with how much more energized and excited I have become in the process.

​Instead of always knowing how things are going to turn out with each lesson, I am surprised with outcomes like a flowered-crocheted ski mask, golden venture jewelry, and many other new uses for symbols and materials that I might not have ever discovered without my students taking charge. I am so thankful that I took this leap into the unknown and am excited about the new discoveries to come in 2016!

Whatever 2016 brings, I know it will be greeted with a smile and a heart filled with hope. I had such a fun 2015 and am excited for whatever happens next! 

Last weekend I was in downtown Grand Rapids for the annual MAEA Conference. In addition to presenting in four sessions, I also got to learn SOOO many amazing things from great artists and teachers alike!

I have been wanting to post this since Sunday, but with The Fire Up! Student Teacher Conference on Monday and Parent-Teacher Conferences this week, as well as putting our first issue of the school newspaper to print, I have been SWAMPED. We all have our excuses, which are  not really a reason to ditch duties, but I finally feel like I have some time to sit, reflect, and share my favorite moments from #MAEA15.

Here are my top three highlights from the weekend:

I learned a ton this past weekend. I would say it was one of the most content-rich conferences I can remember! I think what made the learning so powerful was that I got to create while I was learning. From making jewelry with the pre-service teachers at Grand Valley State University, to drawing with ArtPrize winner Adonna Kare, to dying scarves (which I cannot wait to do with my students), it was a whirlwind of activity that allowed me to stretch my creative mind and learn along the way.

I had the pleasure of presenting 4 sessions at this conference. I got to share ideas about technology and collaborating with STEM, using thematic units and standards-based grading, as well as monoprinting with Gelli Arts printing plates. It is always fun to give back by presenting at these sessions, and I want to give a special shout-out to Gelli Arts, Schoology, TechSmith, andiPevo, who gave me goodies to pass on to teachers.

My favorite parts of any conference is connecting with teachers I do not get to see everyday. This included teachers I have connected with online and finally met face to face, people I nominated for awards (like Jim Meyers from Artsonia) and my sister, who teaches Art in Indiana and makes the trek north to come to MAEA. The people are the reason I go to these conferences. 

I had a great time attending MAEA in Grand Rapids, and I am super excited for next fall, when we will meet in Traverse City! Now, I need to go and rest. I have some fun presentations and interactions to prepare for in the coming weeks.

I hope to see you on Twitter this Thursday for this:

I want to start out this post by giving a huge THANK YOU  to all of the teachers out there who tuned in, downloaded, or went back and viewed the #AOELIVE show last week (in case you missed it, I embedded the video below). It was exciting to see connections being made and great comments left on last week's post. 

Congratulations to Becky, who is the winner of the fun give-away from last week! The goodies will soon be on their way to you.

I was first approached by Andrew McCormick and Tim Bogatz at the NAEA Convention to potentially come on as a guest. I was very hesitant at first. Springtime is probably the most hectic time of year and saying yes to anything else usually ends in a massive headache and regret. So, I didn't really say no, but more of a not right now. Thankfully they came back to me this summer and asked again. 

Saying no is hard. At least it is hard for me. When I do it, I feel like somehow I am admitting failure or lack of ability. I also worry about missing opportunities and wondering if those chances will come around again. I am working on it, though, because I know that could not be further from the truth. I mentioned a book, "Good to Great" by Jim Collins in the #AOELIVE show. One of the reasons I like it is because it explains why saying no is key to growth (both in business and I would argue personally, too). 

If I say yes to every opportunity, something has to give eventually. Either my personal relationships or professional duties will be out of whack and the pressure that comes with saying yes and putting high expectations on what should be done for each commitment can be overwhelming. By trying to focus on being great at everything, I really lose focus of what matters most and it ends with half-way results; the frustration of trying to juggle too many things makes it so I can never really master what interests me most. I have taken on opportunities before because I was worried I might never have the chance again. I should have questioned that feeling, though. If it didn't ever happen because I said no at one time, then I probably don't want to be a part of it at any time. 

Sometimes a book is needed to give permission to say no. If you are looking for that permission, consider this it. I give you permission to say no and be okay with it, knowing if you are supposed to do it you will do it when the time is right. 

I hope everyone is enjoying their time back to school - mine will start eventually (September is only a couple of weeks away). 

Until then, I will see you on the internets!

There is a month left of freedom until I spend my days dictated by alarm clocks, hourly bells, and brief bathroom breaks. As I continue to plan for the upcoming year, I am spending quite a bit of time figuring out the activities for the most important day: the first one.

Since you can only make a first impression once, it is important that students get a clear understanding of what the class is going to be like and who I am. How I behave and what activities I plan sets the tone for every day that comes after. Instead of falling back on safe measures that bore students into complacency, I put forward a vision and challenge to my students to "Elevate to Excellence" as we dive into the school year. 

I have been lucky to have given presentations on this at the NAEA Convention andMACUL Conference and shared many of the ideas and reasons behind why I do what I do and how I manage it all. In case you missed it, here is a quick breakdown envisioning the best first day ever: 

Be Brave: 
Being a teacher is an act of bravery in itself. Anyone willing to put themselves in front of children every day and engage them in a way that helps learning stick despite all obstacles, is brave. The bravery that I am discussing for the first day of school should be a piece of cake compared to that. A few years ago, I threw caution to the wind and took a chance on my students and myself to do something on day one. Instead of doing the safe rules and expectations speech, I decided to engage students with the materials I know they long most to use each year: clay and paint. In order for this to work, I had to have faith in myself and move beyond the initial worries about messes and misbehavior. Instead of focusing on what could go wrong, I lead by living my vision of Art education with my students. We still went over rules and expectations; I just did it as students worked through activities like making collaborative paintings for our school and clay bowls for our annual Empty Bowls night. It has been five years since that first act of bravery, and I cannot imagine going back. 

Be Bold:
A student once told me that I was the second weirdest teacher in the building. I am not sure if it was the dancing, the rapid arm movements as I fast-talk, or what that got me that place, but I would like to think that my bold vision for my classroom and my students helped. As the Art teacher, I have the distinct opportunity to show learning everyday. Because I work with visuals, my students learning is evidenced through drawing, painting, photography and more and shared almost instantly with others; because I post and share online, it is archived, distributed, and can take on new forms and interactions that are both unplanned and offer deeper connections for my students. My students are shown this from the start, even before they enter my classroom. Using Artsionia (which automatically updates grades from the other building to my gallery - so AMAZING), I send out newsletters to parents and even invite students to participate in a summer upload. It has been awesome to see art coming in and for students and parents to get a glimpse of what the Art class is going to be like before they enter the classroom. When they do arrive on that first day, I share our activities and even get responses by artists we are already inspired by in class. By sharing my vision for my classroom in this way, students enter with a sense of purpose and are ready to be a part of the bold vision I have planned.

Be the Bearer of Possible:
It can be easy to be a Debbie Downer. The world is a tough place with a lot of scary things going on every day. I am not advocating forgetting that in place of a know-nothing mentality, but I think it is important to act as a light of opportunity for students so they can see what is possible. Art is the act of making the unseen seen. It is my job to help students reach within themselves and figure out what they want others to see so their voice is heard. I start the year with the motto "Elevate to Excellence," setting the tone for what is expected when they become a part of the program. Each year, the k-12 program does a presentation for our Board of Education, highlighting the accomplishments from the year. I use that video to finish off the first day, right after we have cleaned up our paint or clay. I am proud to say that many of my former students who have taken that challenge have been awarded various recognitions at the local, state, and national level. I want my students to leave my class on the first day of school with messy hands and their heads full of ideas for what they are going to do next because they were inspired by those that came before them.

If you are interested in hearing more, I am excited to talk about this and more on Tuesday with the guys from AOE Live:  

Now, the Give-Away: 
I have some back-to-school goodies to send your way if you leave a comment below about your favorite take-away from Tuesday's AOE Live, featuring even more ways to make this school year your best one yet. 

Congrats to Katherine, from the last give-away - check your email and I will send your FIA goodies post haste. 

Thanks for reading and I will see you on the internets! 

One of the best parts of my job are key moments during the year that give me opportunities to pause, reflect, and pace my actions to build and maintain momentum both personally and professionally. Spring Break is an important marker every year. Those ten days of time spent away from grading, lesson plans, and time with nature, art, and my family help me take a beat to breathe and visualize how I will finish the school year in a way that propels the upcoming school year even stronger than this one. 

This Spring Break, I had the opportunity to travel to a long-time favorite destination of The Smokies in Tennessee. In addition to hiking up to Charlie's Bunion with my husband, we made sure to spend time exploring the Art Museum and River Arts District in Asheville, North Carolina. It was nice to take this time and focus my energies on physical and mental fitness, both of which allowed me to reflect on my classroom and how I can bring in aspects of mindfulness and exploration into the fold of art-making, rather than sticking with the daily grind. 

This year has been an interesting one for me professionally. I have had a lot success with students and received professional recognition in the process. It is also the year I have given the most control to my students through the use of theme-based inquiry with choice in the classroom. It is a year that I have grappled with still having one foot in a more open studio, with another in the realm of teacher directed methods. 

During my time exploring art in Asheville, I could not help but feel a responsibility to continue on my journey towards leading students to view themselves as artists and push them to explore ideas using methods and means that invent along the way. This became searingly obvious through the work I viewed in the Art Museum and during my time in the River Arts District. 

The Asheville Art Museum is a pleasure to attend. If you are ever in the area, I highly recommend it. It is an intimate space that has a wonderful collection of work that includes some of my favorites like Chuck Close, Jim Dine, and Louise Nevelson. It also features an "Art Play(ce)" where children (or people like me) are invited to play with manipulatives to explore ideas with design and space. 

In addition, they had an installation in the museum by Sharon Louden called Community, encouraging participants to interact with the shimmering display by photographing themselves within the space and using social media to share their experience. This ability to easily interact was something I enjoyed about this Museum. Even the bathroom was a testament to the accessibility of art through a street-style mural that included broad mark making, wheat paste overlays, and sharpie designs. If you are in the area, I strongly suggest you check it out (and then have lunch at The Chestnut, because it is delicious).

The River Arts District was also a great stop to make. I enjoyed being able to enter smaller gallery spaces and working studios where artists were busy at work and focusing on the creative process. It is always inspiring to see what work is being made using a diverse set of materials for a variety of purposes. I particularly enjoyed the artists who took the time to talk with me and offer me insight to their process as well as leads on how to get free supplies. If you are ever in the area, I would recommend stopping by Stephen Lange's studio to see his works created with reflective tape as well as the stampbord work by Stephanie Grimes. It was a reminder to push my students to find their voice as an artist by opening options in the classroom. 

 I am still not fully recovered from all of the learning, laughing, and dancing while conferencing it up in The Big Easy this past weekend. It was an amazing time and I had so much fun with the more than 4,000 other Art Teachers who headed down South for the 2015 National Art Education Association Conference. 

I have a lot take-aways from the conference I plan to share, but if I do it all at once, this post will be forever long. 

So, I am breaking it down into five parts, part one can be found here, part two here, part three here, part four here, and the final below:

I have a strange confession. I have only been a member of the National Art Education Association for about half of my teaching career. And even so, I may have even let my membership lapse a time or two along the way. When I started teaching right out of college in 2004, I did not understand why I also needed to be a member of my State and National Art organizations. I figured that I got a job and was competent in what I was doing, so I was set. 

I was wrong. 

Luckily, the friend I mentioned in my post about including first-timers, invited me to become a member when she also invited me to present at my first-ever conference. It was at that time and through the relationships I made as a result, that I found the community I did not even know I was missing and I am so glad I did. MAEA and NAEA offer such awesome support and resources to their membership and I am very proud to not only be a member, but contribute to the organization by actively presenting at conferences. 

You might be like how I was about five years ago. I thought I did not need NAEA or my state organization, either, to be successful in my job. And you might be right. But for me, everything clicked once I started getting involved at the State and National Level, not only presenting, but gobbling up the resources offered to members through PD, reading, and the amazing connections with such talented teachers. It helped give me the resources and confidence I needed to survive three pink slips, the crazy amount of self-doubt, and helped spark the tenacity to try and get my students work out there in competitions, exhibitions, and festivals. 

If I have learned anything from this year's conference or any other since I have been attending, it is that the more you give, the more you get. I know it is cliche, but it also happens to be true. I am so happy I was able to present again this year and hope I can continue to to contribute to this tradition of sharing and learning and bringing Art Education to a higher level for improving all programs. 

Here are some highlights from my time at the sessions this year: 

I love to present. 

It must the be 14 years of dance class in my background, but there is something very comfortable to me about being on stage and performing in some sense. I feel it when I am teaching students and when I get to share with other teachers about what I get to teach my students. It is even better when teachers share back what they have done with what they have learned at my presentations. I was especially taken with Cassie Stephens' shout out earlier this year after she adapted content from one of my most popular presentations "Dancing on Chairs (and other strategies for student success)." 

If you happen to use any of my whacky ideas in your classroom, please share. It makes me and my students happy to know we are not the only crazy ones out there. 

I am also so inspired by many of the ideas and teachers I saw present. I want to thank Peter Curran for introducing me to a new term "traditigital" and affirming what I am already doing with blended learning in my classroom. 

I was also inspired by the group participating in this year's curriculum slam. It was amazing to hear teachers share ideas about failure, exploration, and student centered learning through the promotion of choice and voice in the classroom. I especially enjoyed Steve Ciampaglia's explanation of students creating unwinnable videos, Olivia Gude's impassioned vision of student empowerment in the classroom, and Jake Myers take on video production. It was a great session and one I look forward to attending again next year (maybe I will even apply to be in it)! 

And finally, it would not be a complete conference without some great stuff to take home. Thanks again to Kimberly Cairy, September Buys, and the rest of the Middle Level group for organizing great give-aways like the one below. This combined with all of the loot given away from vendors in the exhibition hall was awesome and I am excited to share these goodies with my kiddos in the classroom as we finish the year out strong! 

If you were like me about five years ago and need an invitation to start getting involved, consider this it.  I ask for you to do so selfishly because the more teachers like you that get involved and share and present and post their ideas, the more I get to learn and become better, too! 

I hope my five-part series of #NAEA15 in NOLA was as fun to follow as it was to share. I hope you will all join me in #NAEA16 in Chicago for more dancing! 

Until then, see ya on the internets.

I am still not fully recovered from all of the learning, laughing, and dancing while conferencing it up in The Big Easy this past weekend. It was an amazing time and I had so much fun with the more than 4,000 other Art Teachers who headed down South for the 2015 National Art Education Association Conference. 

I have a lot take-aways from the conference I plan to share, but if I do it all at once, this post will be forever long. 

So, I am breaking it down into five parts, part one can be found here, part two here, part threehere, and here is part four:

This is the first year I gave myself permission to skip some of the sessions and venture into the city for small adventures. This included finding a Banksy, cementing my reputation as the ultimate speed walker, admiring artists with their art in Jackson square, exploring the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, and being inspired by the sights, sounds, and smells along the way. 

Even though I was not in a room listening to a speaker, I learned so many things during these times away from the conference and look forward to introducing my students to the new artists, ideas, and concepts conceived as I wound my way through the city in search of sights and sounds I can't find anywhere other than NOLA. 

Luckily my #artsedpln was just as interested in finding a Banksy as I was. We walked together (maybe a little too much and a little too fast) during a two hour gap in our day. It was interesting to finally get to the piece to see it was tagged. We tried to find another one what had been located close by, but it tuns out it was already painted over. That is the breaks when you are dealing with street art. If you want to go on your own Banksy adventure while in NOLA, check out this Google Map to help locate pieces. I want to thank Chris, Donna, Holly, Stacy, and Tim for venturing out to see this with me! 

One of my goals at this conference was to visit a museum. Luckily, I was not the only one. My sister and I went to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art after I heard Craig Roland recommend it at the #artsedpln meet-up. I am so glad I was able to check out the unique collection and I am so inspired to take these artists' works back to my students. 

I was particularly taken with Jim Roche's variety of works and Benny Andrews mixed media paintings. I am not sure I would have been exposed to these artists had I not left the convention center. Now, I am thinking on how I can use the symmetry seen in Roche's work when we create things like this or how we might incorporate fabric and clothing in painting or mixed media like Andrews. 

You can see more of the museum below: 

One of my favorite parts of the conference was when I crossed paths with two other art teachers (Matt and Craig) on the way back to the airport at 4 a.m., well after the conference officially concluded. When checking out of the hotel, we realized we were all headed in the same direction, so we split a cab. As we talked about our schools, students, and sessions, we also realized we shared the same flight. 

Our conversations about curriculum continued all the way up until we boarded our flight, proving that PD can happen anywhere. They shared their conference presentation and I shared mine. I learned about a free digital painting tool called Alchemy. I was so impressed with the work their students, I made sure to grab their information so I could share it with my students, too! If you are interested in seeing more student work like the image in my above tweet, check out Matt and Craig's website. They are both dynamic teachers whose students are lucky to have them in the classroom! 

I am still not fully recovered from all of the learning, laughing, and dancing while conferencing it up in The Big Easy this past weekend. It was an amazing time and I had so much fun with the more than 4,000 other Art Teachers who headed down South for the 2015 National Art Education Association Conference. 

I have a lot take-aways from the conference I plan to share, but if I do it all at once, this post will be forever long. 

So, I am breaking it down into five parts, part one can be found here, part two here, and here is the third: 

Every conference I attend offers something that I can bring back to my classroom and help improve learning for my students. There is something extra special about the National Art Education Association Convention, though. It is so strategically placed in lively cities where visuals grab a hold of me constantly, leaving me wondering how I might adapt them in my classes. They also somehow manage to bottle that energy inside the convention in the excitement and delight that is the exhibit hall of vendors! 

I was particularly captivated by one group in the exhibit hall this year: Ymm Art Education

The picture above is from their booth. If you did not get a chance to see their combination of large sculpture, small installations, and fashion design, you missed out on an opportunity to be blown away with the attention to detail and beautiful craft. They start offering fashion design courses to students as young as 6 years old, and continue offering programming through the age of 18. It was incredibly inspirational to see the work from students and hear from their leadership; it made me rethink some of the ways I could bring this back to my own classroom and how we consider the way art is offered to our youngest of students. 

I would never think to start fashion design with such young ones, but now that I have seen what is possible, I wonder why I would ever deny a child this type of expressive opportunity at any age! Conferences like this one push my thinking and help me reconsider notions I have about art, education, and what it can look like in any classroom. I have already started talking with the STEM teacher on how we can collaborate on a large sculpture and an architecture unit based on the work I saw there.

In addition to having a great time with the other vendors and getting my super cool Artsonia shirt, I also ventured out into the city with my #artsedpln (which I will talk about in part 4 of my #NAEA in NOLA series). There was so much to do and see and I am so excited to share all of it with my students in hopes they will be as inspired as I am by all of the things I witnessed. 

Check out some additional images below:

I am still not fully recovered from all of the learning, laughing, and dancing while conferencing it up in The Big Easy this past weekend. It was an amazing time and I had so much fun with the more than 4,000 other Art Teachers who headed down South for the 2015 National Art Education Association Conference. 

I have a lot take-aways from the conference I plan to share, but if I do it all at once, this post will be forever long. 

So, I am breaking it down into five parts and here is the first: 

My world of PD and connecting with other educators opened up when I joined various social media sites over the past decade. We share ideas, take away resources, and learn along side each other on Facebook and Twitter every day. It is so awesome to have some time at the conference to be with these people in person and actually talk about our passions for art, education, technology, and what we do to help our students be successful. If you would like to join in the fun, just jump online and seek us out - the more the merrier! 

I want to thank Craig Roland and Davis Publications for helping foster a meet-up at this year's conference so we could have time to connect, share, and put faces to Twitter handles! 

We also got a chance to hang out at dinner, where we shared stories from our classrooms and new ideas from the conference. Thanks again, Holly, for organizing this evening out! 

Some of the #artsedpln joined in on the fun from miles and miles away... If you want to hear some great advice about decompressing after a conference, check out Ted's blog.