Entry #2

Amy Chou
AA 192SL
February 1, 2007
Entry #2

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

We began the class with a brief history of the famous Japanese artist, Hokusai. Despite the fact that it was 7:26am, the students were very attentive and eager to create works of art. The students were assigned to create their own interpretation of a wave, incorporating their own sense of style. One student, Alex, designed a wave that transformed into a dinosaur. Another student cropped the size of her print, and overlapped them on top of one another in a diagonal direction. The decision-making in the choice of size, style, perspective, and depth are all characteristics of what defines as a creative artist. Drawn by the vibrant colors spilling over the roller, the students were ecstatic to print and reprint their etchings.

As the rest of the class participated in the workshop, a few had to sit out and complete their previous day’s homework. This brought up the issue of making sure students complete their homework—as a teacher, how does one reinforce the importance of homework and how to seek help in completing it as well. I also noticed a parent came in to speak to Ms. Williams in regards of her son’s problem in completing his homework. Ms. Williams had to ask one of the students translate for her—how important is it for a teacher to know Spanish, particularly teaching in a school made of mostly Latinos? How do teachers promote parent involvement in a student’s academic life? Many of these parents work all day or speak English, so what can the teachers, the school, the school district, and the community do to promote a stronger relationship between the parents, the students, and the schools?