FIRST SESSION!!!!!!!!!!!

Amy Chou
AA192SL
January 25, 2007
Entry #1

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Today was the first day of my residency. Ms. Williams truly has an amazing class, and each student exemplified so much potential. The students began the class by reciting a poem called “Deepest Fears,” by Maryanne Williamson. I was breath-taken by their confidence, clarity, and power in their voices. I hope that one day they will realize how significant this poem is in relation to their education and their future. I decided to teach the class about color, and the class took the assignment to an unexpected level. On student, Carmen, described to the class why she decided the draw a triangle and a circle, and what they represented. She explained the triangle as an object that represented power because of its sharp angles, while the circle represented weakness because of its roundness. Another student, Alex, created an image of a crown above a triangle and called it “King” (he had referred to himself as ‘Alexander the Great’ in the beginning of the class). These sixth grade students discussed the same topics and issues as Art students at UCLA during a critique. It is astonishing in how Art can act as a universal language, igniting complex and intellectual conversations among all ages.

As Ms. Williams and I discussed about the schedule, she brought to my attention that Carver M.S. would be on a two-month break from February to March due to the lack of funding and they make up those two months by having the long (7:30am- 3:30pm) schedule. During these two months, the Carver M.S. does not provide any extra-curricular activities for the students. Most of the students’ parents work during the day, so it leaves the students with lots of free time and more possibilities of getting into trouble. Since the school goes on a two-month break, it enables the students have sports teams or clubs. These students have no other means of expression, which is so important in the process of learning.