(This blog is from the Summer of 2016.)
It’s been a while since my last post! Three more camps have taken place – and it was very interesting to see campers from week 1 reappear in week 4, sometimes with their siblings too. I miss them already. While it’s great that I get to meet so many new personalities every week, I wish I had more time with each of them. I’ve learned a lot about teaching and managing a classroom. While I had volunteered at an arts camp in high school, I always ran into the problem of getting kids to listen to me. Perhaps it was because I wasn’t that much older than some of them, and probably more because I wasn’t authoritative enough. I’ve learned to fake confidence and authority until it becomes reality. Of course, now that I’ve finally gotten a grasp on handling kids from grades 1-6, I’ll be working with teenagers during this last week of the program.
It’s hard to say what impact, if any, that I’ve had on these kids. It takes time for these things to manifest, something that I realized when looking back and thinking about the people who had influenced me the most and in the most positive ways. The majority of those were my teachers, especially my music teachers, who I’d known for years, and who contributed to my development as a person. And yet, I’ve not told them any of this. All they can see plainly is improvement in my renditions of Chopin and Beethoven, my hard work, my failures, and my successes. Once I get back home, I will make sure to tell all my teachers whom I’m most thankful for about the difference they’ve made in my life.
I can only hope that my efforts this summer will contribute to my students’ passion for art and ability to overcome frustrations. They might not remember my name, but as long as they continue to be creative and express themselves through making art, I’ll be satisfied.
I’ve made another video slideshow, this time focusing more on timing images with music, and playing around with the Ken Burns effect. I’ve upgraded to using iMovie, which is sometimes too much for my laptop to handle and it would start overheating. I can’t blame it after I spilled almond milk all over it two weeks ago…
No use crying over spilt milk, they said.
I almost did cry a little bit when that happened. It was a lot like making a mistake on an art project, and thus, I had to work with it. I couldn’t toss my laptop in the trash and start over, nor could I erase the milk away. I had to be resourceful and implement the skills we often push the students to employ – thinking fast and creatively. I quickly powered down and unplugged, setting my laptop upside-down over a towel while I called every Apple store within 10 miles, and frantically googled on my phone…. Thankfully my laptop got away unscathed enough for me to make this slideshow.
Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ebvZo0gxuS4