Guess who's baaaaack!!!???

Ok folks...I'm baaaaacck!!!  It seems like it's been FOREVER since I've last posted...though it's only been since February.  Let me tell you, this last school year has been a whirlwind!  There was so much that happened, and for the most part, it was ALL positive!!!  I apologize profusely for the lack of posts over the school year.  Being the only teacher and taking on all that I did really took all of my time.  Between taking care of two classrooms, running my Jamberry business, and spending time with my family, blogging took to the back burner.  I have received so many wonderful e-mails from fellow art teachers and advocates asking if I am done.  I assure you I am not!,

However, I can tell you that my blog is going to shift in the age level that it is geared for.  Yes...that's right.  I said a SHIFT IN AGE LEVEL!  This girl is now officially 7th-12th grade ONLY!  Well, aside form getting to have two of the 12:1:1 classes from elementary (the 3rd-6th grade students...my favorites!).

How in the world did this happen?  I still ask myself this on a daily basis and feel like it could be snatched from me in an instant.  This year, we had a new superintendent.  While we all tried to figure him out and went through our ups and downs with feeling out his views on everything, the state came in and let us know that we needed to spend a little of our reserve fund because guess what...whoops!  We have too much!  On top of our school receive more aid this year than in the past, it meant that we get to enjoy some growth in supplies and faculty!

A fellow teacher who is certified in special education is also art certified in my district, and she is coming back this year as part time elementary art and part time high school special ed.  I am SOOOO excited to have someone to plan across the grade levels with and *GASP* align curriculum with!!!  I haven't spoken those words within my own district in years!!  This means only ONE CLASSROOM...one set of requisitions from here on out...one principal to report to...ahhhh!!!

Other amazing things that happened?  I have FOUR electives next year (Photo 1, Fashion Design, Art History, and Drawing & Painting...on top of my Art 7 and Studio Art classes)...and three of which my students will be able to receive college credit from my alma mater, SUNY Potsdam, for a small fee.  Oh, and you are also looking at the new adviser for the school yearbook!  Eeek!  I've been wanting to get into yearbook once I truly became vested in the high school and this year is the year!  I will actually be co-adviser with another teacher who is elementary, so we will hopefully be able to balance everything beautifully.  Plus, I know I am going to have a lot of cross-over with yearbook members and photography students in my Photo 1 class!

Let's see, what else?  My district received a huge technology grant and the ART DEPARTMENT (eeek!  I don't get tired of saying this!) is receiving 25 iPad Airs (64 GB) to share between the two classrooms!  OMG you have no idea how excited I am about this!  So excited that I am using internet shorthand...LOL!!! ;)

I know, I feel like I'm bragging!  But seriously, after the last few years of doom and gloom in my district, I can't help it!  Plus, I busted my butt last year to prove my worth and prove that I needed another art department member so I could push my high school students to achieve great things. (Did I mention that we may actually have 3 or 4 students who graduate next year that will pursue higher education in the visual arts???  That hasn't happened in YEARS!  Like, seriously before my time at my district!)  Thus the reason my lack of posting this last school year.

So, the point of all of this is, don't give up!  I honestly was ready to change professions two years ago, when my posts on here started dwindling.  I wasn't liking where my district was going, where the NYS was going with things, and I was very pessimistic that year.  I trudged through, kept my thoughts optimistic, and kept my wits about me to prove that I am a valuable asset to my school, and guess what? It paid off!!

With that in mind, I may be changing the name of my blog in the future, since I am no longer teaching out of Room 104!  I'm not Room 309..haha!  But, I might try to go with a more generic name because let's face it.  At any time, I could revert back to being K-12 and being the only art teacher in my small district again.  But for now, the focus of this blog will be on middle school, high school, yearbook fun, art club fun, and my adventures into using TAB at the upper levels!

Ta ta for now!!