Reflection #1

My experience with art, seem really small compared to other aspects of my education. I remember doing some art projects in school, I played the piano, and danced when I was younger. It wasn't until recently that I even thought of dance as an art. Now as I watch dancing, I wonder how I didn't think of it as an art from the very beginning. I am sure my teachers integrated art at some point but I can not think of anything special that sticks out. I do remember writing stories and illustrating them. I also still have a picture of a dinosaur I drew one year along with a report I did about the dinosaur. Reading through the first chapters of the book, I think the main thing I have learned is that art doesn't have to be its own separate subject you can integrate it with any subject.
The arts have helped shape me in to who I am. Being involved in the arts helped me learn many life lessons. Dancing and playing the piano taught me about friendship, disipline, responciblility and many other lessons. Some of the best qualities that my favorite teachers had are, engaging, thoughtful, fun. My favorite teachers went out of there way to make sure each student knew that they were important. I had a teacher that when we would walk into class, he would have us pick up a worksheet and that is what we would do for the period. He would rarely talk to the class, this made him seem very unapproachable, this is not a quaility I believe a teacher should have.
I need to focus on the ideas and techniques that will help me intergrate the arts into my classroom. I am hoping to have alot of resources to help me remember how easy it really is to intergrate the arts! My goal is to have my students know that art doesn't have to be its own subject, that it can be apart of everyday life.