Marc Chagall

Why Teach for America should rue the day they rejected me:

Ok, maybe that was a bit of an overstatement, but I am pretty darn good at what I do. The kids seem to like me too (this sign was given to me by a girl I made move seats, yelled at just a little bit, and took away her headband after she threw it at another student). I think it says something when even the sometimes difficult students still like me. And even if it doesn't mean anything, it makes me feel good none the less!

We learned about Marc Chagall today. Not being the most informed in the art department, I had never heard of him til I saw a lesson plan based on his work on kinderart (thank heavens for this amazing site). He was a pretty cool guy, and made some amazing art. One of his most famous works is called I and the Village.

A lot of his works are based on the Jewish community in Russia where he grew up. Obviously, he was a painter who expressed his feelings rather than real life in his painting. I mean the man is green!

So with this painting as our inspiration I gave the children the assignment to draw an X across their paper and fill in each triangle with an animal, a person, what they're thinking about, and what they're dreaming about. Here are a few of the products from todays class:

I am deeply grieved to report that poetry week is officially dead! For some reason this year, the powers that be seem to think that we are unable to come up with our own lesson plans. For the next few days we have to read to all the kids as a collective after school group until someone has all the lessons planned for the rest of the semester. Let me just say what entertains kindergarten children does not work for 6th graders. I also spent at least an hour last night looking up songs and lyrics that rhymed so we could listen to music during class today...all for naught! I also wasted quite a bit of paper printing said song lyrics. Alas, I suppose this is just another testament to the fact that life is not fair (insert resigned sigh here).