Reflection # 3 DaNcE

The reading was enlightening to say the least.  I am amazed at how much dance helps children in their learning.  It makes sense that it would help them so much,  they have all that energy that needs to be used up.  It might as well be used up productively.    I also enjoyed the activities we did in class especially the brain dance it was really relaxing and I felt a little more in tune with my body.  The machine dance would be fun to apply to a lesson where you are discussing the help or change that a machine has made to our lives, such as the cotton gin.

I don't remember doing much dance in school maybe I blocked it out of my memory.  The one time I do remember was a square dance in 6th grade where I had to dance with my neighbor who was a foot and a half taller than me.  I didn't enjoy having my struggle with hight displayed to the hole school.
I talked to my little sister who teaches 2nd grade about how much she is able to use dance in her class she said they do some in PE and she has them dance with the music activities.  But that was about the extent of it.  I want to integrate all this stuff but I can see how much of a challenge it will be do find the time to do it all.

Reflection #2

The first introduction to Drama I ever had scared me, it was in Junior High School and the Drama / Life Teacher loved Drama/Theatre and he did some kind of charades sort of game but he told us what he was before he started.  He announced that he would interpret for us Bacon.  He then got up on the desk and proceeded to make frying noises and move as if he was being fried in a pan.  It looked more like a grand mal seizure, and it scarred me, from then on I thought drama and consequently theatre was just too weird for me to understand.  Well since then I married a girl that grew up doing musical theatre and took some humanities classes that have all opened my eyes to new perspectives.

In play a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior, in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself. - Lev (Vyvotsky)  This quote showed me that I have been doing drama my whole life even when I thought it was dumb.  I love pretending and having make believe worlds.  It is how dreams come to fruition.  Learning more about drama has helped me understand the potential it has to help us grow and reach farther we would other wise.  Our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the food we oft might win, by fearing the attempt. -( William Shakespeare)  I have lost much to doubt and I know many others that have as well.  Drama seems to be a key to finding that confidence to imagine things other than how doubt shows.  Beyond giving confidence in ourselves and our skills drama is also a terrific source of hands on activities.  Which for many children is the best way to learn, and apply knowledge.

Reflection #1

As I have begun my professional Educator training I have been pleasantly surprised at how much I hoped to do is currently being taught to me.  While I was deciding to get into the program my visions of grandeur including being able to incorporate all my art skills and knowledge.  I had little to no idea that there were so many people already doing the things I want to do.  I am now very hopeful that I can find an Arts integrated school to teach at.  I have always felt my education was incomplete and it is all the aspects we have talked about that I feel I missed.  As I have talked to my wife, who recently went through UVU's teaching program and is currently teaching, about applying what she learned she has expressed some frustration that it is hard to fit even what the district and school want taught let alone adding all the arts integration and the other things she learned in school.  I know part of her struggle is being a first year teacher and just getting lessons planned is difficult.  Yet I have hope that she and I will be able to incorporate more as time goes on.  I am excited to learn more about applying visual arts into the day as well as music, being that they are a large part of my life.  I want future generations to have arts in their education because of how much it adds to life, how it allows us to breach culture walls, gives a base to understand different people, and it is such a healthy escape from life which in itself  makes it invaluable.

I have decide I would try to include some kind of art work that I have done or been involved with in each post.  This particular piece is entitled Enlightened it is a self portrait about me getting carried away with my ideas.  Hopefully school will continue to provide these ideas for me.