Reflect Respond Renew Teacher Institute Anthology 20/21

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Museum of Art - DeLand’s 2020-21 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute Participating Volusia County Teacher and Student Anthology

Experience the Power of Art Museum of Art - DeLand 600 N. Woodland Blvd. DeLand, FL 32720 Museum of Art - DeLand Downtown 100 N. Woodland Blvd., DeLand, FL 32720 MoArtDeLand.org ▪ 386.734.4371 Established in 1951, the Museum of Art - DeLand, Florida, is a vital and interactive non-profit community visual arts museum dedicated to the collecting, preservation, study, display and educational use of the fine arts. The Museum of Art - DeLand, Florida, is a 501(c)3 organization incorporated in the State of Florida and is a member of the American Alliance of Museums and the Florida Association of Museums. Gallery Hours Tuesday - Saturday 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday 1 to 4 p.m.

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Copyright 2021 Museum of Art - DeLand, Florida. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other method without written consent by the Museum of Art - DeLand, Florida.

Sponsored in part by the State of Florida, Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs and the Florida Council on Arts and Culture.

A Special Thank You “I would like to extend a personal thank you to the following individuals for their support and participation in this year-long program.” Pam Coffman Curator of Education Museum of Art - DeLand Art of Reflection and Response Teacher’s Institute Director

The Family of Dr. Evans C. Johnson for their ongoing and generous sponsorship of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. Betty Drees Johnson for her unwavering patronage and support of the Museum’s education programs for children, youth and the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. Bryce Hammond, Visual Art Specialist, Volusia County Schools for his invaluable support and assistance with the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute.

To our new teachers participating in 2020-21: Margaret (Peggy) Fox - Holly Hill School ▪ - Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer - Pine Ridge High ▪ Dr. Grace Kellermeier - Volusia County Schools ▪ Jillian Janiec Larriviere - Forest Lake Elementary ▪ Nicole Rose-Peadick - Heritage Middle ▪ Harley Sage - DeLand Middle ▪ Adebisi Shittu - Campbell Middle ▪ Heather Tareco-Anderson - Edgewater Public School ▪ Stephanie Tsompanidis - Pine Ridge High ▪ Carrie Van Tol - Mainland High ▪ Rachel Weems - Reading Edge Academy ▪ Andrew Wilson - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts

To our returning teachers participating in 2020-21: Joy Burke - Deltona High ▪ Mary Cancilla - Volusia Online Learning ▪ Katherine Crane Manatee Cove Elementary ▪ Timothy S. Deary - Taylor Middle-High ▪ Jane Failer - R.J. Longstreet Elementary ▪ Andrea Finkle - DeLand High ▪ David Finkle - DeLand High ▪ Marie French - Holly Hill School ▪ Amanda L. Muessig - New Smyrna Beach Middle ▪ Jennifer Olsen - Volusia Online Learning ▪ Mary Amber Osmun - Westside Elementary ▪ Ann Sejansky - DeLand High ▪ Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown - Stetson University ▪ Jennifer Slone/Lupica - Pine Ridge High ▪ Darlene Stewart - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts ▪ Khorletta Sutton-Cressor - Deltona Middle ▪ Keisha Wallace - Campbell Middle ▪ Judy Williamson - Pine Ridge High ▪ Kathryn B. Wilson - DeLand High

The analogy that “life is like an uncertain rollercoaster ride,” is a perfect description of 2020 and the beginning of 2021. I am an admitted control freak and definitely not a person who enjoys thrill rides, with their rickety steep climbs, gut wrenching rapid descents, and breath sucking sharp curves. Just the thought of these rides gives me an uneasy, queasy feeling, and my COVID-19 emotional rollercoaster ride compounded this by adding stress, anxiety, helplessness, anger and loss. As Curator of Education at the Museum of Art – DeLand, my unexpected wild ride began in mid -March 2020 when everything was put on lockdown. It was like being stalled, teetering mid-air at the top of the rollercoaster loop with no way down. All the Museum’s education programs came to an abrupt halt. Schools remained closed after spring break and new federal, state and local mandates were being issued daily. The highly anticipated reception and celebration for the teachers who completed the 2019 -2020 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute was canceled for the first time in six years. The participating teachers had invested eight months of time and effort into the program and the event would have served as a “graduation” and public acknowledgment of their accomplishments. The teachers ended the program without closure and much deserved recognition. When it came time in late April to begin plans for the 2020-21 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute everything was in limbo. We were still stuck at the top of the COVID-19 rollercoaster loop with no direction on how to start moving again. Could we provide in-person training and still follow all the CDC guidelines? Would teachers feel safe enough to attend in-person sessions? Given all the changes they were facing with on-line, hybrid, and virtual instruction would they even have the time, energy or desire to attend another Professional Development program? With in-class instruction occurring on a limited basis, how would we get the information out to potential participants? Could the program be successful in a virtual format? Our guiding vision for the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute was to offer Professional Development that put teachers first giving them tools to overcome the challenges and systems that often make their work seem impossible. The most valuable lesson learned from our previous Teacher Institutes was the importance of building a nurturing community, collaboration, and connecting on a personal level with each other, so a virtual Institute did not seem to be a viable option. It took a leap of faith and optimism, but plans were made to proceed with inperson training. Applications were sent out with a commitment to provide a safe environment for the training sessions by implementing social distancing, strict cleaning and mask protocols and other appropriate guidelines. Despite the worsening pandemic the response was much greater than anticipated. In July of 2020 eighteen teachers entered the New Teacher Cohort training and twenty-three teachers came back for the Returning Teacher Cohort. The Institute for new teachers focused on enhancing personal creativity and identifying and sharing their unique stories. Stories are used in so many ways to teach and persuade and are a powerful method of communication. Storytelling offers teachers and students the opportunity to connect to, relate to, or see the world from someone else’s perspective.

Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Teachers, by Elena Aguilar was the primary text for the returning teachers. The objective of their training was to explore ways to cultivate emotional resilience and compassion in their teaching practice. “Even in the hardest moments,” Elena Aguilar says, “if we can shift into a stance of appreciation, we can build our resilience.” This concept inspired the development of activities for both groups to encourage the practice of self-reflection and gratitude in their personal and professional life. One activity for all the teachers was to create a Treasure Chest of Gratitude where they could reflect on and record positive things that made them happy or grateful in their daily or weekly teaching. As the school year progressed this became much more of a challenge prompting many honest, heartfelt and heart wrenching conversations. The Institute sessions continued as our COVID-19 rollercoaster careened out of control and the teachers faced more challenges personally and professionally. Some of our teachers were moved to different schools or given new teaching assignments. Others decided to transfer to Virtual School and a few left teaching. As a result, some of our new teachers withdrew from the program. When we came together for the training sessions the uncertainty, stress and frustration were palpable. However, the sense of community, encouragement and understanding made each Institute session a safe, non-judgmental place to share successes, failures, tears, laughter, and an occasional rant. The Institute training reinforced the knowledge that we were on this ride together. It provided the time to discover instants of gratitude and positivity amid overwhelming challenges. The training encouraged reflection on what was good in order to find an appreciation for the ordinary successes that may go unnoticed. There were many discussions on resilience as a positive side effect of overcoming setbacks, and strategies were shared to cultivate and strengthen emotional resilience, empathy and compassion. The sessions functioned as a way to confront feelings of loss and anxiety and offered opportunities to reflect on what is truly important to keep moving forward. The value of expressing our creative spirit and taking responsibility for authoring our own stories was woven into each training. Collectively we came to understand that we cannot always choose our “life’s rollercoaster ride”, but we can learn how to respond and grow form the challenges that it gives us to become the best version of ourselves. Ana Ortega said “Life can be like a roller coaster with its ups and downs. What matters is whether you are keeping your eyes open or closed during the ride and who is next to you.” I cannot think of a better group of people to have next to me on this scary ride. Their compassion, empathy, tenacity and dedication to their students and teaching profession amazed and inspired me every session.

Pam Coffman, Curator of Education Museum of Art - DeLand and Director of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute

Teacher Comments The following comments were shared by some of the teachers on the End of Seminar Survey.

It is lovely to be in a workshop that values us as teachers and individuals and respects our time. I enjoyed learning and practicing new ways of approaching curriculum. I think it is important to approach all subjects with a creative mindset. There were a lot of activities that brought out the creativity in me. Things I didn’t know I could do. My favorite part of the seminar was the interaction with other teachers of like mind. It validated me as a teacher and inspired me as a former artist/art lover who lost that part of myself along the life journey. I have enjoyed getting out of my comfort zone and love seeing other forms of instruction to incorporate art in my classroom activities. I really enjoyed this journey and loved to learn. I also enjoyed the collegial relationships with passionate educators. Every time I have attended the Art of Reflection and Response, I have learned something new and grown as an educator. I strongly recommend this workshop for teachers. The ideas and activities that we get from this seminar make me feel so inspired with creative ideas to use in my own teaching practice. So many great tools have been added to my teacher “toolbox”. Thank you to all who make this possible. I don’t really have any words to express my gratitude for this important creative space. I loved the activities in this class which were always thought-provoking and creative, and I also loved the time to share just as much. Time with colleagues to actually talk about what matters in teaching is very, very, rare these days. The Art of Reflection and Response is, I believe, about the only place I know of where it happens these days. I would not have the coping skills to deal with the stress of teaching without this class. I need the interactions and push to make myself a better teacher.

The selected artworks and writing included in this publication were produced by the new and returning teacher participants in the 2020-21 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute and from students in their respective classes. The Museum’s Department of Education worked collaboratively with Bryce Hammond, Visual Art Specialist, Volusia County Schools to develop and implement this professional development program. and accompanying classroom materials and resources.

2020-21 New Teacher Participants Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute Margaret (Peggy) Fox

Holly Hill School

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer

Pine Ridge High

Dr. Grace Kellermeier

Volusia County Schools

Jillian Janiec Larriviere

Forest Lake Elementary

Nicole Rose-Peadick

Heritage Middle

Harley Sage

DeLand Middle

Adebisi Shittu

Campbell Middle

Heather Tareco-Anderson

Edgewater Public School

Stephanie Tsompanidis

Pine Ridge High

Carrie Van Tol

Mainland High

Rachel Weems

Reading Edge Academy

Andrew Wilson

Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts

Margaret (Peggy) Fox World History, Grade 6 and Civics Grade 7 - Holly Hill School

The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has been a golden thread of consistent support, creativity, and positive professional development during this most unusual time in education. I began my teaching career in December 2019 just three months before the emergency school closures and immediate immersion into virtual school. Needless to say, it has been an interesting time to make this transition, however, the institute has provided space for personal reflection and growth. I knew that teaching would be very challenging, but it is hard to wrap my head around how my life has changed over the past year. Based on my work in the Education Department at Stetson University, I knew that teaching was complex and took years of practice. I also understood the path to certification and how important it is to pass the tests, check all the boxes, pay the fees, and find the right opportunity in the school district. What I didn’t realize was the amount of energy it takes to be “on” for 6 periods each day… all while constantly adapting to whatever happens minute by minute. I have learned to be thankful for the small gifts and blessings this year. It could be a smile from a student or someone really asking “how I am doing” that makes my day. My time during school days has become a precious commodity. It is difficult to find time to take care of myself and complete the “to do” list for school or home. However, I continue to feel thankful for the students and the supportive staff at school. I also am thankful for the extraordinary educators in the Institute. Their ideas are inspiring and each person in the room has added something different to the conversation. Our leader, Pam, has offered her time, talent, and resources to the institute. This professional development opportunity has not only been a calm respite during an unsettling time, but it has also provided important resources I plan to use in the classroom. My students have responded positively to creative opportunities and I look forward to incorporating more in the future.

Margaret (Peggy) Fox Lesson/Activity: Art Critique of the Terracotta Warriors, Grade 6, World History Objective: Students will describe and analyze four images of the Terracotta Warriors from the Qin Empire in Ancient China. After the critique, each student will create a pattern to represent their own version of the patterns found in the armor of the Terracotta Warriors. Students can create the pattern by rubbing or tracing objects found in the classroom or school buildings. Description of the Lesson: Whole group instruction: PowerPoint – Terracotta Warriors Tended Video – Qin Empire and the Terracotta Warriors Critique Questions and Discussion Individual assignment: Each student was asked to find a pattern in an ordinary classroom object or something on the school building. They each did a rubbing using a plain piece of white paper and a crayon. A few students traced objects instead of rubbing. Once the image was created, the students cut the paper to resemble the armor from the Terracotta Warriors. The final project for each student was a completed critique and the paper armor with the repeating pattern. Reflection: Students were highly engaged throughout the assignment. I noticed that they were willing to practice different rubbing techniques and were open about the creative process. We began our unit on Ancient China with a See, Think, Wonder exercise. Many of my students lack confidence academically, and share with me that they feel overwhelmed with the expectations at school. This creative outlet has allowed students to explore and let go of some of the stress from school assignments. I also believe this lesson has helped build community and trust in our classroom. I plan to continue offering creative options aligned with the World History standards.

Margaret (Peggy) Fox Art Critique of the Terracotta Warriors continued

De’Naye Blakely, Grade 6

Margaret (Peggy) Fox Art Critique of the Terracotta Warriors continued

Lucia Velasco, Grade 6

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer Environmental Science, Earth/Space Science, Marine Science, Grades 9-12 - Pine Ridge High School I went into this school year knowing that it was going to be vastly different. That it was going to be a struggle. There was still so much uncertainty and mixed messages. Were we going to reopen? Will it be safe? What will the teachers’ responsibility even be? The emotions from the previous year still clung to me as we were waiting for more information. Was I going to tell my students I would see them in two weeks and then never get to properly say goodbye? When I attended the first class in this institute these questions seemed to hang in the air from all of us. But then we were given a different question, one that would provide some focus through the haze, what do we want our classroom story to be? That question alone gave me more power than I realized at the time. The situation that we were all going through did not have to define our classrooms. I could still create a fun supportive environment where students engage and learn. To say this year did not have roadblocks would be a lie. We were all learning how to navigate these drastic changes together. My classroom culture was being built on flexibility, feedback, and the understanding that things would get better. I was writing notes for my gratitude box daily. Until I got the heartbreaking news. I was losing most of the students I had grown a rapport with, as well as my support facilitator, and I was suddenly teaching classes that I have never taught before with just a few days’ notice. My gratitude card that day simply read “I am grateful I got to say goodbye properly this time.” The box did not get touched for a while after that. I am not sure I would have turned things around so quickly if it were not for this institute. Sometimes teaching can be isolating, especially when your coworkers are also stressed and just trying to get through the day. Having this time set aside to talk to my peers from other schools and share these experiences gave me confidence and hope. I was not the only one going through this, I was not alone. My classroom story started to shift. It became about appreciation and resilience. I have learned so many new skills this year that I am sure would have taken me years to master in other situations. Over half the class quarantined? No sweat. Internet unstable and the students online cant hear you? Procedures already in place. One student quarantined three times in one quarter? We can figure this out and help him pass. I feel like I have grown into a better teacher overall. I am more flexible, and I feel like I can adapt to anything that gets thrown at me. I am going into the final quarter confident and happy. My gratitude box is no longer collecting dust and has had new life blown into it.

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer Lesson/Activity: Seafloor Spreading Project, Marine Science This lesson used concepts taken from the independent book study assigned in this course. The goal of this lesson plan was to promote creativity in the classroom and for my marine science students to demonstrate their knowledge of seafloor spreading. In order to promote creativity, I left the final product entirely up to the students. I did provide suggestions to help students that need more direction. I also gave students a list of questions and concepts that their product must cover. After introducing the project, I allowed students to spend the rest of the class period forming their ideas and beginning their projects. Some students were a bit frustrated by the lack of explicit instruction, however started having fun once they got started. Other students were enjoying simply asking different ideas to see what they would be allowed to do. This was the first time I had given them this much freedom in an assignment. I did my best to give students time to be creative and not rush the process; their only goal for that day was to come up with an idea and start planning. This strategy seemed to work since by the second day every student had an idea of what they wanted to create. I gave students a total of three class periods to work on the project. The majority of students did not use the class time to create their project, instead, they used it to plan and research. Students took information from their notes and supplemented learning gaps with online research or asking their peers as they worked. Although I did not require a rough draft, about one-third of the class still made one. The final result was a variety of different types of projects, all of a much higher quality than I normally receive. Many students decided to create art that they paired with an explanation to reach the project requirements. Other projects varied from traditional essays to stories and even a podcast. What shocked me the most about this lesson is that several students who are normally difficult to engage started working on the project with little or no prompting. Most students genuinely enjoyed the project and stayed focused and engaged. Even the ones who had groaned when I announced a project was coming up were participating. The day the project was due the classroom was alive with excitement. It was difficult to even take attendance because instead of doing their bell work students were trying to show their friends in the class their project. I displayed all of the art-based projects around the classroom for a while, which is something I do with most projects. This was the first time I ever had students ask when they were getting their work back so they could take it home. They seemed like they were proud of their work. That alone would have made the lesson a success after such a stressful year. However, as an added bonus, the class average was almost 20% higher than the previous project with only three students needing to make any kind of corrections.

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer Seafloor Spreading Project continued

Tela Burman, Grade 11

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer Seafloor Spreading Project continued

Ian Olsen, Grade 11

Kelly-Ann Hammerdorfer Seafloor Spreading Project continued

Koa Thornton, Grade 12

Dr. Grace Kellermeier Coordinator of World Languages, Electives & Special Programs (Performing Arts, Visual Arts, Health & Physical Education, Athletics) Volusia County Schools As the coordinator of Electives, I needed to develop my understanding of the Visual Arts. Trained and practiced as a French teacher, a lifelong global citizen and traveler, I appreciate the famous and iconic Visual Arts. A prolific knitter, I love to create and serve others. A lover of school and every subject, including extra-curricular sports, theater and chorus, my weakest K12 curriculum area was art. I got off the Visual Art bus after 6th grade, so I have been working hard in my current job role to catch up. Our Volusia County Schools Visual Art Specialist and real-life artist, Mr. Bryce Hammond, teaches me about K-12 Visual Arts curriculum, and I was thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in Art of Reflection. Retired Art teacher and Museum of Art DeLand Education Curator Pam Coffman led us in learning, provided parameters and space for us to create and share. Through the institute, I learned quickly that I AM CREATIVE, regardless of whether I draw well. Spoiler alert: Drawing well is not a skill that I possess. My cohort and I learned very quickly that all teachers are CREATIVE, masters of invention and spontaneity, especially now. We are living through this moment in our human civilization, together. So many opportunities to grow and share, together. A time and space to empathize, comfort and heal, together. Sharing experiences, perspectives and solutions, together. Lifting each other up during our school year of living with COVID masks, COVID hybrid instruction and COVID quarantines. Hanging on with one hand and letting go with the other. Creativity, visual and verbal literacy belong in every content area. In World Languages and Cultures, a picture is worth at least 1,000 words. Whether an English-language-learner or a learner of one of our 6 Volusia County Schools spoken and signed languages, visual representation through image and gesture is powerful. Visual representation allows teachers to provide comprehensible input to the learners, teachers modeling and eliciting language, visual representations supporting comprehension. Language production itself requires creativity, learners figuring out ways to communicate a message with their developing language skills. Learning a language is a creative process, requiring circumnavigation at most levels, dancing around asyet undeveloped language to create a comprehensible message. So many of the activities and exercises that we did throughout the institute can be adapted to the World Languages classroom. The Personal Creativity Survey can be adapted easily into Target Language adjectives, A Picture is Worth 6 Words, See-Think-Wonder and the FiveFrame Story, the institute will allow me to organize some great professional learning for our World Languages teachers, both within and beyond Volusia County. Although I no longer teach my own students, the learning that the Institute has provided will impact countless students through their teachers. Members of our cohort also provided rich ideas to the group,

including a Social Emotional Learning (SEL) activity called “New Year’s Intention” from Carrie Van Tol. With her permission, I adapted the activity to student’s target language and included t as a new event in our annual Volusia County Schools World Languages Festival. Each of us within the cohort shared ideas, learning across the content areas, traveling together. For the past 52 years, Volusia County Schools World Languages teachers have organized a World Languages Festival. Originally more focused on language production and performance through poetry and impromptu speaking, we have expanded the event to include many visual arts events, including Art Around the World and Photography Around the World, allowing students to interact with and reflect upon their world cultures experiences both locally and globally. We include digital events, such as Cultural Meme, where students must caption in target language an original photograph. Aligned to Advanced Placement World Languages & Cultures courses, we have also added a few Cultural Comparison events, encouraging students to dig deeper into aspects of cultures other than their own. The flyer for one event very intentionally includes images of Día de los Muertos, All Saints, La Toussaint, Martinmas and Halloween, images of and references to similarly themed global celebrations, a response to bigotry and an effort to educate our communities. Visual Arts and World Languages dance very well, together. The following are examples of 2 of the 14 events that we created for the 2021 World Languages Festival. Cultural Meme

Cultural Comparison Cultural Comparison is a task on the Advanced Placement World Language tests. We are asked to compare an aspect of target culture with the culture of a community with which we are familiar, either personally or through learning For this event, select a GLOBAL celebration about which you have learned or with which you are familiar. Create a presentation that compares BOTH the target culture celebration and a celebration from your own culture or community. For example, present a comparison of Jour de la Bastille (le 14 juillet) and US Independence Day (July 4th). Ideas to get you thinking: ▪ Día de los Muertos ▪ ASL Community Events ▪ Tour de France ▪ Oktoberfest ▪ Weihnachtsmarkt ▪ Quinceañera ▪ Старый Новый год ▪ Los 3 Reyes ▪ kiden 駅伝 Can you identify the following similarly-themed popular global celebrations? Answers: Martinmas, Halloween, Día de los Muertos (Not pictured here: La Toussaint, All Saints)

Creativecommons.org (Martinmas, Halloween) Volusia County Schools grade K-5 Art Hispanic Heritage Month Frida Kahlo Sugar Skull Project (5th grade coloring page)

Thank you to Betty Drees Johnson, who generously funds the Art of Reflection. Thank you also to Pam, Bryce and the team that develop the Art of Reflection, each year. I am so thankful for the opportunity to have traveled on this path with my colleagues, my cohort. I hope that many will be able to continue this journey, art for our souls.

Dr. Grace Kellermeier Lesson/Activity: Five Frame Story, World Languages Presentational Writing: WL.K12.NH.5.1 Write descriptions and short messages to request or provide information on familiar topics using phrases and simple sentences. Interpretive Listening: WL.K12.NH.1.5 Demonstrate understanding of simple stories or narratives. Interpersonal Communication: WL.K12.NH.3.1 Engage in short social interactions using phrases and simple sentences. Prepare and present visually-orally your story: 1. Select an image that represents each of the following categories: a. People b. Animals c. Nature/weather d. Monuments/interiors/places e. Action or miscellaneous 2. Arrange the images in an order that creates a visual story line. 3. Develop one main character based on one of the images. 4. Determine the place or setting of your story, based on one of the images. 5. Determine the mood of the story, based on one of the images. 6. Determine the problem or issue that the main character faces in your story. 7. Tell your story using the past tenses in your target language: ▪ Remember that descriptions, place, setting, mood are ongoing IMPERFECT actions. ▪ Remember that problems, issues, single events that have ended are PRETERITE actions. 8. Give your story a title. Bonus: Make something about your story relevant to target culture(s). On presentation day: Listen to your classmates’ Five Frame Story presentations. Write down a clarifying question in target language of EACH story presented, addressing your classmate-author by name. This will be a follow-up small group activity, groups randomly assigned. Presentation Rubric Lowest

Highest

Comprehensibility

Accuracy (structure)

Appropriate vocabulary

Task completion 1 Total points: _________ / 20

Comments/corrections/feedback:

Five Frame Story Grace Kellermeier Wang Xiù Ying-currently the most popular women’s name in China. It means elegant and brave. Guangdong Province, China-historically landowners, achievement oriented, now known for manufacturing. Cotswolds, England-scenic, rural, perhaps xenophobic

Is There Fresh Air, anywhere? Wang Xiù Ying recently moved away from Guangdong province, China. Guangdong province is famed for the manufacture of plush and plastic toys. Her family is wealthy, her father an owner of the Fun Factory. Aware of the toxins in the air, the questionable labor and animal testing practices, she decided to take her education and go to Europe on a temporary work visa. Wang decided that the quintessential European location is the Cotswolds in English. She arrived on a crisp, Spring morning to the sound of birds in the trees. The air was so fresh and full, and she was able to fill her lungs in a way that she never could at home. When she arrived at the house, she immediately noticed a fence further down the path. She placed her bags on the porch and continued towards the beckoning view. As she approached the fence, her fresh air quickly soured at an acrid, pungent offence. She heard a grunting sound beyond the trees. As she reached the fence and peered around, she saw a few pig sties, pigs roaming around and rooting in the earth, for what, she had no idea. These people have their own challenges, it would seem. “Is there fresh air anywhere?”, she thought.

Inclusion Grace Kellermeier A year for our history books and our memories Multiple mass schedule changes, continuous vacancies, hybrid instruction with students both in the classroom and on the computer. Katarina, ¿Cuáles quehaceres hiciste ayer? Katarina…Katarina… ¿Dónde estás? Volusia Live and Art on a Cart, as Special Area rotates in and out of some classrooms. All County performances, choral and instrument masks, bell covers, spacing. What about PE, synchronous versus asynchronous due to a lack of outside internet New vocabulary for us to use, helping us to communicate the plan efficiently. The show must go on, safely. Athletics and spectator protocols, mask policy and quarantines, taking temperatures. Teachers being counted on to work miracles, rising to the challenge, as usual. Equipment and station sanitizing, every class period. No naked noses. Desk shields. Emotionally draining, jumping through hoops to engage students. We are all first-year teachers. Exhausted on a Saturday at Art of Reflection, coming to refill with art and possibilities, recharge. A few tears, a lot of encouragement, standing together in sacred space, the shared experience. Walk a mile in my shoes, everyone has an opinion about what we should do. “Just…” nothing. Feelings have been amplified on many levels, illuminating. ¿Día de los Muertos? Oh no, Señor. My children aren’t going to learn about that. But it’s just like All Saints, same premise, different culture. Originally pagan, anyway. Some wear a hijab, others wear a bikini top in the same public space. Global beauty. So many walls. There is no such thing as weird. Try instead “How interesting; tell me more.” Creating affirming spaces so that all children have the right to thrive, not just survive. Culturally responsive teaching, global community. What are you? I’m a human being. Trying to love my neighbor, even those with 6-month-old political signs installed. Are we more similar or different? Whatever you believe, you’re right. Who is my neighbor? A year of second chances. We are among the privileged to be able to keep moving forward.

Jillian Janiec Larriviere Visual Art, Grades Pre-K-5 - Forest Lake Elementary My name is Jillian Janiec Larriviere and I am a Pre-k-5th grade Visual Arts teacher at Forest Lake Elementary in Deltona Florida. I have heard nothing but good things about the Teacher Institute and I was told by my mentor that has taken it that I should do it. So, I took a chance totally outside of my comfort level and decided to sign up because we could do it together, she didn’t sign up this year, so I was on my own. I really went back and forth about following through with it. I am not going to lie, it was touch and go on the car ride over, I made it to the building and then I had to get out of my car and up the steps……. I had an inner struggle with myself that July morning, but I made it into the building and into the classroom. I really enjoyed my 3 days there over the summer. It was really the first time interacting with people since lockdown that March. It was exactly what my soul had been needing and it was like something greater than me led me to signing up. I needed to be in that classroom refreshing my mind, body, and soul. I have neglected creating my own art for a long time now and I have learned from taking this class that I need to continue to express myself. I tell my students how beneficial it is for them to create and release the emotions of the day, so I really need to follow my own advice. My participation in this institute has benefitted me both personally and professionally in the ways I just explained. I think that the better me I can be my students can see and feel that energy and feed off it, so I would rather radiate positivity than negativity. Even though I teach art, the Institute has shown me new skills, such as writing exercises to incorporate into my daily routine in my classroom. I have found a new way to introduce my students to the importance of observation and how to really look at something. I have found a way to slow it down and have them take a deeper look and use their critical thinking skills. I have tried not to rush my students with bombarding them with so much to get down, I want them to appreciate art for what it is and develop a genuine love for it. I explain to them that there will be art that you hate, love, are confused by, art that makes you sad, or happy. At the end of the day I want my students to be exposed to a variety of art and artists and they can determine for themselves what they like and discover why they like it by using the tools and lessons from the Art Institute to help them reach those decisions. My hope for my classroom story is that my students feel safe and secure in my room to have an appreciation and a love of art like I do. I want them to feel my excitement and energy as I introduce new artists and art pieces and maybe find their style of art that reignites them. I want all my students to leave my room believing that they are an artist and their story is something important to share with the world. I want my students to know they are loved and feel the love we have for one another in our classroom. I hope to teach them to look beyond the surface and look deeper into the artworks and find what the artist is trying to tell us with the clues provided, I believe this skill will help them as they get older and encounter circumstances in a social setting. Critical thinking skills are important across all curriculums and fit in perfectly into analyzing art. I am grateful that I have been given the opportunity to attend the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher institute, I know that I have benefitted, and my students and future students can receive the same knowledge bestowed upon me. I hope to continue attending this institute in the future.

Jillian Janiec Larriviere Lesson/Activity: See, Think, Wonder, Grade 5, Visual Art The objective of this lesson is to have students pause and take a deeper look into a painting or visual image to determine what they can see, what they think it is about, and wonder what is happening or going to happen in the artwork. This can encourage students to use critical thinking which will be beneficial in other curriculums. I introduced my 5th grade students to the SEE, THINK, WONDER activity by asking them to look at 10 different art works and pick the one that they were drawn to. I had them write down the title and the artist on their paper. I asked them to divide their page into 3 sections, one being see, one being think, one being wonder. I prompted them to write down as many things that the can see by looking at the art, next to include everything you think is going on in the painting, and finally; what do you wonder about this piece you chose based on looking at it. Students had about 5 minutes to decide after looking at the paintings to pick the one that spoke to them. After deciding on the painting, students were given about 5 minutes to write down their category information in the see, think, wonder columns. When the time was up, they were given 25 minutes to create a short story based on their observations and asked to create their own interpretation of the art they chose. I think that overall this lesson was a success, I know some of my students struggled to have more than one answer for each category, but with more practice of this technique I think there is room for growth. I know that this is an important skill to introduce, because critical thinking is used in all curriculums. This will help them throughout life to infer and look deeper into images and even social situations they may encounter. I think my students enjoyed hearing the backstory on the artwork they selected, it was great to see that some of the things they noticed in the art was what the artist wanted to convey. I think it was helpful to build their confidence in the activity. Overall, I think the SEE, THINK, WONDER activity is an important lesson to incorporate, even if we use it as an introduction to any new artist or artwork we are learning about. It would be easy to incorporate a 5 minute warm up of this activity at the start of a new artists work.

Jillian Janiec Larriviere See, Think, Wonder, continued Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth SEE ▪I see a little girl and her house THINK ▪I think she is outside and is staring back at her house WONDER ▪Why is she staring back at her house? I live in a house far away from the city and often wonder why my house is so far away? I always wonder that question. Maybe I can find the answers if I try hard enough.

Joaquin Abella Diaz, Grade 5

Jillian Janiec Larriviere See, Think, Wonder, continued Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth SEE ▪A girl sitting in a grass field looking ahead of her ▪She is looking back at some houses THINK ▪What is she doing there? ▪How did she get there? WONDER ▪Is that her house? ▪Is the house abandoned? There once was a girl who sat in a meadow. She would do nothing rather than sit there. She would listen to the bird’s sweet songs. She would sit there all day long. As she closed her eyes and drifted herself to sleep under all of the stars.

Katie Myers, Grade 5

Jillian Janiec Larriviere See, Think, Wonder, continued Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth SEE ▪A lost girl THINK ▪What happened to her? WONDER ▪Who put her in that position? A girl named Christina, probably lost has found someone’s house. She thinks maybe she can ask for directions to her street. But currently she is thinking. Soaking in the air, telling herself it’s going to be okay. She just needs a moment, like everyone else. She does live in the middle of nowhere.

Gabrielle Osirus, Grade 5

Jillian Janiec Larriviere See, Think, Wonder, continued

Ray and Elsie by Susan Bowman SEE ▪A wolf and a cow on a couch with suits on them THINK ▪I think they both like red a lot because their walls and floors are red I▪ am thinking about how they even have feelings for each other WONDER ▪I wonder what they do for a living ▪I wonder how humans see them ▪I wonder why the like red so much There was once a cow and a wolf and they like red a lot and they like their habitat that they live in. They found suits that were not torn and put them on themselves and have human thinking. They probably have a big brain to know how to move furniture like humans.

Lenny Zorrilla, Grade 5

Nicole Rose-Peadick World History Grade 6 and U.S. History Grade 8 Heritage Middle School Attending the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has been an experience I will cherish forever. The opportunity to participate in this institute came exactly at the right time. Due to Covid-19, Volusia County Schools teachers and students had to complete the 20192020 school year via distance learning. This experience had left me feeling discouraged, frustrated, and defeated. Additionally, as we were transitioning to distance learning, our nation was undergoing a series of lockdowns. It had been months since I had been able to converse with teachers like myself. I noticed that this caused me to experience a newfound sense of social awkwardness and anxiety when it came to adult interactions. That being said, I was beyond nervous to attend this institute. However, a close friend and colleague of mine encouraged me to go for it, and so I did. I am so thankful that I heeded my colleague’s advice! This Institute taught me how to feel human again. After months of solitude and lockdown, I learned how to feel comfortable conversing with people again. I learned how to look at art – not just glance, but really look at art. I gained an even deeper appreciation for the artistic process and the concept of creativity. Among many other things, this institute taught me how to seek and manifest gratitude (which was a considerable challenge given the circumstances) and how to feel comfortable sharing with others again. Every class I would leave feeling refreshed and invigorated, having been reminded why it is I do what I do. This professional development was not only valuable from a pedagogical standpoint; it was also valuable to my overall mental and emotional health. I am so appreciative of every person who helped make this institute possible, and I so look forward to returning in the future.

Nicole Rose-Peadick Lesson/Activity: Egyptian Artifacts – What’s the Story?, Grade 6, World History

Estimated Time: 40 minutes Standards SS.6.W.2.3 – Identify the characteristics of civilization SS.6.W.2.5 – Summarize important achievements of Egyptian civilization Learning Intention I will analyze Egyptian artifacts to learn more about ancient Egyptian society and culture. Success Criteria I can analyze Egyptian artifacts and make observations about ancient Egyptian society. Input: During this activity, students will be participating in a gallery walk composed of ancient Egyptian artifacts. As students walk around the classroom, they will see photos of twelve different ancient Egyptian artifacts and take notes on what they see. Students will then be asked to select two of their favorite artifacts and create a 6-word story (one for each artifact) that tells the story behind the artifact that they selected. Students will then take turns sharing the stories they wrote about the artifacts. At the conclusion of the lesson, we will look at our 6-word stories and brainstorm to decide what these stories tell us about ancient Egyptian society.

Harley Sage Art1, Art 2, 3-D Art, Grades 6-8 - DeLand Middle School My name is Harley Sage and I teach Art at Deland Middle School. I teach Art 1, Art 2, and 3-D art to grade levels 6-8. I was very excited to be able to participate in the Art of Reflection Teacher Institute. The institute has gifted me with a ton of great resources to help me professionally. I was given the opportunity to explore different outlets of creativity, or “creative aerobics” as Pam called it, which were utilized in my classroom. The connection to other subjects also made the lessons I gave much more extensive especially for students of mine who were not artistically inclined. I’ve benefited from the Institute personally a lot as well. I treated this program as teacher therapy. Due to the nature of being an art teacher I don’t get the chance to speak about my subject or program as openly as most core teachers get to. Even though many of the fellow Institute participants didn’t teach art we had a great deal of common interest and believed in the power of art and how it can connect all subjects. One of my biggest takeaways from the Institute was the specificity of verbal literacy and the importance of integration. I have always had a hard time branching the creativity and visual/ verbal literacy with art in a way that middle school students could comprehend. The various activities that we got to experience showed a wide range of how I can approach the integration better for my students. The various knowledge and skills that I have obtained from the Institute have been implemented into my teaching practice greatly this school year. In my opinion, since this school year has been one of a kind, it gave me the chance to try a lot of new practices with my students and figure out what would work and what could get adjusted to my program. Prior to the Institute, I did not have my students investigate artwork for their understanding to the degree that I do now. The “see, think, wonder” activity is without a doubt one of my favorites as well as my students because it makes you become invested in the artwork that you are observing. It makes the artist and the artwork unforgettable for the students. I have enjoyed the information that I learned about integration and creativity in the Institute so much so that I have already begun planning new lessons for next school year. I want to build on various creative skills to help my students grow not only in my subject but others as well as. I am so grateful that the Institute is open to all subjects and grade levels. This has encouraged me to reach out to other electives as well as core teachers at my school to do collaborations that would be much more elaborate than the norm.

Harley Sage Lesson/Activity: Do We Really Know What’s Happening in Art?, Grades 6-8, Art 2

Success Criteria: I can analyze a work of art by practicing my close looking skills. Lesson Concept: Students will be introduced to the idea that not all art appears to represent what we initially think the meaning is. We must really look and observe the different choices the artist made and why things are depicted in that manner. Students will then be asked to use the “See, Think, Wonder” method to help them break down what they see, what they think might be going on, and what their imagination can wonder from the art. They will then pick one of the artworks that was discussed and make a short story about the artwork. The story must refer to five specific details in the artwork and have past, present, and future elements. The students will also need to create a small three-box panel inspired by the past, present, and future scenes in their story.

Harley Sage Do We Really Know What’s Happening in Art? continued Christina’s World by Andrew Wyeth

Kylee Andrew, Grade 7

Adebisi Shittu Math, Grade 7 - Campbell Middle School

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.” Mary Lou Cook. I was referred by a colleague (Mrs. K. Wallace) to the institute. On my first day, I was lost in the class and thinking is this really for me because it seemed like it was for art teachers. I decided to complete the three-day summer meet and that was a decision I never regretted. The institute encouraged a level of self-awareness and consciousness about my teaching practice, it enabled me to identify areas of improvements and also my strong areas, allowed me to recognize what works with students and what doesn’t, and enabled me to think deeply about students reactions to my teachings . Creativity can be integrated into any subject area. Visualization in the form of diagrams, charts, drawings can help students visualize a concept or skill being learnt in class. A well-designed visual image can yield a much powerful and memorable learning experience than a mere verbal or textual description. It helps give better understanding to the students. Visual information is transferred faster, more memorable, enriches understanding and increases enjoyment. This has helped a lot in my classroom, for each standard being taught I let the students create a visual design of the concepts and there have been improvements in their grades. Adding art to math makes learning more fun. I would get resources that would help me to integrate more art into math. The goal is for students to collaborate and be able to use their minds to creatively explore the process of learning and growing into more well-rounded people who can think outside of the box. Thank you to all the new teachers of the institute, I enjoyed all projects and collaborations we did together and learnt a lot from everyone sharing their ideas and their classroom stories. Ms. Pam, thank you for the patience and holding the classes despite the COVID-19 and your personal challenges. See you for the next session. I would be there!!! Everyone is creative and there is never a wrong way to being creative, you are creating your own thing which is your personal view of things.

Adebisi Shittu Lesson Plan/Activity: Creativity in math, Grade 7, Math Purpose of Lesson/Activity: Activity is to help students understand the conversion of fraction to decimal to percent form. The activity would also be showing their creativity and artistic part and to incorporate art into math. Description of Lesson/Activity: The activity would be introduced to the student by the teacher, explaining what must be done to them. The steps are below:    

Students would be given a 10 x 10 square grid paper and four different colored (blue, green, yellow and pink) square papers. Students would use the four different colored papers to create a art piece on the 10 x 10 square grid paper. When they are done with their artwork, students proceed to do some math based on their artwork. Students would be finding the fraction, decimal, and percentage of each of the colors used in their artwork.

Reflection on the implementation of the lesson/activity: The activity helped students to visualize the relationship between fractions, decimals, and percent. They created an artwork while learning math. By moving from fractions to decimals and to percent, the students were able to show flexibility in their thinking and this helped them gain a deeper understanding of the concept. The students were able to see the connection between fractions, decimals and percent and how it relates to division. Reference: Artful Math http://www.artfulmaths.com/mathematical-art-lessons.html?utm_source=ONTRAPORTemailbroadcast&utm_medium=ONTRAPORTemailbroadcast&utm_term=EdCloset+Main+List&utm_content=The+BacktoSchool+Guide+is+here&utm_campaign=08262018

Adebisi Shittu Creativity in math continued

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Adebisi Shittu Creativity in math continued

Class Project Examples

Adebisi Shittu Creativity in math continued

Class Project Examples

Heather Tareco-Anderson Art, Grades Pre-K-5 and Multi, Grades Pre-K-5 Edgewater Public School

The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has been such a rewarding experience during this pandemic. To be honest, when I realized I was actually going to be one of the 16 participants, I was beyond excited! I was excited to be among people my own age, younger, older, but within adult years! I was also excited to leave the house after months of quarantine, trusting that we would be following the correct guidelines. I was so very excited to be among peers after months of teaching on platforms I was not ready to teach from. Secondly, I was excited to learn about art, to be able to see it through artists’ eyes, to understand it, to help me better myself as a new artist. I was not disappointed. The gallery walks, discussions, lessons, group activities, assignments and reflections were amazing to helping me grow. I made new friends. I had a Saturday place to go to that didn’t involve laundry, chores or me as my mom role. The ability to share, listen, reflect respond and just be a part of such an amazing group of educators has been rewarding. I thank my new friends for being so wonderfully supportive, encouraging and kind. Pam Coffman is an outstanding facilitator and new friend. Her strength is beyond the supernatural. Pam always stated that we were not getting the true meaning of the course, but I disagree. She put aside her family’s needs to continue the course. She went above and beyond to share lessons, her art criticism knowledge, her museum…. I have learned more from this class than any other professional learning workshop. I am taking away knowledge, friendships, awareness and desire to strive to be the best I can be whether in art, history, theatre, government, journalism, English, administration, etc. I have learned so much from my colleges, mostly, being human. The Art Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has helped me understand a lot about myself, my weaknesses, my strengths, my desire to continue to grow as a professional. I know we didn’t have the full experience; however, the experience was enormous in helping us through this school year and its humps. I look forward to many more years to grow along with my new friends across our amazing county. Thank you, Pam Coffman, for your flexibility, sense of humor, knowledge and desire to continue to educate.

Heather Tareco-Anderson Lesson Plan/Activity: Gratitude Feathers, Grades 2 -3, Art

After 24 years of general education, I branched out to find a new career in art, so I became Edgewater Publics Schools Art Teacher. Each month I have strived to find an art activity to educate the students about a holiday or an artist. This lesson was my November activity for 2nd and 3rd graders. The objective was to tie Thanksgiving and the power of gratitude to create a masterpiece. During this past year, we have so much to be thankful for. I wanted my students to express their power of gratitude through art. The main objective of the lesson was to have each child have a voice, to be able to share what they are grateful for in life, or just because. Gratitude Feathers came from an art resource that I have used to guide me as an art teacher. Before we jumped into the art part of the lesson, I had each grade level create a thinking map to describe the word Gratitude. Each group created a map, then shared their thoughts to make a grade level Map. This map was used to create a word bank for which I either cut their words from magazines or typed, cut and placed on a tray for the kids to use to help express their gratitude. Next students were given the choice to use a feather template or draw their own feathers. Each student drew 3 feathers. The next objective was to use the elements of line, shape, color and texture to design each feather in a unique way. Each feather having its own special quality. After the students used crayons to design each feather, they then were asked to used watercolor to express how they felt about gratitude. What colors make them happy or content. The last step was to have each child stamp the word Gratitude for the center feather. On the remaining 2 feathers or anywhere on their art, the students were asked to choose 2 more words of gratitude from the precut bank of words, handwritten or found, but had to be mounted on a colorful background to make the words pop in their masterpiece. Last, students could add additional words, glitter, boarders, etc.; to express what Gratitude means to them. Before taking the artwork home, we had a gallery tour where each child could walk around to look at one another’s final works to ask questions or praise. The outcome was amazing. The students really shared how they feel, and expressed what gratitude really meant to each of them. Some went above and beyond, some gave exactly what was required, some gave what they could. The majority were excited about their works of art. They were excited to bring their art home for the holidays to share with family during the holiday break. am pleased with this lesson. It opened my eyes to the tangible and intangible things kids are really grateful for.

Heather Tareco-Anderson Gratitude Feathers continued

Santino Bruce, Grade 3

Heather Tareco-Anderson Gratitude Feathers continued

Sydney Conlan, Grade 3

Heather Tareco-Anderson

Stefanie Tsompanidis Non Core Teacher- P.A.S.S. - Pine Ridge High School The Art of Reflection came into my life at the perfect time especially when being faced with the social limitations of COVID. We have been gifted the opportunity to connect safely in person with our colleagues where we are encouraged to play, create, reflect, and share our struggles, as well as our victories. I am a Theatre Educator and I have recently transitioned to a High School P.A.S.S. (Positive Alternative to School Suspension) Teacher. When stepping into this position, I initially had fleeting feelings of self-doubt. I truly did not know what to expect. I asked myself questions: Will the students respect me? Will the students participate in my social and emotional learning lesson plans? Will I be able to successfully control the classroom? However, I came into this position with a growth mind set, open heart, and a deep desire to change lives. This year has been a rewarding and deeply fulfilling one because of the transformation I have seen in my students. I have also enjoyed utilizing my Psychology degree. Those initial feelings of self-doubt have been replaced with self-confidence. I believe the main reasons are I have established a culture of mutual respect and rapport, have built trust while getting to know my students, and my students know I want them to succeed because I advocate for them. When you take the time to get to know your students, relationships are built, and students are more open to guidance. Furthermore, I have been inspired by the Art of Reflection theme of Storytelling. Initially, I wasn’t clear on how the art of storytelling would be implemented in my classroom. I have been trained in Restorative Practice and one of the most essential components is Responsive Circles where we sit around in a circle and reflect on the three R’s: Respect, Relationships, and Responsibility (how to make things Right and Repairing the harm). The circle is very symbolic in that it represents unity, connection, and completion. In many cultures you will find communities sitting around in a circle while sharing stories to preserve history, entertain, and to pass down important values. My circle is very sacred, and I have included a ritual that our students look forward to. I have a circular Boho style blanket that I place in the center of our circle atop with a woven basket that includes seashells, a calming jar, a talking stick to help regulate the flow of conversation, and a jar of culture building questions that I randomly select. I have asked deep questions such as “What do you wish wasn’t said about you?” to fun questions like, “If you could time travel where would you go and why?”. These culture building questions encourages students to share their personal stories and builds community. Our students follow circles norms including speaking from the heart and listening with kindness and respect. Connecting and sharing stories are always the highlight of the day. The Art of Reflection has been a creative oasis as well as a sanctuary for healing. This has been a difficult year with COVID, and I have found students have been confronted with profound challenges in their home life as well as academically. In the Art of Reflection, we created personal gratitude boxes which encourages us to see the blessings in our lives. I have created a collective gratitude box in the classroom to help students see the good in their lives. It is important as educators to help heal our students and be a beacon of light during these unprecedented times.

Stefanie Tsompanidis Lesson Activity: Mapmaking Project During our Art of Reflection workshop, I received a special gift called “Map Art Lab- 52 Exciting Art Explorations in Mapmaking, Imagination, and Travel” by Jill K. Berry & Linden McNeilly. I loved the spontaneity and randomness of the gift selection ritual. I like to think the universe perhaps had a hand in selecting for me this perfect treasure mysteriously packaged in brown paper. “Making maps is a joy, both because maps are beautiful to look at and because they lead us through our histories and dreams in a way that no other art form really can. It is a tool for selfdiscovery, artmaking, storytelling, and recording your dreams and memories”- Jill K. Berry & Linden McNeilly These words resonate deeply with me because I am personally in search of art, beauty, and truth! The art of mapmaking helps us artistically navigate through unchartered waters unearthing different parts of ourselves and ultimately discovering hidden truths. I was immediately drawn to the beautiful and whimsical artistic images and creative mapmaking labs shared throughout this book. I love the idea of how stories can be artistically woven and expressed through symbols and pathways. I am a Drama Teacher turned PASS Teacher (Positive Alternative to School Suspension) and have been using Sean Covey’s book “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” to help our students develop motivation, establish goals, and build self-awareness so they can achieve school and life success. The 2nd habit of “Begin with the End in Mind”, discusses the importance of having a plan and setting goals. It emphasizes that the driver decides where to go and must draw a map on how to get to their destination. Students will complete Sean Covey’s “The Great Discovery” which is a wonderful brainstorming tool that helps students discover what inspires them and what their life aspirations are. In addition, they will complete the graphic organizer I created by including key moments, people, interests, and places in their journey. Students will then create a map of their choice: Traditional Road Map, Get Your Game on Map, Body Part Map, or a Digital Timeline Map. Students will select at least 2 details, such as, a Map Neat line, Compass Rose, Creative Cartouche, and Map Legend to be included in their map. These details will give the signature touches needed to give the visual impression it is indeed a map. Students are encouraged to insert obstacles or roadblocks they overcame or avoided and to include their future goals in their destination. For our visual learners, students will be shown a PowerPoint of various maps to inspire them with ideas. Students also have access to a readymade online digital map where they can personalize and plug in their information. This is a great option for students who are technologically oriented or are struggling creating a map from scratch. Lastly, students will fill out an anonymous survey at the end of

Stefanie Tsompanidis Mapmaking Project continued the lesson to help me assess whether they have met the instructional goals and to provide the opportunity for them to share feedback. X marks the spot! I have enjoyed watching my students unleash their inner cartographer as they go on an exciting journey exploring their personal stories, goals, and dreams through mapmaking.

Stefanie Tsompanidis Mapmaking Project continued

Class Project Examples

Stefanie Tsompanidis Mapmaking Project continued

Class Project Examples

Stefanie Tsompanidis Mapmaking Project continued

Class Project Examples

Stefanie Tsompanidis Mapmaking Project continued

Aubrey Smith, Grade 12

Stefanie Tsompanidis 6 Word Stories by Stefanie Tsompanidis

Ghosts whispering dreams of the past.

Something's shadow

Awakened innocence blooming in the wild.

Something organic (flower)

Forgotten post etched with memories adrift.

Something looking down (698 post) 54

Stefanie Tsompanidis 6 Word Stories continued

Fool masquerading a facade of roses

Something with color (mask)

Seeing through the green eye of nature.

Something hidden (tree)

Carrie Van Tol Theater 1-4, Grades 9-12, English 3, Grade 11 Mainland High School To say that this year has been hard is an understatement. Exhausted. Stressed. Overwhelmed. Helpless. Lost. These are some of the words that have defined this past year. The world has been in chaos due to a virus that has disrupted the “normal” of all of our lives. Although we may not be alone in our collective experience, many of us have been isolated and have felt very alone. Many people have lost loved ones or lost employment. Many people are struggling and many people have been scared. As people we have had to navigate through our emotions and our fears but, as teachers, we have had to do that for ourselves as well as the added responsibility of guiding our students (our future) through these trying times. We have had to do this in addition to our “regular job” of education. This year, the job itself has been turned upside down. New rules and procedures were created and then modified, and then modified again and again. Hybrid teaching forced the expedient learning of new technology and the creation of new types of lesson plans. Student engagement, which can often be a difficult, has been even more of a struggle this year. Teachers have had many sleepless nights trying to figure out how to make it all work and have spent many a day crying in the car before work starts or at the end of the day and on the weekends. For some it has gotten better and for others, not so much. We have learned to seek consolation in even the tiniest of successes. We are grateful for those small moments. But what I am most grateful for this year is actually not so small. It is the time I have spent at the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has been a salvation this year. This series of workshops has been a respite from all of the day-to-day chaos and a place where we, as teachers, have been encouraged to learn more about ourselves and to explore our own creativity. That is something that teachers often have so little time to do. Aside from the personal benefits, this experience pays forward into our classrooms with different ideas and teaching methods while encouraging “out-of-the-box” thinking for ourselves and our students. I feel truly blessed to have been a part of such a kind and supportive group. We are teachers from different schools and different grades. We have different backgrounds and teach different subjects, but we all have the same goal to do better for our students. I have enjoyed spending time sharing ideas and creativity with such a talented group and I thank Pam for leading us on this journey together. I can’t wait to do this again next year!

Carrie Van Tol Lesson/Activity: New Year Intention Creative Art Project , Grades 9-12, Theater 1. Take a selfie or have someone take a full body picture of you on your phone. Be sure that you are in front of a light-colored background with nothing on the wall. 2. Send your photo to your computer. 3. Open up the Microsoft Publisher program and choose a horizontal blank page as your document. 4. Under Page Design, choose Margins, and then choose Narrow. 5. Under Insert, choose Pictures, and then insert your photo. 6. Expand your photo to fill the page and margins. You can crop your photo under Format. 7. Under Format, choose Recolor, then choose the black and white. (top row, second from the left) 8. Next, under Format, click Corrections and choose the bottom row, second from the right. This will “blow out” your background, giving you a high contrast photo with a white background. 9. Print your photo. Once you have printed your photo, you will begin drawing the details. It is best to start off doing this in pencil so that you can erase. After you have completed sketching in your design, you can go over it in marker or colored pencils. 1. Draw an ¼” – ½” outline around your body/picture. This section will remain white. 2. From your outline, draw lines radiating out to the edge of the paper. You can do single lines or make a double line for each. 3. Now take a look at your picture and see which way your photo is facing. Pay attention to which lined areas are forward from your face, or in front of you, and which ones are behind you. If you are looking right at the camera and there is no real direction then choose the left for behind and the right for in front of you. 4. Now you are going to choose words to fill in the spaces. 5. In the areas BEHIND you, choose words that represent things/ideas/concepts/feelings that you no longer want in your life. These are words representing that which you want to LET GO OF and LEAVE BEHIND this year. 6. In the areas in FRONT of you, choose words that represent things/ideas/concepts/feelings that you want to bring INTO your life as you move forward through the next year. 7. You can draw these words as word art, add pictures and/or be creative with how you put them on the paper but remember that one word or phrase goes in each section. 8. If you created double lines in your original sketch, you can use those small areas to create patterns. 9. Now it is time to color! You can choose colors randomly or you can choose colors to add further meaning to your words. You can also color in parts of your black and white portrait if you want. 10. Most of all have fun!

Carrie Van Tol New Year Intention Creative Art Project continued

Kayla Hough, Grade 12

Carrie Van Tol New Year Intention Creative Art Project continued

T’Seanna, Owens Grade 9

Carrie Van Tol New Year Intention Creative Art Project continued

Alanda Specht, Grade 10

Rachel Weems Art, Grades K-5, Movement, Grade K Reading Edge Academy

I am Rachel Weems and I teach K-5 Art and Kindergarten Movement at Reading Edge Academy. I enjoyed this institute very much. I felt like some of us really got a lot out of coming together and seeing each other multiple times for the same reason I feel like I opened up more than I ever have in a group and I wanted to read my answers and poems and show my results of activities. Yes, I was still a little shy, but I could totally feel that this was different. Pam really encouraged us to open up with each other and her. She challenged us to dig deep into the writing aspect, which I am not very good at, and made us better at what we do. There were so many activities and lessons that I learned about and want to try in my art room or just for fun at home. I found it interesting in talking to other types of teachers in other subject areas and seeing how Art can be used in their classrooms as well! I hope to be able to incorporate some writing about art as we did in the institute to my 4th and 5th graders. I am thankful for the time that I had in this institute and the information I got out of it as well.

Rachel Weems Lesson/Activity: See, Think, Wonder , Grade 3, Art Lesson: After teaching the lesson on surrealism and Joan Miro and the art project is finished, have students look at a piece of his art and fill out the See, Think, Wonder form. Pick some students to read their answer all about the same piece of art and see how we all view it differently.

EXAMPLE See: A dog, a person, a flag, a fish, a blanket

Think: I think that the person is walking their dog while holding a flag. They see a fish on the ground next to a blanket.

Wonder: Are the lines on the face the person's arms/hands on their face in shock of seeing a dead fish? This activity is so fun! Students are still amazed at how each person can see, think and wonder different things from the same piece of art! They are not much for writing normally but we got through this activity fairly well.

Andrew Wilson U.S. History Grade 8 - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts “Mr. Wilson?” a 7th grade Civics student asks “What do you teach your 8th graders in US History?” “Benjamin Franklin once said, ‘Nothing in life is certain except for death and taxes’ Well, we learn a lot about death and taxes.” While I was joking with this student whom I will have the opportunity to teach next school year, it wasn’t entirely a lie. We do in fact discuss death and taxes at length in my classroom. US History often gets a bad rap with 8th grade students for being dull. Most thirteen year olds find it hard to connect to the textbook materials and people we study in my class. I was not a typical thirteen-year-old. I was obsessed and enthralled with any and all history texts, media, and knowledge I could get my hands on. I enjoy seeing how people have really never changed. Despite differences of time, culture, and region, people are still people. I remind my students that the world is like a web. When you pluck one string, everything vibrates. I often use this simile to try to help them understand why History is so important for them to learn. I find that 8th graders lack context for the scenarios we discuss in class. It was a long time ago after all. One of the things pressed upon me in The Art of Reflection Institute was the importance of teaching through visual media. Taking the time to slow down and really look at an image and absorb it has changed how I present historical material to my students. Before this institute, I would give students the material and then provide visual aids. Now, I find it far more effective to give my students pictures first and let them make inferences about new material. It gives them more context for the historical scenes we discuss. Related to the death and taxes mentioned above, History can be kind of a bummer sometimes. I sometimes have found myself in the trap of “A terrible thing happened. The end!”. Now sometimes this works out fine, because middle school students can be particularly morbid. However, one comment that was made during the institute that stuck with me was whenever a terrible thing is presented, it is important to discuss what to do next. This could be how to make things better or how to prevent it from happening again, anything to give the students agency over what happened. This year has truly been a year that future students will read about some day in their history classes. I try to teach my students that even in the worst of human history, there is always hope for a better path. The Art of Reflection Institute has provided me with strategies to help my students navigate complex material and yes, even death and taxes.

Andrew Wilson Lesson/Activity: War Hawk Propaganda, Grade 8, U.S. History My name is Andrew Wilson and I teach US History to 8th graders. The work presented is from a lesson on the War of 1812, specifically about the lead up to it. Titled “War Hawk Support” students were supposed to take on the roles of the “War Hawks”, congressmen of the time who were pushing for war with Great Britain. In taking on that role, students would both analyze and use propaganda techniques and also the actual reasons why some were pushing for war. The lesson started with students being given four different examples of actual propaganda that was used to push people towards declaring war, each representing at least one reason. Some were rather obvious, though some were much more difficult to interpret given that students are generally not familiar with early 19th century cultural references. Students had to discuss each piece with their group and then record separately what they observed, what they thought about it and anything they wondered/questioned. They then shared their thoughts and we discussed which propaganda pieces were the most effective and why. Most, if not all students settled on one that depicted Native Americans scalping American soldiers for pay by the British. Their justification was that it was a) rather obvious vs the other documents and b) showed actual violence whereas the other only showed violation of people’s rights. Next we went over in notes the reasons for war, as each reason came up in the actual events we referred back to the documents. For the assignment, students had to create propaganda that included some of the actual reasons for war and also appealed to people’s nationalism, which as we covered was important due to a big reason for war being people feeling that the US was being disrespected. I suggested a speech or poster, but any format could be used up to and including interpretive dance (no takers). The vast majority of students responded with speeches and posters and of course there was a large variation in quality. I also got a decent share of poems as responses. As far as the overall lesson goes, the inclusion on the actual propaganda definitely helped students engage with and understand the reasons for war. The part that many struggled with was the nationalism aspect of it, though many got it spot on.

Andrew Wilson War Hawk Propaganda continued War Hawks Support Poem by Maria Guevara, Grade 8 Between the masses of impressment, We stopped trade but see where that went. The British are helping the Natives that are killing. They scalp us as our economy is slipping. They’re stealing, taking our ships as far as we know. So don’t let that Johnny Bull take over the show! We’re not playing nice So take my advice, Fight fire with fire And strengthen our empire! Grab all your weapons, grab all your men, And let’s win another war against Britain! Let’s be hawks and no small dove, Take down the British and rise above. Save the people or save yourself, But British think this fight’s a trophy they can out on their shelf. We’re not playing nice So take my advice Fight fire with fire, And strengthen our empire!

Andrew Wilson War Hawk Propaganda continued

Raquel Rengifo, Grade 8

2020-21 Returning Teacher Participants Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute Joy Burke Mary Cancilla Katherine Crane Timothy S. Deary Jane Failer Andrea Finkle David Finkle Marie French Amanda L. Muessig Jennifer Olsen Mary Amber Osmun Ann Sejansky Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown Jennifer Slone/Lupica Darlene Stewart Khorletta Sutton-Cressor Keisha Wallace Judy Williamson Kathryn B. Wilson

Deltona High Volusia Online Learning Manatee Cove Elementary Taylor Middle-High R.J. Longstreet Elementary DeLand High DeLand High Holly Hill School New Smyrna Beach Middle Volusia Online Learning Westside Elementary DeLand High Stetson University Pine Ridge High Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts Deltona Middle Campbell Middle Pine Ridge High DeLand High

Joy Burke ESE Service Provider, Case Manager - Deltona High School This has been the school year that surely tested the elasticity of the phrase “be flexible”. The Museum of Art – DeLand sponsored workshop demonstrated how we can improve the mindfulness of our students by simply expanding their perceptions of their surrounding environment. We were shown how the arts is also a tool used to spark/support activism.

New resources were given to us that easily translated into specific lessons. Additionally, we were challenged to incorporate a variety of themes into daily discussions. Solace was the environment created by our workshop moderator, Pam Coffman. With her encouragement the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute allowed us to: Reflect – on the effectiveness of our lesson/activity delivery. Respond – to the needs of our students with a variety of approaches. Renew – our commitment to meaningful lesson/activity planning.

Joy Burke Lesson/Activity: Gratitude Goodies, Grades 9-12,ESE Patience, flexibility, and gratitude are words that have dominated our conversations and planning this school year. It has been my experience that some deep thought is required by students to complete exercises that ask them to identify their abilities, interest, strengths, and weaknesses. Additionally, asking about values and feelings is often met with some eyerolling. In an effort to nurture emotional intelligence as urged in Onward by Elena Aguilar, we are using gratitude envelopes. Students draw on/decorate a business letter or manila envelope with a variety of mediums. On an index card they write {with assistance as necessary for our SWD population} something they: 

are grateful for



are thankful for



appreciate



Students explain the designs/drawings and are urged to share their gratitude goodies with the class. As students open-up it is reinforced that the classroom is a safe space. Envelopes are kept in student work-folders so they can add to them at will. This activity also provides the opportunity to: 

improve grammar, punctuation, and formal sentence structure



build vocabulary skills & resource usage {e.g. dictionary, thesaurus}



encourage public speaking via whole group discussion



demonstrate common experiences



expand community involvement & promote volunteering



identify support services

We have incorporated this activity into a weekly bellringer and use sentence starters as needed: 

Meaningful Monday – I value…, I hope to…



Tell Me Tuesday – I feel…, I regret…



Wishful Wednesday – I would like to experience…, I want…



Terrific Thursday – I am happy that I have…, I share…



Fabulous Friday – I am good at…, I need to improve…

Joy Burke Gratitude Goodies continued

Aaron Foster, Grade 11

Joy Burke Gratitude Goodies continued

Jalacyia Mitchell, Grade 11

Joy Burke Gratitude Goodies continued

Ismael Vega, Grade 12

Joy Burke Treasure Chest of Gratitude

Joy Burke, Treasure Chest of Gratitude , Top

Joy Burke Treasure Chest of Gratitude Inside Top

Inside Bottom

Joy Burke Treasure Chest of Gratitude

Mary Cancilla English 2, Grade 10 and English 4, Grade12 Volusia Online Learning It’s been almost 3 years since I moved to Florida and started working with Volusia County Schools. After working as an ESL teacher in different schools and countries where I had an enormous amount of creative freedom to design my lesson plans however I wanted and however I felt would best fit the unique needs of my own students, working within the confines of the U.S. public school system has certainly felt… well, confining. I firmly believe that the learning process should be a fun and joy-filled process, and while I have seen instances of joy in education, I have also clearly witnessed an alarming lack of joy in the faces of students and colleagues who are exhausted and worn out by trying to follow regulations and fit into molds that frequently feel like they just don’t fit anyone quite right. I also struggled from imposter syndrome when I first started in Volusia County, because despite about 4 years of previous experience in education, I felt that my skills, experience, and personality as a teacher just didn’t match the stern and analytical prototype that seems to be most valued in schools currently. My classrooms are almost never silent, my procedures are fluid and flexible, and I had (gasp!) never seen a list of Language Arts standards before this job. The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute has been a lifesaver for me as I try to navigate the restrictions of the teaching profession while also finding my joy in education. The Institute has showered me with tools and ideas that can be used within the “confines” of the classroom to bring more joy and fun back into education. The standards don’t have to be taught in a way that is flat, stale, and unprofitable. With a little bit of creativity, Shakespeare really can be fun. When given a bit of free rein, students consistently show that they are capable of far more than what we imagine. The Institute has helped me to bring balance back into my teaching career. By stepping back into my power as a creative human being first and an educator second, I am learning how to blend those two identities together in a harmonious way. Embracing my full self is in turn making me a more resilient human and educator. To certain analytical types, I know that this will all sound a bit too “woo-woo” and “warm and fuzzy” for their liking, and that’s fine. I will always need the colleagues who can help me navigate an excel spreadsheet and understand the data behind our job. However, the field of education also needs a little bit more art and creativity along with the data crunching. The Institute has reminded me of the importance of nurturing my own joy so that I have the energy to nurture the creativity and joy within my students, and I am beyond grateful for the opportunity to participate in the incredibly important work that is being done through The Art of Reflection & Response Teacher Institute.

Mary Cancilla Lesson/Activity: Descriptive Writing, Grade 10, English 2 Working for Volusia Online Learning has been an enormous blessing this year. It is also extremely different than working in a traditional brick-and-mortar classroom, and has brought an entire new set of challenges in terms of cultivating creativity in student work and in my own lesson planning. Because the majority of the class content is already uploaded within the Edgenuity platform, my role as a teacher often consists of creating supplementary material and support to what has already been provided to the students in Edgenuity. The weekly Live Lesson time has been my main opportunity to try out different and more creative activities. One of these activities was a simple lesson on descriptive writing. The purpose of the lesson was to give students a space to explore fun ways to make their writing more descriptive through the choice of vivid vocabulary and powerful language choices. The lesson started with a brief review of nouns, verbs, and adjectives. We discussed how nouns are affected by the use of specific adjectives. We also looked at some simple verbs in a few sentences, and students then rewrote the sentences, changing the verbs to be more interesting, precise, or descriptive. After that warm up, in the next part of the lesson I showed luscious chocolate descriptions as an example of descriptive writing. The students then wrote their own short descriptions of a food of their choice -- 1-2 sentences of mouthwatering goodness. To close the lesson, we shifted to a deeper topic: the subject of loneliness and depression that many people are experiencing during Covid-19. Using their descriptive writing skills, the students each wrote one paragraph about a lonely and depressed character. After writing the sad paragraph, they then wrote a short letter-like response to help give advice and cheer to the depressed character. Having the kids do the activity with food first created a fairly easy and non-threatening way to practice their skills and to get comfortable with sharing a snippet of their writing with the teacher and their peers before diving into a topic with deeper emotional depth. All of the writing was done informally through Teams chat during the Live Lesson. Only a small group of students were in attendance, but I was impressed by the high quality and depth of their little writing snippets, which I have compiled into a cohesive little sketch for the purpose of the collaborative project. I definitely want to continue to incorporate more of these types of creative writing activities into my English teaching practice. Our students need to learn how to describe the world around them and within them and to respond to others’ emotions, not only for their own individual health and wellbeing, but also for the overall wellbeing of our country and society.

Mary Cancilla Descriptive Writing continued Some student responses compiled into a cohesive short story/sketch: He looks like every ordinary man: tall, brown hair, and brown eyes. He lives by a beach with many sharp, jagged rocks. He recently moved out of his parents home and hasn't adjusted to being alone and he misses his parents. He looked out at the ghost town he lives in through his apartment window, softly pressing his palm to it. He’s wearing the same old T-shirt and sweatpants since last Sunday. His hair is a mess and he looks completely restless. “I miss the outside world,” he whispers softly. He’s been stuck inside for the past 5 years due to the apocalyptic world created by COVID-19. “Will I ever see anyone again? Will I ever be let out of the cage this virus has trapped me and others in?” He longs to enjoy the same ocean breeze and the warm sun rays' pound down on his body, but he only feels the stuffiness of his dark bland apartment. He feels the loneliness and depression sweep over his body as it slowly takes control of his life. The letter of consolation: I hear that you are not doing very well recently. I am sorry to hear that you are struggling to deal with this pandemic alone. I was once there though it wasn't during the pandemic. I have felt the same sadness, the same feeling of tiredness sweep over my body, the same lack of motivation to do anything. I was once there as well, and I want to share some tips to help you get through this. My first tip is to get a dog. A dog will always be there for you. When you’re sad dogs love to cuddle with you. Their long soft fur and the cold wet touch of their nose is comforting for when you are feeling down. Dogs help the waves of loneliness go away when you need it the most.

Katherine Crane Gifted, Grade 5 - Manatee Cove Elementary You’d be hard-pressed to find an educator out there who willingly, happily, eagerly attends a professional development class which meets for a few days in the summer and for several Saturdays during the school year. I would imagine it’s even more difficult to find an educator who does this exact PD for SIX years in a row, but here we are. What began six years ago as a desire to enrich my gifted students’ curriculum has developed into an essential facet of my professional life. Yes, I have enriched my students’ instruction by integrating the arts into my planning- and they love it- but equally important is the enrichment that I’ve found as an educator. One of the best parts of the Teacher Institute is the collaboration of like-minded educators across all subjects and grade levels. I continue to be inspired by the work they’re doing with the students across our district. Without fail, I leave each session with ideas I can take back to my classroom. The support given and received by these dedicated, immensely creative educators has been, at times, a lifeline. Teaching is hard. It’s draining. Sometimes it feels thankless- but I’ve never, ever left a session of the Institute feeling hopeless. On the contrary, the Institute and its community of educators provided me with whatever I needed at the time- whether a soothing balm or a shot of adrenaline. This year, of course, brought its own special challenges. The pandemic changed everythinghow we teach, how we plan, how we connect with our students and each other. In this tumultuous year, the Teacher Institute was even more of a lifeline for educators who found themselves treading water. Later, as I found myself on the wrong side of a COVID-19 test and the second semester went from challenging to basic survival, the constant of the Teacher Institute was even more important. The support I received from Pam and my friends from the cohort was phenomenal. Our group is more of a family at this point. Ultimately, it’s our students who benefit from the Institute. I strive to include the visual arts in my lesson planning when I can - Pam and Suzi have introduced so many activities which can be adapted for nearly any subject. Over the years, my students have created original works of art and have written poetry inspired by that art. They have learned to write six-word stories and how to build a narrative around a random selection of photos or paintings or magazine clippings. The Institute has challenged me to think critically and thoughtfully; it encourages me to think outside of my comfort zone and to encourage my students to do the same. I know I join my fellow educators in thanking the sponsor of the Institute, Betty Drees Johnson, for offering this professional development opportunity. Pam Coffman and Suzi Preston are fantastic, creative, inspiring educators and we are fortunate to be their students. I look forward to participating in future Institutes at the Deland Museum of Art and will do my part to spread the word among my teaching colleagues. Thank you for another truly inspiring learning experience!

Timothy S. Deary Civics, Grade 7 - T. DeWitt Taylor Middle/High School This has been on e of the most challenging school years of my fifteen years as a teacher. For me, the challenges began last year. I felt that the year never ended properly and that my life was in some type of suspended animation. I approached the topic of resilience with curiosity and an open mind. Throughout the year I have found that there is one extremely important aspect of building resilience and I have practiced it faithfully. Aguilar writes: “Creativity and play unlock inner resources for dealing with stress, solving problems and enjoying life.” (Aguilar, 247) I think of the reasons why human beings create art in the first place? My daughter Katelyn loves to go to the museum and see the paintings, any paintings, she says that they are awesome and make her happy. After one trip she said that when she is rich and famous, she is going to buy all the art she can find and hang them on the walls of her house. Art makes us happy and lifts our spirits and makes us think. Art is a release from the despair of the world and a reminder that we are human. I think of her and her sister’s love of drawing and painting and I smile because there is no more pure expression of love and pride than when they come to me with their finished work and say, “this is for you!” I have strived to increase my creativity and to instill it as even more of a habit over the past year. Aguilar writes about boosting your creativity. “When you are in a creative state of mind, you’ll find yourself asking truly open-ended, truly curious questions. You’ll gaze out a window and daydream.” (Aguilar, 260). I have made it a conscious effort to do exactly that. I look constantly for inspiration. Beginning last year, during the onset of the pandemic, I decided that I would walk my dog numerous times a day and while I walked, I would concentrate on specific things I saw and then write about them. Sometimes it was a certain house or a tree, other times it was a flock of turkeys or the way the dog reacted to a cat or another dog. This has made my voice stronger. The act of recognizing the world around me has shown me that that the world is bigger than me, bigger than COVID-19 and that my legacy is more than how my life is on any given day. Art and creating art transcend the boundaries that separate us from each other. Art spans centuries and is still relevant now. As a teacher I am always learning and as a poet I am always remembering. This is the essence of resilience. Resilience is the ability to remain true to yourself regardless of the changing world and how much it tries to knock you down. I once learned a stunning example of resilience in a historical event. During the Holocaust, children in the ghettoes and some of the camps continued to draw and write stories if it was possible. This is how they resisted. This is how we maintain humanity. This is an extreme example, but the lesson is essential. Humanity cannot be destroyed in its essence if we remember that art and creativity is the vehicle for the preservation of that essential spark. The lesson that I learned from the passing of my father is true as well, despite the ending there was a life there too and that needs to be remembered and celebrated.

The impact of the Teacher’s Institute on my teaching is enormous. I have been involved for a few years now and am still very excited to come on the weekend, after a long week, and see the art and exhibits. I am always inspired and ready to continue when it is done. My teaching practice has been enhanced and expanded as a result of the institute. Visual literacy has become a very important part of my practice. Teaching social studies is and should always be a visual process. History is a story, and it can and should be told in part with pictures, art and the spoken word. Telling stories gives me a voice and in that voice is the cornerstone of my resilience.

Works Cited Aguilar, Elena, Onward – Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators. 2018. Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, California.

Timothy S. Deary Lesson/Activity: See, Think, Wonder, Grade 7, Civics Lesson Overview: The Bill of Rights is a document that enshrines the rights of Americans and that protects our basic liberties form the overreach of government. The way Americans understand what these rights are has both expanded and contracted over the last two plus centuries. While all of the amendments in the Bill of Rights have met with controversy at some point it is the second amendment that has been most scrutinized in recent times. Lesson Objective: Students will understand the protections of the Bill of Rights and that all rights are limited in order to preserve the rights of all. Students will analyze images, political cartoons, that display an important question about the limits and scope of the second amendment of the Bill of Rights. Students will use the “See, Think, Wonder” technique to understand what the intent of the second amendment is and how that right is both protected and limited. Success Criteria: Students will be successful with the Lesson Objective when they can use the “See, Think, Wonder” method to illustrate how the perception of the rights protected by the Second Amendment has changed. Students will analyze a political cartoon that uses the text of the second amendment to illustrate how the idea of a “well regulated militia” has changed due advances in the technology of weapons. Activity: Students will view the political cartoon related to the second amendment and be asked: What do you see, what do you think is going on and what does it make you wonder? Students will provide written answers to the questions and engage in discussion about what they have observed and thought about. Assessment: Students will be assessed on their written answers and observations of the image.

Timothy S. Deary See, Think, Wonder continued

“See, Think, Wonder” Ava Heil, Grade 7 See – I see one says ‘minute-man” and the other says – “Hundreds-of-RoundsPer-Minute Man. Think – I think the “Minute Man” picture is showing how guns were once small and the “Hundreds-Rounds-Per-Minute Man is showing the guns improving. Wonder – It makes me wonder why guns have been made more and more powerful over time.

I am Fernando by T.S. Deary

I am Fernando and my earliest memory is of the girl I sing about in Spanish. I have not seen her in many years, I had to leave her behind in Cuba, but I still carry her in my eyes, that is why they look so sad. I sing about her in Spanish because that was how she spoke, in Spanish, with a beautiful accent. “That’s life, that’s just how it goes…” Down and out, her memory keeps me company and my songs bring her close to me. I also sing about my past, about where I came from, but I never sing about where I am now. Singing gives me a break from everything that tries to take what I have left. (I remember her with my eyes…) With my hands I move my songs in order to feel more alive. I am more than these sad eyes, I am a singer of songs, a keeper of the past, my roots are strong. I am Fernando.

Jane Failer Art, Grades K-5 - R.J. Longstreet Elementary

The Institute provided a positive consistency in an abnormal school year. This year exposed control for what it is, mostly an illusion. The majority of humans follow cultural norms which seem to make societies function and stable. Such functionality and stability can be gone in an instant be it through pandemic, natural disaster, illness, accident, or human action. This year made me stop and think about what I believe and in whom I place my trust and why because so much is beyond my control. The one thing I can control is how I choose to respond which impacts my perspective. Participating in the Institute this year provided a non-judgmental space to process my emotions connected to the challenges of living during Covid-19’s international crisis. Gratitude was addressed during our first session. What a fitting practice to help us teachers make it through the year. It is difficult for traits like bitterness, depression, self-pity, hate, and rage to flourish in a heart defined and known by gratitude. Growing gratitude helps me see and appreciate the everyday miraculous in the middle of unknown. It opens the door for possibility which otherwise would be closed for lack of perspective. It reminds me how I address mistakes with students in art. We discuss how mistakes are opportunities to create what otherwise would not be. Similarly, gratitude plays a role in the undesirable circumstances of life being grown into a place of goodness and hope. Authenticity is what I most appreciate about Pam Coffman and how she runs the Art of Reflection and Response Institute. The learning experienced in the Institute is applicable to our students because it first hits home in our own mind to heart and heart to mind connections. Art is a powerful tool to unveil and discover, to connect and explore.

Jane Failer Lesson/Activity: Gratitude Sketchbook: A Daily Routine in Thankfulness, Grades K-5, Art The student activity Gratitude Sketchbook: A Daily Routine in Thankfulness was inspired by the Institute’s Treasure Chest of Gratitude. I desired to implement a positive routine for students amid a school year with high risk of instability and unknowns. When gratitude was presented as a focus in the Institute, I instantly knew it was the practice I was thinking toward to support my students. Gratitude sketching was implemented with all my students from kindergarten through fifth grade as a daily routine to help them develop skills to thrive. Students designed the front covers of their sketchbooks to reflect what gratitude meant to them. The cover of each Gratitude Sketchbook was simply a 12x18 inch piece of tag board folded in half with copy paper stapled inside. Students began each art class with five minutes of uninterrupted time dedicated to sketching in response to a gratitude prompt. They finished by pairing and sharing with a partner to expand their perspective on gratitude as all voices had a platform to be heard. Prompts varied from lighthearted to serious, from jokes fun to tell to problems needing to be solved. Specific examples are included in the student work samples which follow. Most elementary students like to draw. It is a medium of art available to them in and out of school. Beginning class with a gratitude sketch routine engaged students immediately upon entering their art studio. It set a positive tone for our time creating together. Gratitude proved to be a great recipe for helping them value each other and what they have. Students learned treasures are not always seen by eyes; some of the most valuable possessions are felt with the heart and shared through actions of kindness and compassion.

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Jennisabell Torres, Grade 2 Front Cover – Sketch what gratitude means to you

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Jennisabell Torres , Grade 2 Page 2 – Sketch something you could not live without. We are thankful for needs met in our lives. Page 3 – Sketch something fun. We are thankful for people, places, and things which are fun in our lives.

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Jennisabell Torres, Grade 2 Page 4 – Sketch one of your talents. We are thankful for our talents and how we can use them. Page 5 – Sketch a problem you solved. We are thankful for problem-solving skills.

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Jennisabell Torres, Grade 2 Page 10 – Sketch a person who helped you. We are thankful for kind people in our lives. Page 11 – Sletch a way you were kind to someone. We are thankful for the joy and happiness hearts feel when we choose kindness.

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Joshua Snow, Grade 1 Front Cover – Sketch what gratitude means to you.

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Joshua Snow, Grade 1 Page 2 – Sketch something you could not live without. We are thankful for needs met in our lives. Page 3 – Sketch something fun. We are thankful for people, places, and things which are fun in our lives.

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Joshua Snow, Grade 1 Page 8 – Sketch one of your favorite snacks. We are thankful for out tastebuds. Page 9 – Sketch in your favorite color(s). We are thankful our world is filled with color.

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Joshua Snow, Grade 1 Page 12 – Sketch something you love to do. We are thankful we are unique and special each in our own ways. Page 13 – Sketch how you might encourage someone over winter break. We are thankful for the opportunity to build others up.

Andrea Finkle English, Grade 12 - DeLand High School What a year it has been! I was so grateful that the Institute continued despite the pandemic. Our meetings in July were my first forays out into the world after the lockdown in March. It was so wonderful to have the opportunity to be learning and discussing the best things about teaching with my peers. Pam, once again, provided the kind of leadership and activities to help us work through and around the challenges of teaching in our “new” normal. Immersing ourselves in art and in creative expression was just the “tonic” to help make life feel more normal. I consistently use the resources from the Institute in my everyday interactions and assignments with my students. After six years of participating in the Institute, I just kind of naturally implement approaches in my lessons. I consistently use visual literacy techniques- using images as catalysts for discussions and creative assignments. I encourage my students to access their creativity throughout the units and texts I teach, and I also do my best to offer them visual supports for learning. My favorite lesson this year so far involved using an online gallery from the National Gallery of Art that was composed of images of protests and activism. I asked my students to do a series of activities with these images as they were developing the ability to identify global issues represented by visual art to, hopefully, help them to transfer this skill to identifying global issues in texts they need to discuss for a major assessment component of the International Baccalaureate program. My Senior Regular and Honors students were creating poems that were in response to different images, and I also asked them to illustrate their words- giving the idea that words and images are frequently intertwined. I also had them think about how images can be satirical, and how we need to analyze beyond what we see. It is almost impossible for me to imagine what kind of teacher I would be without the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. I was drawn to this program because of my beliefs about what teaching should, and I have stayed with this program because it consistently offers me support and encouragement to be the kind of teacher I want to be. Thank you so much to all who make this learning opportunity possible. Through my applications of the ideas in this program, almost 1000 students have been positively impacted in multiple ways. That sounds like a successful program to me!

David Finkle English and Creative Writing, Grade 9 - DeLand High School In this extraordinary year, the Art of Reflection and Response was, for me, an oasis of calm in a chaotic school year. Last year ended with online teaching. This year started with hybrid teaching – and more myself and many others it continues that way for the most part. And yet the obsession with test scores continues, even as we try to help our students deal with the pandemic and all of the upheaval that has gone with it. In the midst of this perfect storm, our meetings became not a only a class about incorporating the arts into our classrooms, but a workshop for how to incorporate our humanity into a class. We looked at art, we reflected, and we responded. We created art of our own, including a gratitude box. But more importantly, we shared our struggles, our successes, and our ideas about what really matters in teaching. This year more than ever, our reflection and response was not just about art, but about teaching and learning – and life. Meeting in this setting and having the time and space to share, to laugh, and to figure out how to move forward in spite of everything was a gift. And in the end, I came to realize, art is one of the things that makes us able to move forward. So in the end, the reflection and response really were about art, too. Teaching is an art, no matter how much they try to quantify it.

David Finkle Mr. Fitz

Marie French ESE Support Facilitation, Grades K-5 - Holly Hill School What I have learned through the Institute this year has been that we all face many obstacles in a year of teaching and by using mindfulness, presence, and the resilience techniques as provided by the study of Onward we can each gain our footing in a seemingly challenging world. By utilizing the strategies and the wonderful suggestions of so many of the kind-hearted teachers and from Pam's loving spirit I have gained clarity, strength, and the presence of spirit in my days of teaching. I thank everyone at the institute, Bryce and of course Pam for her generosity and kindness. Thank you.

Marie French Lesson/Activity: Develop a Gratitude Box, Grade K-5, ESE Materials: utilizing cut up magazines, pictures, and sayings that resonate with you. Shoebox, glue, foam brush, paint How to: Cut up magazines and sayings that resonate with you Paint the glue on the box and paste your pictures and sayings around the box, and inside the box. Find items and collect items that mean something to you like concert tickets, a love letter, an award, and fill your box with meaningful items to you. Pull out the items any time you feel sad, depressed, or need a little lift on a stormy day. You know if you have completed the object when you can sit with your box and feel loved.

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Amanda L. Muessig Ancient World History, Grade 6 and U.S. History, Grade 8 New Smyrna Beach Middle School Changes can be challenging, and in a year that was full of changes life has been hard to manage. The Art of Reflection and Response Returning Teacher Institute guided me on how to take on the unknown ever-changing world and to be happy with the outcomes of all of life’s daily events. Through the lessons, book study, and group discussions, I have learned to strive for progress and not perfection in life. I have gained knew coping mechanisms for dealing with grief, stress, and anxiety. Better understanding of my personal truths and reflecting on my sparks of joy have aided me through the more difficult changes that have arisen during this school year. Finding my own identity and strengths through this training has allowed me to grow stronger connections with family, friends, coworkers, and students. The Art of Reflection and Response Returning Teacher Institute included many activities that helped me to gain a better understanding of myself and how I can best meet the challenges of everyday life. The Treasure Chest of Gratitude activity helped me in a few ways. In creating my personal Treasure Chest of gratitude, I found myself enjoying the art of MogPodge. This activity was new to me, and I now find myself doing more similar activities to bring me joy in my extra time. This activity also challenged me to stay true to myself, because as everyone else in the room covered their treasure chests with a variety of pictures, I stuck to my favorite flowers only. This was difficult for me as in my head I thought it would not be completed perfectly like everyone else’s, but I love my rose covered treasure chest! I also found through this activity that writing down one thing I am grateful for at school every day helped to lift my spirits about the day’s challenges that arose. I was used to writing down what I was grateful for in a home journal, but now in focusing on school only, I was able to find events, people, and activities throughout my school day that sparked my joy. Another activity that aided me through the challenges of this year was the book study on “Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators.” This book gave me perspective and researched guidance on how to figure out who I was and how my personality and values fit into the situations of everyday life. I gained a better understanding of my emotions including where they came from and how to best control them to create the outcome that best worked for me. This book also changed the way I tell stories in my head and out loud. Now I always try to tell myself and other people stories to see outside of our own perspective and give optimism to every tale. Finally, this book also taught me to find balance and be present in every moment in life. If I stop worrying about the past and the future events constantly, I will find peace and happiness in the now making challenging unknown changes seem less scary. The activities of the treasure chest of gratitude and the book study led me face my challenges head on keeping my own life goals and values in perspective.

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In each training session of The Art of Reflection and Response Returning Teacher Institute, I have found more out about how to deal with daily life. While it is difficult to talk about life’s challenges out loud, this training has given me a comfortable outlet to voice my challenges or even listen to the challenges of others in a similar situation. I am truly grateful to the other teachers in this training with me for showing their vulnerability to help me not to feel so vulnerable and alone in the challenges of life. Gratitude, optimism, compassion, and openness throughout the training has guided me to believing in myself enough to meet and defeat the challenges of change in everyday life.

Amanda Muessig Treasure Chest of Gratitude

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Amanda Muessig Lesson/Activity: Gratitude Skills, Grades 6 and 8 Adjusting and cultivating new mindsets and skill sets is a major focus in the classroom this school year. Practicing adjusting to new procedures and cultivating kindness through adversity are important aspects of teaching students. It was vital this year that I taught my students selfreflection and gratitude skills so they may be resilient through trying times. In teaching these skills the students will be better able to cope with life’s twists and turns to maintain a happy and healthy life. After reading the book “Onward: Cultivating Emotional Resilience in Educators” and working on my own gratitude skills in the classroom, I was able to adapt what I learned to help students gain strategies for adjusting to the unexpected and being able to find happiness in their everyday life. In our classroom, I wanted students to feel like they had a safe space to self-reflect and understand what good things they have in their lives. The first step in this lesson was trying to find time to fit teaching new mindset and gratitude skills to students in an already busy social studies curriculum schedule. In the first week of school, I gave students the bell ringer assignments of answering questions such as goal setting for the school year, what makes them happy, what makes them nervous about being back at school, who is their biggest supporter at home and school, and how do they like someone to show them they are grateful. These daily questions allowed me to explore my students needs and interests, but also allowed them to self-reflect on their own needs. The next step was after taking and checking their tests for each unit the students were given the rest of the class period to answer self-reflection or what makes them happy or successful questions in a written or drawing response. An example of one of these writing prompts was to have my eighth-grade students write a thank you card to one teacher at our school who made them happy and successful. Almost every student completed this extra assignment and wrote amazing messages to their teachers. This also spread joy throughout our school as I gave the teachers the cards during a teacher duty day. Then, I had students participate in a week of gratitude. The students were given the week before winter break to anonymously write one thing they were grateful for here at school on a closet door poster in the front of the room. Students would let me know they were ready to write on the grateful poster and receive a marker to place what makes them grateful at school on the poster. At the end of the week, we had a very large poster filled in with all different things they were grateful for here at school. Students enjoyed writing what they were grateful for on the poster and many of them would point our what they wrote to their friends as they entered class each day. This poster remained hanging in the classroom for as long as I could so students could remember what they are grateful here at school every time they walked in the classroom. Teaching students how to be resilient using self-reflection and gratitude has been a great strategy for our classroom. Opening conversations or writing/art prompts about themselves and their world views in the classroom aids students to better understand their own mindset and that they are a part of the larger global community. Throughout the rest of the school year, the plan is to incorporate as many self-reflection and gratitude lessons as possible to give students a chance to build that skill set. It is my joy to give our future the skills they need to meet everyday challenges and feel prepared to conquer the world.

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Class Project

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Jennifer Olsen Parallel, Co-Teach, Support Facilitation Math, Grades 6-7 Volusia Online Learning

The stresses, challenges, and change this year brought a need for new ways to do old things. This is my third year with the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute and as always it did not disappoint. Our class this year was about being resilient, being grateful and giving grace. For me, this year brought a change of how I taught and how I could connect with students. I moved from the traditional classroom to Volusia Online Learning. My project this year enabled me to reach out to students and share my love of art and creating, even in the Math classroom. I connected with students as they showed me their work, maybe a Lego build, a crocheted item, or a drawing they had done. This brought me into their world, and they felt the connection with other students and myself creating a great learning environment. Before Live events, or after one on one tutoring, students knew that it was okay to show me their creations, it brought up discussion and excitement, that could often carry through the lesson. Practicing grace, being resilient and being grateful made this year a year of expanding my skills in connecting with students. Showing compassion and grace, showing that I too make mistakes, and that is okay, all helped my students to feel part of the new my new online classroom It is a blessing to have this program and I will be sure to be back.

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Jennifer Olsen Lesson/Activity: See, Think, Wonder, Grades 6 -7, Parallel, Co-Teach, Support Facilitation Math Purpose of Lesson: Real world math problems are built into the curriculum for almost all math standards. Ese Students often don’t have the basic living knowledge or often struggle with comprehension of these type of problems. By starting conversation prior to lessons, about the topic, a determination can be made of the basic knowledge and vocabulary they already know, uncover gaps, or misconceptions. In this lesson, students will discuss a slide prepared in PowerPoint , which displays pictures that relate to the day’s lesson/standards, during our “live” event on TEAMS. Description of Activity: Group discussion using the See, Think, Wonder activity we learned in this class. What do you see? What do you think is going on? What does it make you wonder? Display the image, and then pose the following three questions in order, pausing after each question to give students time to reflect. 1. What do you see? What details stand out? (used to elicit observations, not interpretations.) 2. What do you think is going on? (What makes you say that?) 3. What does this make you wonder? (What broader questions does this image raise for you?) After a time of silence and contemplation we discuss the pictures that relate to the current standard. Using lesson specific vocabulary, I recap the discussion. Reflection of Activity: In a world where students need to be coaxed to engage in learning, this activity had them talking, responding, and having immersive conversations regarding the topic selected. Students then enter the lesson with basic knowledge and vocabulary that they would need to be successful. I have used this several times this year and it always has had interesting results.

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See, Think, Wonder Class Project

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Mary Amber Osmun Art, Grades K-5 - Westside Elementary School

Imagine my mortification and shaken grip on reality when in conversation with my significant other it was brought to my attention that I am two years older than I “identify with”. I guess I’ve celebrated my 40th birthday three times now unawares! Every year that I age it becomes more and more apparent that the truest treasures worth accumulating are creative experiences shared with others. Those experiences are worth far more than accruing wealth, worth more than the fancy houses and cars that I covet. Far more than looking good. I find that the time spent teaching, talking about teaching and learning better ways to be a teacher with my peers is very precious in a way that cannot be qualified. It is just so very valuable. Additionally time spent working on a collaborative project with my students is so very precious. The teacher institute has been such a treasure trove of ideas and refreshing methods of facilitation that I am very convinced the students benefit greatly. In Ms. Osmun’s art class, greater emphasis is now placed on the students to take responsibility for participating in their education and let’s face it, elementary students like to talk and play together. Collaboration these days is such a natural way for them to learn. Activities, projects and lessons developed out of the teacher institute support this natural inclination. It is always fun to see what happens!

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Mary Amber Osmun Lesson/Activity: The Absurdity of Surprise/ Five Frame Stories , Grades 1-5, Art Standards: Organizational Structure: VA.K.C.2.1: Describe personal choices made in the creation of artwork. VA.1.C.2.1: Describe visual imagery used to complete artwork. VA.2.C.2.1: Use appropriate decision-making skills to meet intended artistic objectives. VA.3.C.2.1: Assess personal artworks for completeness and success in meeting intended objectives. VA.4.C.2.1: Revise artworks to meet established criteria. VA.5.C.2.1: Revise artwork as a necessary part of the creative process to achieve an artistic goal. Content Objective(s): The students will have an opportunity to view artworks demonstrating the idea of the 5 Frame Story. These artworks rely solely on visual imagery to tell a complete story with a surprise ending using only 5 images. Students of the third grade class at Westside Elementary chose photos featuring leopards and researched leopards. They worked with drawing sheets provided by the teacher and used tempera paint and finished with colored pencil to complete detail. The students worked in groups to select 5 images that would tell a story with a surprise ending. Language Objective(s): Students will discuss what they see in the works of art using the key vocabulary terms as defined in this lesson and previous lessons. Key Vocabulary: Elements of Art Value Sequence Rhythm Supplementary Materials: Elements of Art Poster and Principles of Design Poster, National Geographic Magazines to select imagery, Pre-Draw-Along Worksheets, Pencils, Colored Pencils and tempera paints. Instructions: Introduce students to the idea of the 5-Frame Story and show them several examples of what a 5-Frame Story can look like. They should see a combination of photographs and drawings/ paintings. The initial exercise can include the idea of photographs that have been turned into drawings to create a variety of choices from which to choose images for a 5-Frame Story. The result is a collaboration between teacher and student small groups. See the example following:

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Mary Amber Osmun The Absurdity of Surprise/ Five Frame Stories continued Instructions: You are going to work with your group to select and/or create a sequence of five visual images to create a story. While this activity can be done with any subject, today you are going to work with images based on leopards. The entire sequence should visually tell the story. Remember a sequence is the order in which things are connected or related to each other. The title will be the only words that suggest the story and the visual images tell the entire story. 1. Establish characters and setting 2. Situation and possibilities 3. Involve characters in the situation 4. Build probable outcomes 5. Logical but surprising ending.

SIOP Features Preparation Scaffolding Grouping Options X Adaptation of Content ___ Modeling ___ Whole class X Links to Background X Guided practice X Small groups x Links to Past Learning Independent practice X ___ Partners ___ Strategies incorporated X Comprehensible input Independent Integration of Processes Application Assessment Reading xx Hands-on ___ Individual Writing x Meaningful xGroup Xx Speaking x Linked to objectives ___ Written xx Listening XX Promotes engagement XX Reflection: Students having an opportunity to work in a group setting for discussion are much more engaged with the content of the work and use the vocabulary.

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Ann Sejansky Theater, Grades 9-12 - DeLand High School I am very much a perfectionist. I have, over the years, lessened my convictions but for good reason. There is too much competition on campus now with many new electives and so many students wanting to major in Music rather than Theatre. Sometimes one must bend with the flow or crack. I sometimes see this as a sign of my own weakness; but reading the chapters in Onward makes me see the weakness is in the fighting of change. To not change my thinking would be detrimental to my career. I am no way near as demanding as I used to be. The world no longer answers our demands. It’s much more enjoyable, I have to say. It’s much easier, too. Once I let go and allowed the kids to drive a little, I found myself relaxing a bit and enjoying my position even more. That’s not to say the students drive the bus alone. I am always there watching, learning and guiding. I learned to allow myself to learn from my students. Some things are usable others are not. As I was reading Chapter Three, I realized what my voice and my story are. I never thought about it like that before. My story in on-going, as I have several years left to accomplish things. My story is a long one. I will start by saying that when I entered the classroom in 1997, I had no intention of still being there today, 24 years later. I went to DeLand High (also my Alma Matter) as a favor to a friend who’d started a real Theatre program three years earlier and had recently accepted a job in Asheville, NC. She didn’t want to leave her program to just anyone, so she asked me if I wanted to try. Not having a job with a steady paycheck or benefits, I jumped on the opportunity. I had only one year of public- school experience and it was tragic. I ran out of the previous school swearing on a stack of Shakespeare anthologies that I would NEVER teach high school Theatre again. I had no idea what I was stepping into. The reasons she left rapidly displayed themselves to me, one after the other. Not one of those reasons had to do with the kids or their parents. Did I mention I was only part time? I had nothing to lose. I could have made more money with less aggravation flipping whoppers at Burger King. I did what I could and created a small core of kids who wanted to stay on and continue building the program. But taking our room away, killing me with over-sized classes of kids they didn’t know what to do with and ignoring the juniors and seniors who’d been deprived of their favorite teacher, there was nothing enticing me to stay. During an evaluation meeting, I informed them that Drama in a portable is not doable and if they wanted a “world-class high school”, it would have to start with the arts. Several angry but supportive parents wrote the Daytona News Journal to expose what was going on. Parents were writing letters and e-mails in protest to not providing the “non-football kids” with a program they could be proud of. I was called into the Principal’s office thinking this was the day I was getting cut. I knew it and had a plan B going in. To my surprise, three things happened. 1. I was given the multi-purpose room back. 2. I was hired to come on full time, with a much more doable schedule. 3. The rest is history.

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We went from having 30-35 people in the audience each night to having between 80-100 on any given night. Musicals bring out more each night. By VCS standards, our audiences are quite good. So far, I have done 54 mainstage productions, 24 District One Acts, countless inclass performances and extra school events when asked Mine is a performance- based program. I am first an Acting teacher, as I am an actress. I teach a lot of History because the shows I can legally teach and perform free are all in the public domain. I feel that great actors should (and DO) know the history of their craft and the long, proud tradition that is Theatre. Musical Theatre has become the mainstay of the Theatre world. Broadway and Disney have seen to it. People love it and kids want to perform it. If I’m honest, only those who continue their studies at University will ever see most of what I teach again. That’s why I teach it. And that’s also why the notion of taking time for myself to relax and to breathe is crucial. I am so glad I read Onward. I feel like I’ve been given a green light to relax. In fact, it’s more like a commandment I don’t want to break! A tiny PS- One of my current Theatre I students just informed me that there was a question on the PERT test about Antigone. She said she felt sure she aced it, as we’d just finished performing it! So...you just never know! One day, they may win thousands of dollars on Jeopardy!

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Ann Sejansky Lesson/Activity: The Show Must Go On, Grades 9-12, Theater One of the things I’ve been working on all year is flexibility. I fall into the “perfectionist” category. I do not admit it proudly. At first, I was using flexibility as a means of survival as all my classes have different levels of learning in them. But my sixth period class is the best example I have. There are 16 students. Seven of them want to be there. Of the seven, three are talented and come to me with previous experience on stage. The other four are less experienced but are willing to learn and do so well. We then have three that would rather have their teeth extracted without anesthetic than be on stage in front of people. Two people have yet to show up this year, but they’re still on the roster and four are English as a second language speakers. They are wonderful, but very, very shy. They have, I’m happy to say, faced their fears and performed in front of an audience beautifully! Accents and all. While my other Theatre I classes were working on performing Antigone, this class rehearsed a modern adaptation of the same piece. I happened to have several scripts left over from when I’d done the play years ago. I had to change the play because it was too difficult for many of these kids to comprehend, much less memorize what they couldn’t understand. The antiquated language was difficult even for some of my pre-IB students. We spent weeks putting this 20 page one act together. We fought the attendance battles through frustrated tears, I had classmates helping me explain concepts and themes. We even prepared to have some kids double roles in the event the two people we suspected may not show up. We were ready for anything! Talk about needing to stop, breathe, recalculate and move on! I had only invited two teachers with ten students each to come watch a free show (more like a rehearsal) for the mere purpose of giving them a live audience. The day of the show came and found us with five people skipping. We were only ready to cover two. It was almost impossible to do the play. I desperately shoved a script in the hands of a student new to the class. Then, one of the audience members, a student in another class working on Antigone, volunteered to step in. Then another audience member who’d performed Antigone last year also stepped in. It was not perfect. But, by God, they were able to perform in front an audience. The parts we were ready with went off well enough to engage the audience. They were on the side of the kids making it happen. Did I mention this was far from the perfection I dreamed it could be when I selected the play? It may not have been “perfect”, but it was a most valuable lesson in Theatre: The Show Must Go On. And it did. What an excellent opportunity to teach my own students and the invited audience such a valuable life lesson. If we think things through, as chapters three, five and six of Onward attempts to instill in us, we will see the silver lining waiting for those of us who persevere through the unexpected. I was so close to cancelling their performance. If I had done that, I would have missed out on this teachable moment.

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Ann Sejansky The Show Must Go On continued The willingness of a new person to read a script they’ve never read before in front of group of strangers calmed an inexperienced Theatre audience ready to laugh at the attempt. Another caring individual who wanted to help us get where we needed to be disregarded the growing laughter and jumped onto a stage full of people moving around them so fast, they had to step out of the action so they could continue reading. With all of this, those Theatre I students got several lessons I didn’t intend to give them. At the end of the play, I got on stage to thank the students who helped us, praised the kids who agreed to go through with it and then thanked the audience for being the emotional support we needed. I broke down mid-sentence. This NEVER happens! But my tears of joy got me. I was changed.

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Rajni Shankar-Brown, Ph.D. Professor and the Jessie Ball duPont Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education at Stetson University Ever-growing Maze of Anguish 2020-21 has been heavy. I felt myself struggling within a web of intersectional ‘isms, particularly living in the South and working in a Predominantly White Institution (PWI). My heart ached deeply from our world’s sonorous fractures. My spirit felt weighed down from increasing heaviness and the longing for liberation. The global COVID-19 pandemic magnified painful realities, including economic and racial disparities. Millions of precious lives lost, including friends and family. 2020-21 amplified uncertainty and expanded an ever-growing maze of anguish. Reminder after reminder that life is fragile. It is full of change and uncertainty; pathways woven together with tears and smiles, fears and dreams. Thankfully, in the face of an ever-growing maze of anguish, 3 powerful lessons continued to emerge and reemerge for me during the 2020-21 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. I found each of these lessons, individually and together, offered guidance, healing, inspiration and sustenance. ▪ Embrace Uncertainty ▪ Respond with Courage ▪ Grow Compassion I hold profound gratitude for the Museum of Art-DeLand’s Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, a magical program that continues to impact and inspire -- and also to the generous family of Dr. Evans C. Johnson and the MoArt–DeLand Curator of Education Pam Coffman for making this magical program possible. Embrace Uncertainty As we worked on collaging cardboard boxes, decoupaging images and words from colorful magazine pages, sponging and spreading layers of mod podge, smoothing and scraping of excess with recycled plastic gift cards, trying to flatten bubbles and wrinkles…only to learn again and again that the “flaws” are in fact beautiful and actually not flaws at all, but rather organic blossoms, wildflowers, wondrous mysteries and unexpected greetings. Letting go of complete control and unlearning can be a hard lesson, but it is essential. We are frequently taught to remain focused only on the product or outcome. Much of schooling asks us to concentrate on the original vision, plan, blueprint, ignoring or forgetting the importance of process, the importance of accepting uncertainty, the importance of being present to the holistic experience and welcoming spontaneous developments. Uncertainty and space for evolution are imperative parts of unfolding stories. The cardboard boxes Pam gave to each of us were blank palettes that called for imagination and symbolism. While we were uncertain of the exact

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outcome or how our finished boxes would look, we found our way while cutting, arranging, rearranging, gluing, layering and creating anew with faith. We were reminded and encouraged to embrace uncertainty. And we inhaled, exhaled, and nudged ourselves (and each other) to accept what, at times, appeared to be imperfections (ripples and tears, jagged placements, manifestations different than the original sketches in our minds). I was reminded as I worked that these deficiencies, inadequacies, imperfections or blots were in fact the very opposite; they served as beautiful reminders of the process. They were reflections of the voyage of becoming and our ability to embrace uncertainty with faith. Life, like art, is full of uncertainty and beautiful blunders; and both can open new dimensions in life and pave unchartered paths -- that is, if we allow ourselves to shift our perspective and embrace the process more fully. Uncertainty can be a garden of discovery and refuge of hope in spite of potential distress and discomfort. While 2020-21 has been taxing and turbulent, my time at the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute recurrently reminded me to embrace the certainty of uncertainty – and to trust more. Respond with Courage Being invited to serve as a teacher-scholar in residence was (yet again) a true gift. I treasure being part of such a luminous community of educators and having a nurturing space to engage in reflective practice. Honestly, I have lost count of how many years I have participated in the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, and I am certain that this blurring is actually quite telling of the impactful nature of this program. Although I have an overflowing schedule, full of numerous responsibilities, I return to the Institute yearly with deep gratitude and I always find myself looking forward to the journey that awaits. The Phenomenal Pam Coffman does an amazing job of planning nourishing sessions full of opportunities for authentic reflection, collaboration, and creative application. During our Saturdays together, we are invited to engage in introspection and critical discourse. Situated in larger socio-political contexts, we discuss education -- sharing celebrations, challenges, fears, hopes, regressions, progress, and goals. We also share strategies, resources, and the gift of friendship. And we are reminded, through reflection and creative processes, to respond (to life and education) with courage; and to courageously make space for both pain and promise. Grow Compassion Educators in the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute have the opportunity to experience amazing art exhibits from diverse artists with myriad styles, techniques, and media. We are encouraged and supported in tapping into the power of our emotions and human expression. For me, the exhibit that resonated most deeply was Renato Rampolla’s street photography exhibit Dignity – The Light Within.

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Rampolla is a Tampa-based photographer; his exhibit captures homelessness, which is connected to my life’s work as a social justice educator and an Executive Board Member of the National Coalition for the Homeless (homelessness being integral to my family’s story). While Rampolla’s exhibit captured mainly adults and mostly men, I work hard to amplify the diverse reality of individuals and families experiencing homelessness including millions of children and youth. Being able to juxtapose my work with Rampolla’s was a meaningful experience that allowed me to reflect and dig even deeper as I engaged with my advocacy and policy efforts (especially now with COVID-19 significantly increasing homelessness and with up to 40 million families and individuals facing eviction, at risk of being displaced and homeless). We must grow compassion and work for equity. Speaking of growing compassion, the generous financial support provided by the family of Dr. Evans C. Johnson is deeply appreciated. The financial contribution continues to have positively impact the lives of educators and the diverse students they serve. I love the cycle of compassion that continues to be circle and be cultivated; funding this Institute annually is undoubtedly an act of compassion and one that actively is helping to grow more compassion! The institute reminds us to actively practice compassion inside and outside of the classroom, and it serves as a reminder of the vital role the arts play in growing compassion in our schools, our communities, and the larger world. As the Dalai Lama wisely stated, “When educating the minds of our youth, we must not forget to educator their hearts.” The institute also reinforces the importance of including yourself in your compassion. Educators are caregivers and we dedicate much of our lives serving others. We invest ourselves in our students and their families, colleagues, schools and communities -- and all the while, we (as educators) frequently do not make time ample to care for ourselves in our day to day lives. We must plant and grow compassion, beginning with being more gentle and kinder to ourselves. After all, we cannot serve from an empty vessel. Thankful to the Institute, as in this affirmative space we regularly remind each other to be kinder to ourselves and to support each other in this critical work. Onward, Together! In the midst of tremendous heartache in 2020-21, the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute remained a space of soulful healing and inspiration. This past year, in spite of COVID19, we were fortunate to experience powerful art (while vigilantly wearing masks and practicing socially distancing). We immersed ourselves in extensive artistic scope. Printmakers from the 19th, 20th, and 21st century including Edward Hopper, Willem Dekooning and Dorothea Rockburne. Collage from 1930 to present day, including pieces from Andy Warhol, Grace Hartigan, Romare Bearden, and John Mellencamp. Original poetry by local writers prompted by 30 plus pieces highlighted from the Museum of Art – DeLand’s permanent collection; I had the joy of serving as one of the judges for the Poetics Visions Art and Poetry Exhibition, and my imagination was stirred, and my heart was moved as I read numerous submissions. Diverse “places & faces” from the museum’s permanent collection and also a wonderful array of pieces from the

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private collection of the museum’s former CEO, George S. Bolge, including artists like M.C. Escher and Denis Smith. Once again, the Institute provided multiple opportunities to pause in the frenzy of life, to reflect on fractures and engage in healing, to nurture creativity, to build beloved community, and to actively strengthen our teaching and learning practices. It provided us with a space to be in community with each other. Bell Hooks writes, “As a classroom community, our capacity to generate excitement is deeply affected by our interest in one another, in hearing one another’s voices, in recognizing one another’s presence.” At the institute, we hear each other and recognize one another. It is affirmative and healing. It is a joy to practice empathy, create, reflect and grow inside of the dreamscape of the museum, along with my colleagues/friends. I look forward to future collaborations with the MoArtDeLand; it consistently supports my professional-personal learning and growth; it affords me with opportunities to share my passion, skillsets, and expertise to support educational excellence and advance justice; it fuels me with hope. During the past year (most certainly a rough and turbulent journey), I made a steadfast commitment to myself to continue embracing uncertainty, responding with courage, and growing compassion. And I am excited to turn the evergrowing maze of anguish into art and action. With deep gratitude, I am already and eagerly looking forward to the 2021-22 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. Namaste and onward, together!

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Rajni Shankar-Brown

Rajni Shankar-Brown Gratitude Box

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Scarlet Bones by Rajni Shankar-Brown The palpable paradox Waking on an icy winter night Feeling the sweltering heat of summer Finding myself In newly scarlet-stained sheets Looking for the bullet Not yet knowing My womanhood In a patriarchal society is exhausting From our constitution stating All men are created equal Laughing while gloating Grab em’ by the Pussy cat grown into tigress Shielding bullets daily Microaggressions, microaggressions Mirco multiply into macro Aggressions of misogynistic vultures We bleed boundless and heavy Scarlet rivers of life Inhaling fortitude exhaling resilience Dancing in fabulous flames Scarlet runs through us Flows through generations Embracing our every single bone From sacral to cervical Backbone solid We keep bolting; Hips jolting We speak in beautifully bodacious Viscerally vivacious Curves of love We are handbooks in calligraphy Still new to double digits Waking to scarlet stains I cried tsunamis Descending into Amma’s arms Mom kissing each tear She whispered You are growing and glowing Like crimson sunrises Spreading across skies like Scarlet rivers We are connected

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Beyond the umbilical cord Long ago slashed Cut before we were ready And now I hold my daughter Cradle her in my arms Kissing each of her tears Whispering like my Amma You are growing and glowing Like crimson sunrises Spreading across skies like Scarlet rivers We are connected I pause long enough to inhale Strength from ancestors Adding: our blood is strong, beta Fierce and full of revolutionary love We bleed while singing timeless songs Woven between generations Our ancestors reminding us Keep bolting; hips jolting And never forget Scarlet is in our bones Scarlet rivers Stains more than sheets We are resilient and robust Feel your heart beating Beta, feel and trust Your pulse continues to arise Revitalize, synchronize and catalyze My now double digits daughter Cradled in my arms We shield and field daily bullets Scarlet in our bones We weave pathways With heart-looms together Khadi and Banarasi silk Together bolting Our hips jolting We bleed rivers of life Inhaling-exhaling resilience We speak in beautifully bodacious Viscerally vivacious Curves of love Man, hear us roar!

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Rajni Shankar-Brown

Rajni Shankar-Brown, Sculpture

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Jennifer Slone/Lupica AICE Psychology and Sociology, Grades 9-12 Pine Ridge High School

I am Ms. Slone (Mrs. Lupica) and I teach AICE Psychology and Sociology at Pine Ridge High School for 9-12th grade. This year’s Teacher Institute theme is all about resilience and moving onward. This could never have been more true than this year. I began this school year stressed and anxious over the weight of the world’s problems during this pandemic. With the overwhelming stresses of our “new normal” it was hard to stay positive. With concerns of my wedding during the pandemic and providing rigorous lessons while keeping up with the social and emotional learning for my students, this school year seemed like an impossible task. I went home feeling defeated and that my best was not good enough. Then a beacon of hope happened… The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. Getting together with other like-minded educators whose passion and commitment to their students is unwavering, I felt the courage to continue. One day in the institute, we saw a showing of a photographer who captured pictures of the lives of several homeless individuals. I got humbled really fast. I was worried about mastering technology and reaching the kids educational need as well as stressing over my own wedding that I did not realize what was most important. I stopped appreciating what I had, rather than what I wanted. I had a job in the pandemic, I got to teach my students face to face and marry the love of my life. Everything else just did not seem as important. As I continued to put things in my gratitude box I focused more on the big pictures rather than the little things. I started to realize that my best as a teacher is more than good enough. I started to care more about the students’ mental health and wellbeing and became a more effective teacher. I even provided opportunities to my students for mental health breaks that allowed them to keep moving onward. I reminded them that their best is good enough.

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Jennifer Slone/Lupica Lesson/Activity: The Envelope of HOPE (Hold ON Positive Embrace), Grades 9-12, Psychology

I am Ms. Slone (Mrs. Lupica) and I teach AICE Psychology and Sociology at Pine Ridge High School for 9th through 12th grade. This year has been extremely draining and straining on my students. The pandemic not only consumed their physical health, but it obliterated the mental health as well. In a world where these days it seems there is barely a flicker of a birthday candle to keep it going, our kids need words of encouragement more than ever. In psychology students are to understand stress and its many factors, something they know very well these days. I decided to have the students “Describe the characteristics of and factors that promote resilience and optimism” (SS.912.P.19.6). One of the most important things I could do this year, is to help my students social and emotional needs. I was inspired by our gratitude box, where we wrote down things we were grateful for every week. I took this concept and tweaked it a bit. We took a mental health day in class and the students were told to create an envelope (I showed them how to make different versions and gave them creative freedom). They were to decorate the outside with any drawings or things that they liked or that inspire them. They were then to write words of encouragement, song lyrics, bible verses or anything that would encourage them to remain positive and resilient. They were to write these on happy colored paper. They were then to write down all of the bad things that happened this year or things that have been weighing them down. I had the students write this in invisible ink. I then collected all of them and made a collage in the form of a rock. I told them that I would be burning all of these at home and video tape me doing so. I wanted them to know what the storms of life do not have to weigh us down, but that we can overcome it and move ONWARD.

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Jennifer Slone/Lupica The Envelope of HOPE (Hold ON Positive Embrace) continued

Kyra Sullivan, Grade 11

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Class Project Examples

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Darlene Stewart Theater, Grades 6-8 - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts One of the benefits of being a Theater Teacher is the variety. Although I am always teaching from the set standards and curriculum, there is quite a wide range of methods, plays, styles, genres, I can choose from to get the lesson across. Therefore it is never boring. Throw into the mix that each year your students choose different material to work on and have a variety of interests and it allows for endless combinations and countless types of material to keep things interesting. Even when students choose material that repeats what last year’s students had selected; acting styles, abilities and artistic approaches change between different students, so material stays fresh. Another benefit of live theater is that it is performed “LIVE.” There is nothing else like an audience response of laughter, gasps, and even tears to something that happens on stage. Nothing can compare with the immediacy and intimacy of sharing thoughts and feelings with an audience. It is one of the things that makes live theater un-like a film or television experience. Communication goes both ways. The actor gets instant feedback from the audience. The audience gets to be a part of an ever changing and renewing performance. A professor of mine always said that theater is ephemeral; lasting for a very short time because each performance is different, changed and not lasting. The actors strut their hour upon the stage and after it is finished, it is forever finished. Some might say that a filmed version of a play is a way to extend the life of a theatrical performance, but once filmed the performance loses that which makes it “live” theater. Keeping those benefits in mind, we arrive at this past year and a half which throws many challenges into the mix. All classes go online to finish out the 2019-2020 school year which causes the need for learning all kinds of online platforms like canvas, flip-grid, zoom, Microsoft teams, etc. Live Performances are cancelled and suddenly this “LIVE” theater teacher has to postpone (and eventually cancel) the school musical that is 2 weeks from its performance date. For our music theater class, our live show is cancelled so we learn an online musical written during the school closure. This musical is designed for kids to record at home or on zoom and then have the teacher edit the pieces together into an online musical. That means this “live” Theater teacher attempts to learn the movie editing process from her 16 year old daughter (who really did most of it herself). Once our new school year begins, after being delayed several weeks, teachers are thrown into having live students and virtual students at the same time. Talk about a learning curve. How do you engage all of them? How do virtual students do theater activities with live students? How are scenes rehearsed with students in different households online? How do you grade blocking (the movement used in a scene) when it is difficult for students to picture how to add movement on zoom? How do you reassure your students that they are doing fine in their acting even though they did not sign up for film acting, they signed up for theater, which is a different style?

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Challenges abound and we learn. Junior Thespians goes fully virtual, so each event must be video tapped and submitted for judging. I was happy I had already had some experience in zoom shows, but now we are filming live students doing theater events, so it is a different type of filming. And many of the events have new rules to learn and pass on to the students involved. It has been a full year of changes, challenges and definite learning opportunities for this “Live” Theater teacher and many other teachers across the county and the country. But through it all, was the consistent opportunities for artistic reflection in this teacher institute; The Art of Reflection and Response. When things looked bleak and hopeless, there were other teachers to network with, cry with, yell with and alleviate stress with. Above all, there was the Art, the lesson ideas, the reflection, and opportunity to showcase our student’s work. It was one of the few things that allowed a moment of breath; a calm in the storm; a respite from the chaos. This Professional development has always been a great opportunity for learning, networking and working on our own art, but this year it became more. It became a life line. I want to take this opportunity to thank the creators of this program Pam Coffman from the Deland Museum of the Arts and Suzi Preston. Suzi was not with us this year, but she still was still present in our thoughts. Thank you to Bryce Hammond, Visual Arts Specialist for Volusia County Schools for supporting this wonderful Professional Development opportunity and visiting us countless times to share information and even to share his own art work. Thank you to Betty Drees Johnson for her continued support of this vital program. And thank you to all of the teachers who have shared ideas and encouragement throughout this difficult year. You have allowed this “live” Theater teacher to thrive in a world where “live” theater has not been possible. I have made it through this year with more new ideas, great friendships and lots of reflection. Or should I say……..We made it through together.

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Darlene Stewart Lesson/Activity: The Purpose of Theater, Grade 8, Theater Third year middle school students are prepared for deeper meaning when it comes to the study of Theater. If they have had Middle school theatre 1 and 2, they have much of the background of acting, Improvisation, Pantomime, and many basics of Theater practice. This lesson will get the students thinking about the bigger picture, not just the meaning of theater for themselves, but also what is the purpose of theater in our community, culture and world. 1. Pair: Students will pair with another student and come up with a list of the important things Theater teaches. 2. Share: Each pair will share their list. 3. Teacher lead discussion: Teacher will lead a discussion on the purpose of Theater using the three “E’s.” Theater Entertains; Theatre Educates and Theater Enlightens. 4. Students will reflect on what Entertains, Educates and Enlightens mean in the world. 5. Using the discussion ideas and their own reflection, students will create a poster exclaiming what purpose theater serves for them or for the world. Each panel will be put together to create a sign for the classroom hallway.

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Khorletta Sutton-Cressor History, Science, Reading, Grades 6-7 - DeLand Middle School Another year of creativity and professional growth has come and gone. The opportunity which allows me to add to my toolbox, to grow as a person and a professional. Art reflection allows me to provide students with a voice using creativity and expression when building upon simple subject information. The continued learning that art is more than just paintings, it is a voice, it speaks when others cannot, it is music, it is literature , it is all things nature. Since Students voice in creativity is key to their success in education as they learn to manage the ups and downs of this thing called life. I always fill privilege to continue to learn with other educators with the same drive. This institute’s knowledge provides me the ability to add creativity within the history and science in a way where students can connect to what they are learning. This allows for me to give students the ability to know that they all have a creative side to them. We as educators unknowingly through teaching subject matter, smother students’ creative side. So, this allows for us to give it back with a purpose. This year has been incredibly stressful with the pandemic and the unknown, so this class has given me a line of support needed to get through this with hope, compassion, and the understanding that you must always give back to yourself. If you don’t you will faulter and fail……… So, through learning, I will continue to RISE>>>>>>>>

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Khorletta Sutton-Cressor Lesson/Activity: Self-Check Project , Grade 6, History Purpose/ Objective: Is to check on how students are feeling about themselves, and others around them, due to the state of the community. 

Materials: paper plates, markers, pencils, feeling chart

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Student is given a paper plate that they are asked to fold in half. On the left side of the paper plate students will draw a picture of themselves. On the right-hand side of the paper plate students will write down all and any descriptive words about how they feel about themselves and their surroundings currently.

Once the students had completed the project, they were given the opportunity to share out to talk about what is going on in not only their home lives, but also their school lives and how it is effecting how they act , behave , feel etc. This aided the students in centering how they and others are feeling and how to help each other out when in need. Final result is many students learned they had many things in common in others that they thought they did not have.

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Keisha Wallace Instructional Math Coach - Campbell Middle School As teachers, we tend to do those necessary things that will keep us afloat, but it isn’t always intentional. We cope because we know we must, for the benefit of our students, and at times, our colleagues. Just as a trickle of water eventually wears a path through stone, so do the many stresses that weigh on the shoulders of educators. This seems especially true for “the year of COVID-19”. The pandemic that continues to rock our world demands that change must happen; we are forced to change…or be swallowed up in the process of that change. Through this year’s Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, I was given powerful tools that help create an intentional journey to resilience. The selected reading for our institute, Onward by Elena Aguilar, and the creative activities that were selected as catalysts for our group discussions, left me vulnerable enough to recognize I needed help this year. Like a child, too short to reach the sweet treats imprisoned in a cookie jar placed just out of reach, I needed a boost to seize the help I needed to get through a year of uncertainty. This year’s institute was everything I didn’t know I needed, exactly when I needed it. I tell you, I think Pam Coffman is psychic!! The activities and discussions, during our sessions, spoke to my social-emotional well-being. So much so that I grabbed the hands of many of my colleagues to bring them on a portion of my intentional journey. My desire- to ignite a spark in them the way the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute breathed hope into me. Reminding my colleagues that they are amazing teachers, doing unthinkably wonderful things, despite the fears and stresses that are trying to knock them off the path of resilience. They have value. They make a difference every day. This was my second year as an Art and Reflection participant. It will not be my last. Just like last year, I again connected with other like-minded educators that I would not have met or spoken with otherwise. Each of them has impacted me with their stories and their willingness to share a little of themselves in every class. There was a release of anxiety to realize that things happening at my school site, were not isolated. Even more helpful were the solutions that others implemented despite what was happening around us. This gave me hope that we will be okay; our children will be okay. Regardless of what happens, we are resilient. Intentionally resilient.

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Keisha Wallace Lesson/Activity: Un-Conferencing, Teacher Professional Learning

Kate Dalia and I are coaches at Campbell Middle School. We wanted to create an opportunity that allowed teacher voice to take the reins so, we designed a professional learning experience using the Un-Conferencing (Ed-Camp) format and principles. We incorporated an activity to help deal with stress in a healthy way and an activity that allowed teachers an open opportunity to create stronger collegial relationships. Below, we’ve outlined the components of the professional learning we designed. Stress Shredder (5 – 7 min) Dealing with stress – We ask teachers to think about things that are weighing heavy on their hearts Things they may never speak aloud, but the thoughts are present. (about 1 min) Next, teachers write those thoughts on paper (no one will see this). They are welcome to use as much paper as they need. When they finish, shredders are provided around the room for teachers to walk up and shred the stresses they vented about on their pages. Each teacher is encouraged to leave the stress shredded rather than take it with them as they walk away. Once they've shredded their stress, they can transition to the next part of the agenda. I'm good at... (3 min…throughout the PL) We placed bulletin board paper on top of a low shelf or tabletop. We provided pens and markers on the shelf for teachers to write their name, room number, and something that's working in their classrooms. We want to use this to encourage teachers. Despite the challenges they are facing daily, we must remember that there is some good. We use the finished “I’m good at…” banner to partner teachers who need a strategy or an idea modelled with a colleague who utilizes the strategy in the classroom. Unconference (90 min) The first 5-10 minutes are dedicated to explaining how an unconference works. We explain two important ideas, The Law of Two Feet and The Principles of Open Space. The Law of Two Feet , which says…any time you are in a meeting or event where you are not contributing or adding value, you are encouraged to use your two feet and find a place where you can. This allows a participant to leave a session that is not meeting their expectations. The Principles of Open Space remind participants: (1) Whoever comes are the right people. (2) Whatever happens is the only thing that could have happened. (3) When it starts is the right time. (4) When it’s over, it’s over. These ideas provide parameters so teachers feel safe to choose their own learning.

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Keisha Wallace Un-Conferencing continued The next 10 minutes are used to create the professional learning offerings for our session board. Teachers suggest topics for the upcoming sessions. Topics can be something they want more information about or it something they want to share. Teachers have notecards and markers to write their topic. We use the notecards to create a session board (think big grid) that displays the session number, session time, and room locations. We offered 3 sessions. Each session is 15 minutes long. Each session has 5 learning opportunities available. Teachers will bring their notecards to our pre-made grid so they can be placed in a session slot. Once our session board is complete, we will begin the professional learning. Teachers can take pictures of the session board and make plans for the sessions they would like to attend. An announcement will be made at the end of each session to let participants know to transition to the next session. After the last session, teachers will reconvene in the media center for a debrief and awards (approx. 5 min). The debrief and open awards is a time when teachers give shout outs to other teachers who impacted them during their sessions. None of our teachers had ever participated in an Unconference training. They LOVED it. They especially loved the freedom of choice and the ability to walk away if the session was not what they needed. They valued the ability to choose topics they were interested in sharing or learning more about from site colleagues. This is meaningful professional learning.

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Judy Williamson Global Perspectives AS Level, Grade 10, Global Perspectives Level A, Grade 11, AILE U.S. History, Grade 11 U.S. History, Grade 11 Pine Ridge High School As always this workshop did not disappoint. What I love about these sessions is being able to connect with art and bring it back to my students. What we do in the sessions I bring back and do with my students. They have always enjoyed the activities as they are outside of the box of ‘normal’ lessons and they learn so much. Being able to bring art and creativity into the classroom while learning about U.S. History is fantastic. The lessons in which I incorporate these lessons are the ones in which I find the most retention in my students as they are creating not simply regurgitating information. I found that often in my classes when I ask my students to create something they want me to tell them exactly how to do it and that takes away from the creativity, the more I use what I learn in these sessions the less my students ask for specific direction and the more they think out of the box. Being able to discuss bringing art into the classroom with artists, math teachers, English teachers, ESE support teachers, science teachers and the list goes on, makes being able to incorporate it so easy as there are unlimited ways to merge art with core instruction. Pam goes above and beyond making sure that we get what we need out of the sessions, for our students and for ourselves. This year in the classroom, to quote every single person in education, “is a year like none other” and as a result it has been a very hard year. The Art of Reflection has been a ray of hope and the fact it was able to continue has been a blessing to myself and my students. It allowed me to have a sense of normalcy and bring that back to my classroom. This is a workshop I would recommend to any and all classroom teachers.

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Judy Williamson Lesson/Activity: What is Art?, Grades 10-12, Global Perspectives This activity is to help students express how they ‘see’ art. This assignment goes along with another much more intense assignment. They have to write a research paper about any aspect of art that they want. Some have selected censorship, others photography, some have decided to discuss art funding in schools. This assignment, What is Art, is a reflection of what they have encountered and been inspired by while researching for their papers. This is their chance to be creative and express to others how they see art. The instructions are purposely vague so I do not influence them in any way: -You must create something that allows you to answer this question, What is art?, it can be a poem, it can be a song, it can be a collage, it can be a painting. It can be anything that is a creative expression that reflects your personal response to the question. Students were given time in class to meditate on what they wanted to do, they were given time and materials to create with and told to continue working on it at home. This was an assignment that some students were incredibly excited about and others dreaded. However, they all were able to have the time to consider what it is that makes something art, is it something from outside or is it in the mind of the creator? This led to some very deep discussions in class about concepts of beauty and art appreciation. I feel it has helped them greatly with their last research paper for my class because they not only had to research but they had to create which allowed them to experience the topic from different sensory perspectives.

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