CB Jennings International Magnet School, New London CT
Enroll in the Leonardo da Vinci Art School in Florence and mosaic and fresco classes in Rome, before taking in Spain’s artistic masterpieces to glean knowledge and nuances of each culture to expand elementary students’ skill sets and horizons.
I did not expect to be "wowed" as much as I thought I would. It was absolutely incredible. The Colosseum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, David-I knew it would be great, but it really took my breath away to see amazing works of art and architecture. In Italy and Spain, the art galleries and museums were just so inspiring. To see the works of the masters like Michelangelo, daVinci, Botticelli, Picasso up close and personal-no comparison when I learned about it in a book in college 35 years ago!
I seem to appreciate the simpler things in life like good food, history, and learn about others. How people live, work, and play in different environments, and how people celebrate their own unique traditions and cultures inspire me. Professionally I will continue travelling and learning about the world and the people in it after this fellowship. I am always amazed at how much I do not know and the boundless learning to be obtained. Instantly I found myself thinking of new ideas for students!
Experiences in Italy went quite smoothly, but accommodations and transportation to Spain from Rome were cancelled with no rebooking available. I was stuck in Italy and only half way completed my fellowship! Cancellation was due to Olympics held in France, and overbooked ferry. I ended up taking the only transportation available- a cruise ship. It arrived in Barcelona and Mallorca where I planned. My time there was shortened, due to cruise schedule, but I did get to my Spanish tour destinations.
*Create new lessons for K-5 art curriculum with assessments *Focus each lesson with an art history lesson/specific artist * Share professional learning with students and colleagues *Make connections with Spanish speaking students and families through architecture of Spain and comparing with Puerto Rico and Dominican and other countries and islands *Organize a school project focusing on the newly adopted theme-international magnet school which involves students parents and school community.
The Italy art experiences were so inspiring and challenging. I immediately connected with new ideas I could use with my students from the lessons learned in drawing, sculpture, frescoes, and mosaic classes. My experiences were enhanced after learning the traditional techniques, then I was in awe and appreciated art work in the Vatican, and museums and galleries even more than expected. I hope to inspire my students through my personal pictures and new lessons I created for our art curriculum.
I plan on creating a mosaic, fresco, or mural as learned in the Italy art school experiences. I plan on having the upper elementary art students create and plan a design, and then have parents and school staff help with the creating and construction of the art piece. The art project will be based on our new international magnet school theme that was adopted this year. I already incorporated new lessons in the curriculum based on knowledge learned in art schools, museums, and architecture tours.
