Final Service Learning Reflection

Reflect on your first service learning teaching experience. You may wish to respond to the following prompts or simply reflect on the experience

• What went well? How did you develop your craft of teaching?

• Reflect: What did you learn from the experience?

• What did you observe? How did the learners respond?

• Envision: What would you change if you had to do it over/teach it again?

• How did you engage and persist? What challenges did you encounter and overcome?

Wow, what a FUN experience Artistic Abilities as been for me. I knew I would love doing this project but I never thought it would being me this much joy every week. It has easily been something I look forward to every Wednesday and not like a chore.  I am so sad with how quickly the last 5 weeks have been and that it is over. I feel like I got so lucky with the group of students we had and having Abby and Daylen lan as my co-teachers. It really was such a great team. It was also so fun getting to know Allison and having her with us every week as support and having debriefs with her every Wednesdays.

As for our final day with the students, I was SO happy with how their pinch pots came out after the glaze firing. It made my heart sing when Emily L. clapped her hands and smiled when she saw her horse pot. Its small moments like that that make all the work and possible stress of creating lesson plans worth it. 

As for Abby's activity, I thought it was a really great way to end our time together as it involved all of us working together to create our stainglass windows. Even though I mentioned in my Peer Teacher reflection that I was a little overwhelmed that we were all at one table, I do think it was fun to all sit together and work.  I think the students really loved all the theme options they had available to them but also the freedom to create their own theme, like Kayla and her butterfly stain glass. Even though the adhesive paper required some one on one support, I don't think it created any problems for the activity as a whole. I think the students were aware that they needed that extra support.  One thing that might have been helpful is maybe having a mini activity at the beginning as some students finished a bit early and  didn't want to make another one. However, we had watercolor and oil pastels out which didn't seem to be an issue after they were done with their main project. Overall, a really great and relaxing activity to end our time. 

It was also really fun to look back on all the art that was made the last 5 weeks and seeing how their seemed to be more exploration as the weeks went on. I think thats because we all became more comfortable with one another and the teachers started figuring out what each student may like or may not like ( lots of dog lovers in this group). I am really looking forward to this art show and seeing everyones art on the walls. I am also excited to see the students one last time. Goodbyes are hard.