The Courage to Create!

Recently I had the amazing opportunity to substitute for a middle school art teacher for one week. During that week the students were working on creating a work of art based on the concept of courage as inspired by learning about the Holocaust.

 In the above photo I am sharing my personal etchings of scenes from the Holocaust with the students. My paternal grandparents fled Germany during the war to escape persecution. As an artist I was moved to create artwork inspired by this historical event. As I shared my artwork with the students they asked many questions that allowed us to have an in-depth discussion about the project. Asking questions is such an important part of understanding art. It is so rewarding to be able to have a dialogue with young artists about art. Asking questions is the root of investigation. Investigation is the key to inspiration. I was very impressed by what these young artists started this week and look forward to seeing the finished products!

Wood working

I have learned so much from my father. Growing up, he was always fixing things around the house. I loved to work on projects with him and now that I have a house of my own, I find myself being the "handy man" of the house. My father lives close by and we still work on projects together.

In the past few years I have been fascinated with wood working. The mathematics behind planning and assembling functional works of art really puts my brain to work! Below are a few examples of pieces I have made over the last two years.

The original bench was rotten.  I took apart the old one, saved the side iron pieces, and designed a new, fresh bench with treated wood for a garden piece.

I designed a king size bed frame with a beachy and modern feel to it.  The headboard and foot board are attached with bolts and nuts so it is easy to disassemble.  

I designed an entertainment stand with cabinets so I could store my son's toys.  I added puck lights to illuminate decoys and pictures on the shelves.

Long-Term Substitute: Elementary School

The Fall of 2015 was a momentous season for me. I was lucky to be chosen for a long term ART substitute position at a local Elementary School.  This was a very important teaching experience. I have been learning a lot substitute teaching over the past two years, but being the art teacher in a classroom for two months straight was a new perspective.

I learned a lot, and it is really hard to put into words all I learned, so here's my:

Top Five Things Mr. Krueger Learned When Given The Opportunity to Take Over a Classroom:

1. Organization, dedication and patience are the most important characteristics of being a successful teacher.

2. It is very, very important to get to know your students. Every child has a story. Knowing their story explains their actions. When you know them, you know how to not let them down. Teachers make promises, commitments to be there for the students. We teach them content, but we are also helping them decide who they will become as they grow up.

3. The creative process is a deep, multi-step process that involves brainstorming, reflecting, selecting, refining/changing ideas, experimenting, making, (sometimes re-making), sharing and showing! Simply put: Think. Plan. Make. Share.

4. Kids can be really, really messy in the art room. Figure out and implement solid clean up routines!

5. Teachers are just grown up students. Even with 30 years experience, we are still learning alongside our students. That is a very good thing.

The Marshmallow Challenge

Recently an art teacher friend of mine needed to take a day off. I was more than happy to take over her classroom for the day! She was kind enough to collaborate with me on the content planning. I was so excited to work with the kids on "The Marshmallow Challenge."

(If you are interested in learning more about the Marshmallow Challenge, check out this website: http://marshmallowchallenge.com/Welcome.html There is also a great TED talk.)

 The students were about to start a three-dimensional design lesson with their teacher. I thought this "challenge" would be a great way to introduce students to the properties of sculpture.

Teams of 3-4


Supplies for each team:
12 spaghetti noodles
1 piece of tape
1 piece of string
1 marshmallow

Students were given 15 minutes to create the tallest free-standing sculpture that could support the weight of part of the marshmallow. (The other part of the marshmallow could be used in construction.)

  

After 15 minutes the class gathered around each team's sculpture. The team members described what worked, what didn't and what they learned about the properties of sculpture. Through these conversations the students began using the following words without me introducing them:

Weight distribution
Balance
Stability

We also talked about the difference between two-dimensional art (having height and width) and three-dimensional art (having height, width and depth.)

At the very end of the class I had the students complete an exit ticket to share what they learned.

What did you learn about the properties of three-dimensional art?

My personal, professional exit ticket was "What did you learn about teaching middle school students today?"

I learned that it is very important to have an engaging "hook" activity to introduce students to new content! When they are vested in learning the information (through a challenge or other "fun" method) they don't even realize they are learning! 

Resources

Another goal this summer is to find resources to help me in my future teaching job! I have been asking other professionals for reading material to help supplement my education. I learned so much by reading these books! My wife has been lucky to have had professional development with both Dr. Stewart and Dr. Walker and we have had great conversations about the philosophy of art education!


Thinking through Aesthetics by Marilyn Stewart



Teaching Meaning in Artmaking by Sydney Walker

Working in Clay: Summer Experiments

Clay is an amazing art material. As old as the earth, it is used to create everything from the dishes we use at dinner time to life like sculptures. This summer I am experimenting with clay as I develop ideas to use this media in the classroom.

Students love to use clay. It is an inviting material because of its tactile qualities and students can find success in creating both functional and expressive works of art!

As I prepare myself for a job as an art teacher, I recognize it is important to be ready for any grade, any level as I have my provisional license for PreK-12! Within my future classes I will have a range of students--gifted artists, students with special needs and students who struggle with the confidence needed to take the plunge into art making. As I work with the clay I try to imagine how it would feel to be either of those types of students. Reflecting as I work, I think about how to make the projects more challenging for the gifted student. How can I provide more choices within this project? Also, I think about students with special needs--what kind of instructions would be needed to better aid them? Would having visuals of each step prepared help? What about using objects to create texture in the clay as a focus on experimenting to better "learn" the media? How can I support students' confidence through this endeavor? What types of peer critiques will promote positive reflection and foster a sense of unity in the classroom?

Alright, enough playing around with clay: time to make something!

For my first project, I challenged myself to use high and low relief in the creation of a symbolic work of art. This summer I have been blessed to spend so much time with my family. We have spent a lot of time together at the beach, going on bike rides and picking tomatoes from our garden! I have also grown as a professional as I have used the summer time for research and development. I have chosen the blue crab as the symbol for this clay project. Blue crabs grow by molting. During their lifespan a male blue crab molts about 25 times! I figure if a blue crab can handle that much change, than I can handle my decision (at 35) to become an art teacher alongside being a first time father. I admire the blue crab for its beauty and determination, and chose this to be my personal symbol.

I found an image on the Internet to use as a reference for the basic shape of a blue crab. (The image was not copyrighted.) Then, on a trip to the Eastern Shore to visit family I was able to get up close and personal with my chosen subject.

Right now my project is in the very beginning stages, but I am so inspired to work in clay!

The start of the school year was very busy! I was so lucky to be asked to complete a long term sub position at a local Elementary School! I learned so much and learned I have a lot...to learn!

I did find time to finish my crab relief sculpture! 

A little bit about myself...

The world is a big place and I have been lucky to travel and see some of it! England, France, and Canada are a few of the places I have been. Most recently (before the birth of our son) my wife and I traveled to Italy. I got to stand beneath Michelangelo's  great work the Sistine Chapel.  I was struck by the commitment the artist had to his craft. How daunting it must have seemed at first--but also how exciting! I am happy to call Virginia Beach my home that I share with my wife and our son. Being a father has completely changed my point of view on the world. I see the world now with all my hopes for my son having a happy life. We enjoy taking walks in our neighborhood, visiting the beach in the summer and my son especially loves to watch the goldfish swim in our tank. Everything is new again and that sense of wonder is a big part of why I want to become a teacher. Seeing kids discover what they are capable of, watching them solve problems they weren't sure they could solve--I can't imagine a more rewarding career. I always have a personal art project in the works. I recently finished a large-scale painting of Chesapeake Bay sunset and have been working on building furniture for our new home. We plan on staying in Virginia Beach for a very long time, we are lucky to be within a hours drive from our family. This is a wonderful place to raise a family and I look forward to the adventures ahead!