The Handwork teacher

I am a mother to two beautiful girls and I teach Handwork and Fine Arts in our local waldorf charter school in Arizona.

Saturday, May 31, 2008

ladies camp


Ok the tickets are made...I am going back to sunbridge...being that it takes lots of money to get there...I think it will be a question every year...can I get there this summer/spring?

But it is set...kids are taken care of and I am looking forward to 2 weeks of ladies camp....


when I was a kid I would go to 6 weeks of Kundalini Yoga ladies camp...http://3ho.org/WOMEN/womens-new/womenscamp-newpage.htm

it was so fun!!!! it was a camp for only women and girls...females learning how to grow as graceful shaktis... Shakti is a Sanskrit word for graceful woman.

we would tent in a quiet camp group owned by the founders of the camp, shaded by zillions of cotton wood trees in New Mexico... eating organic food, doing really fun activities like, white water rafting, rock climbing, archery etc....and then tons of Yoga and meditation.

I noticed it was also a special time for the women that went...it was a retreat for them...they did workshops all day (unlike the teens...we needed to play)



Anyway...My point is...this sunbridge time is like a woman's camp for me...a retreat... a time to grown within my self.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Meetings

I have been in meetings for the last 2 days and I just received my new schedule for next year....last year I was 3/4 time...next year I will be full time.

The surprise was that I am on the list to teach a double period of fine arts to both 7th and 8th grade...thats an extra 4 hours with the middle school kids....last year I had them for a one block of 8 weeks...not the whole year.

and how will I fit in my BA classes at night with this new full time schedule?

I am honored to be in the position that the mainlesson teachers feel I am a good enough teacher and artist to take on ...even replace their own artistic class period during the week....but wow!

if I screaming now that means I will really be screaming next year.


rethinking the whole plan......hmmmmmmmmmm

now where did I put that wand? I know I had it ......

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

summer school


so it is time to think about what I am doing this summer...how to finish my BA and how to return to Sunbridge...

I need a magic wand :)

Sunday, May 25, 2008

school is ouuuuuut! camping in the cabin






I did it!!!!!!! my first year of being a handwork teacher and I am still standing...........

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!

This year I had 23 first graders
23 2nd graders
23 3rd graders
17 4th graders
26 5th graders
16 6th graders
22 7th graders
and
8 8th graders

and I worked with Kindergarten a little

Now I relax....I have meetings with faculty all next week and I have to pack up my room....But now I breathe and plan for next year

Think about what worked and what didn't

Right after school got out on Friday...it was half day...we had the car packed and we left for the mountains to go camping in a cabin

on Monday it was 112 degrees and on Friday it was 65 degrees...so that means we had SNOW in the mountains

I forgot hats so I had to make new ones really fast...good thing I had yarn and a crochet hook...

Thursday, May 22, 2008

end of the year round up








We have the last few projects from fist grade going home...bears, bags, finger puppets etc
So my daughter's play was last week...she preformed it 3 times and had 2 parts. 2nd grade did the Indian story of the world is falling apart...it was so cute! I can't show pics of other students with out permission...so you get to just see my daughter as the sun...the play took place in the 3rd grade building structure...they build a shade/ shelter out of hay bales and stuck mud on top (stucco) and wood roof... it is an amazing structure!

Next we have a picture of my older daughter and her friend being very silly with tape on their noses right before we leave for our Spring assembly where we go to local community college and all the grades preform on stage to all the parents (we have so many families that there is not enough seats for everyone. (that's a good sign that we have a very healthy community)

Next you see the second Humming bird about to leave the nest and the mommy feeding him and helping him go...they are so cute when they learn to fly...they get their wings flapping and then they just fall off and about 6 inches down they start to fly up again.

next is my younger daughter drinking from a coconut and having fun on the tire swing

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Dyers garden


So its time to start up my Dyers garden. The Gardening teacher and I went over what to plant this coming year.

So far this is what we are at
Sunflowers
Woad,
Weld
Red and Yellow onions
Madder

If you have any other suggestions...let me know :)

Sunday, May 11, 2008

7th , 2nd and update on our humming birds

Here you can see our Humming birds trying to fly
my daughter is crocheting...







Saturday, May 10, 2008

2nd grade camping trip




Since my second grader is always with so many of her friends, it was hard to get a shot of her alone.
But anyway, the 2nd grade and their families went on a 2 night camping trip to a lake about an hour away from school. it was really a wonderful trip. Not all the families came and not all the families chose to stay the entire time...

But it was a wonderful way to get to know each other better.

Here are a few pics of my girls

Sunday, May 4, 2008

parrot alarm update



remember that parrot that was waking me up real early in the morning with a car alarm mimic

well here she is. we have finally met. she hung out in our back yard for about 10 minutes... she ate and sang

update






so here are some things from our day

eating our favorite snacks...papaya and avocado ...each child likes their own favorite snack...its interesting how they are both shaped like an ovary...good for my young females....they say females (no matter what age) should eat one avocado each week

Next is our humming birds in their nest...how sweet they are and so big now


2nd grade crochet update.


this is a dragon finger puppet...it took the 3 students I had do this task only one class so they will make a bag after this...with only 6 classes left.

and our first zucchini and summer squash from our garden

Friday, May 2, 2008

3 weeks left







with only 3 weeks left I am feeling the year come to an end...I see 1st graders turn into 2nd, 2nd graders turn into 3rd etc.

There are some very defining features for each grade.

I keep dreaming


I keep dreaming of going to Europe with my family and traveling for several months. come home for year and then go back for year and stay in some small village....

I wish I had some European friends...it would make this dream so much more a reality.

DO you ever feel pulled some place and you don't know why?

Maybe its all in the mind and not a reality at all or maybe there is some life experience that needs to take place there and my soul is just constantly reminding me

Thursday, May 1, 2008

happy May day



my older daughter and I were inspired to make a May pole dance out of felt.