Reflect Respond Renew Teacher Institute Anthology 21/22

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Museum of Art - DeLand’s 2021-22 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute Participating Volusia County Teacher and Student Anthology

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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.

Printed E.O. Painter Printing Co. DeLeon Springs, FL Museum of Art - DeLand

Copyright 2022 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.

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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.

Suzi Preston, Retired Art Specialist, Volusia County Schools and Co-Director of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute for her dedicated support, expertise and collaboration.

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 2021-2022: Alexandra Gibson - Campbell Middle ▪ Christina Kromhout - Samsula Academy ▪ Kimberly Scaccia R. J. Longstreet Elementary ▪ Jennifer Surgent - Beachside Elementary ▪ Stephen Wallace - Campbell Middle ▪ Robin Weiss - Palm Terrace Elementary ▪ Sarah Wilson - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts To our returning teachers participating in 2021-2022: Katherine Crane - Manatee Cove Elementary ▪ Heather Cunningham - Spruce Creek Elementary ▪ Andrea Finkle - DeLand High ▪ David Finkle - DeLand High ▪ Adam Harpstreit - University High ▪ Kristan Kinsella-Brinley - DeLand High ▪ Jillian J. Larriviere - T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High ▪ Amanda L. Muessig - New Smyrna Beach Middle ▪ Jennifer Olsen - Volusia Online Learning ▪ Petra Ramirez de Arella - Deltona High ▪ ▪Nicole Rose-Peadick - Heritage Middle ▪Ann Sejansky DeLand High ▪ Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown - Stetson University ▪ Christina Sills - Forest Lake Elementary ▪ 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

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Reflecting on my letter in last year’s anthology, I thought 2020-21 was the year of ultimate challenges for our teachers, students, parents, and the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute. I certainly was wrong; 2021-22 proved to be even more challenging and chaotic.

Masks - no masks; distance learning - in-person learning; vaccinations - no vaccinations; personal freedom - public good; quarantine - no quarantine; Delta - Omicron; changing CDC, State and District guidelines; student emotional well-being - learning loss; testing-no testing; back to normal - a new normal or what is normal; and teachers who were hailed as superheroes now the villains.

It seemed as if we were all trying to juggle way too many objects with more objects being thrown at us constantly, and most of the objects had sharp points! Despite all of the uncertainty, confusion and constant state of flux, twenty-four teachers signed up for the Returning Teacher Institute and nine teachers for the New Teacher Institute. Since we didn’t meet our minimum for the new teachers, the decision was made to have separate summer sessions for each Cohort and then convene jointly for the rest of the training.

For the past several years the Institute trainings have been designed with a theme or focus such as story and how we tell our stories, gratitude and resilience. Trying to decide on a focus for 2021-22 was yet another challenge, but in the end we chose perspective and perception. Kathleen Cushman and Wendy Baron write in their article, “The Power of New Perspectives” that, “the ability to see from new perspectives — whether in the home, the classroom, the boardroom, or a civic forum — can offer thoughtful and positive solutions to the thorniest of problems. Teaching that intellectual, social, and emotional skill can transform how we think, what we think, how we feel, and the decisions that we make, both large and small. Teaching perspective-taking is an important tool for educators.” Over the course of the 2021-22 Teacher Institute, perspective/perception was certainly a topic that generated much exploration, discussion and thought.

As you read through the teacher reflections, lesson plans, and personal works in this anthology, several Institute projects standout. One was Twisted Tales and 100 Word Stories, a second was Two Voice Poems and the third was Gifts from the Heart – If I could give you and/or myself a gift or wish. Each of these projects required a thoughtful inquiry into our personal and professional perspective and perception.

Unfortunately, not all of our teachers were able to complete the training, but for those who did, please accept my sincere appreciation and thanks. Being with you brought some joy, hope, and light into a stressful and challenging time personally and professionally.

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To all of the teachers who have participated in the Institute and to those who return year after year this is my wish/gift for each of you.

If I Could Give You A Gift I would give you FREEDOM  to teach without being micromanaged or constrained by the curriculum, testing, administration, politics or parents.  to teach for your love and passion for the profession and your students.  to embrace more teachable moments and know the satisfaction of students' ahhas.  to have a voice and exercise it freely without fear of retribution.  to be a partner in the leadership and decision making of your school.  to develop a relationship with your students as individuals and not just data points.  to build a safe and humane classroom community where curiosity, questioning, and the learning process are more valued than having a correct answer on a standardized test.

I would give you TIME  to let your students go off topic or explore an idea in depth.  to be creative and encourage creativity in your students as well.  to take a bathroom break whenever you need one or just have a moment to breathe and actually eat your lunch.  to talk to and collaborate with your fellow teachers.  for reflection.  to finish your day at school without having to do grading, write lesson plans, or contact parents once you get home.  on weekends, breaks and summers free of school work.  to be with your family and friends and have a life outside of school.

I would give you COMPENSATION  equal to the importance, knowledge, dedication and effort required of you.  in the form of sufficient supplies and materials to teach without having to pay out of pocket.  so you wouldn’t have to work another job or two just to pay your bills.

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I would give you a feeling of JOY and renewed PASSION each time you enter your classroom and satisfaction knowing that you truly change lives and inspire your students to develop a love of learning.

I would give you the RESPECT and TRUST you have earned and deserve -- from your administrators, students, parents and community.

What I can give you is my Gratitude.

Gratitude for you dedication, professionalism, caring, tenacity, and creativity.

Gratitude for your commitment to the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute.

Gratitude for having the honor to know and work with you.

Gratitude for the joy and hopefulness you bring each time we meet.

“Part of the art of teaching is the ability to rearrange the world for students - to force them to see things in a new way. I’ve known too many stupid intellectuals to believe that education and wisdom come as a package deal along with facts, it's your perspective that counts - your ability to see differently, not just to see a lot.” ― Sunny Decker, An Empty Spoon Pam Coffman, Curator of Education, Museum of Art - DeLand and Director of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute

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The selected artworks and writing included in this publication were produced by the new and returning teacher participants in the 2021 - 2022 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute and from students in their respective classes. The Museum’s Department of Education worked collaboratively with Suzi Preston, Retired Art Specialist, Volusia County Schools and Co-Director of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, and Bryce Hammond, Visual Art Specialist, Volusia County Schools to develop and implement this professional development program and accompanying classroom materials and resources.

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2021-22 New Teacher Participants Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute

Alexandra Gibson

Campbell Middle

Christina Kromhout

Samsula Academy

Kimberly Scaccia

R. J. Longstreet Elementary

Jennifer Surgent

Beachside Elementary

Stephen Wallace

Campbell Middle

Robin Weiss

Palm Terrace Elementary

Sarah Wilson

Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts

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2021-22 Returning Teacher Participants Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute Katherine Crane Heather Cunningham Andrea Finkle David Finkle Adam Harpstreit Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Jillian J. Larriviere Amanda L. Muessig Jennifer Olsen Petra Ramirez de Arella Nicole Rose-Peadick Ann Sejansky Dr. Rajni Shankar-Brown Christina Sills Darlene Stewart Khorletta Sutton-Cressor Keisha Wallace Judy Williamson Kathryn B. Wilson

Manatee Cove Elementary Spruce Creek Elementary DeLand High DeLand High University High DeLand High T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High New Smyrna Beach Middle Volusia Online Learning Deltona High Heritage Middle DeLand High Stetson University Forest Lake Elementary Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts Deltona Middle Campbell Middle Pine Ridge High DeLand High

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Katherine Crane Gifted, Grade 5 - Manatee Cove Elementary School The unicorn of professional development. This is what I’ve called the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute for years. Years. I can think of no other professional development course that teachers willingly return to year after year. The community that Pam and Suzi have created is what sustains me as an educator. This may sound hyperbolic, but I assure you that it is not.

For the past few years, even before the pandemic, teachers have been under increased pressure. I could list the demands placed upon our backs, but I currently have neither the time nor the bandwidth (and Pam doesn’t have the space in this book) for even a cursory review.

Suffice it to say that the burden has become quite heavy. I can tell you, without hesitation, that I feel lighter after each Teacher Institute session. For a few hours on a Saturday morning, I get the gift of collaboration with colleagues (from all grade levels) across the district. Pam and Suzi consistently cook up engaging activities to challenge us to connect with our creativity. We never end an activity without Pam asking, “Is this something you can use in your classroom?” Without fail, the response to that question is an immediate, “Yes!” I remember an end-of-session reception a few years ago. The late Tom Russell was superintendent, and we had a few moments to chat. I shared some of the activities we’d done in the Institute and what I’d taken back to my classroom. “This is the good stuff,” Mr. Russell said.

“This is what the students will remember years from now.”

The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute injects much needed creativity into our classrooms. It brings like-minded educators together to share, to (occasionally) commiserate, and to grow. We reconnect with what we want education to be, what we know it can be, and how we can make that happen in our little corner of the world. We lessen the burden, at least for a moment. We tap into the good stuff. We find our unicorn.

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Heather Cunningham Art, Grades Prek-5 - Spruce Creek Elementary School I have taken the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute for three years. This course is not just another professional development, it is so much more. The Teacher Institute is held at the Museum of Art in DeLand and on occasion we visit the downtown museum.

The Teacher Institute is different each year. My first year in the Art of Reflection and Response was very eye opening. I am an elementary art teacher, and I took the course the first year so that I could get ideas on how I could add reading, language and writing into my class routines. The Art of Reflection and Response class is made up of a variety of different types of teachers from all grade levels. I left the Teacher Institute with so many ideas on how I can add reading, writing and language into my art class. My classroom and students benefited from what I took from the institute. I began using writing response to my class, I would ask the students specific question about their art and that allowed them to write about their work. This year in the institute we are focusing on perspective. Perspective is not something I focus on or teach in my art room. However, after this course I am adding perspective activities and discussions in my daily art lessons.

An interesting lesson we did on perspective was a drawing activity. I described an image to the entire class. This class was made up of 17 4th graders. As I was describing the image, the students could not see the image. Students were to draw what I was describing. At the end of the lesson students held up their drawings. Students were amazed at how different all the drawings looked. They were all trying to draw the exact same image, but they all looked so different. This activity allowed us to discuss how different we each preserve things. Students were able to understand more clearly, through their drawings, how different each one’s perspective is.

I have invited many of my educator friends to join this professional development course. The more diverse this course is the richer the conversations. The conversations we have during our opening sharing time are something you don’t get at any other professional development courses. I value the conversations I have with other educators. Other professional development courses don’t allow enough time for discussions. Also, my professional development courses usually are made up of art educators. In this course I have the opportunity to discuss lesson ideas with a variety of educators from all grade levels and all subjects.

We meet once a month at the museum. Meeting at a museum gives us the opportunity to be up close to images. Some of the activities we are learning or doing incorporates details from the art pieces in the museum. Having the actual images there as we are viewing it is much more engaging rather than looking at the image on my phone or a photo of the image. I remember that when I am teaching my students. I understand now that having the actual image there in front of them is more engaging and will allow them to see more details, in turn give a more detailed answer or response.

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Heather Cunningham - Teacher Lesson/Activity: Paint a Picture, Art, Grade 3 The classroom assignment I had my students participate in was the Paint a Picture activity from the book “Visual Intelligence.” The activity is on page 106. The author wants the reader to understand that when describing a scene or a painting it is important to fill the blank canvas without biases, only facts. Accurate, objective, descriptive facts depict an image.

In the classroom I explained to the students the importance of describing an image with facts and not opinions. The students were to describe what they saw, every detail. They were to use inches or centimeters when describing how long or big something was. I asked the students to use geometric shapes to describe how something looked. They were to use colors and textures when describing how something might feel if they touched it. They were to use foreground, middlegorund and background when describing where something was in the image.

Students were paired up. One student was the describer, and the other student was the drawer. The describer had a magazine image glued inside a manila envelope. The describer had to describe the image to the drawer. The drawer could not see the image being described. The drawer could not ask any questions, they could only listen to the describer and draw. This lesson took my students 45 minutes to complete.

This activity was done by third grade students at a Title 1 school. Before the students were paired, I asked them how they were feeling about the activity. “Confident, I know I can do this.” “I feel nervous because I’m not a good drawer.” “Worried because I don’t want to be the describer, I want to be the drawer.” “I’m excited! This sounds fun.” During the activity students said, “I’m confused because she’s not drawing what the picture looks like.” “I feel good, my partner is doing a good job describing the picture.” “Skeptical because I don’t think my drawing looks like the picture he is describing.” When the activity was over students said things like, “I am relieved, I had a hard job describing all the details in the picture.” “I’m proud of myself, when I finally got to see the picture, I drew it pretty good. We worked good together.” “Tired, that was a lot of work, it was hard.”

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Heather Cunningham Paint a Picture (continued) Kayden Law and Gabriel Johnston, Grade 3

Kayden Law Grade 3

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Andrea Finkle English 4 and English 4 IB, Grade 12 - DeLand High School Since I have been with this program since its beginnings, I am constantly grateful that it is has continued and grown into the present year, and it sounds like I will have an opportunity to reup for next year.

This program has given me so much, and so much of what it has given me are the intangibles.

It has improved my attitudes and my teaching. It has grown my collegiality and my collaboration skills. It has enhanced my creativity and my tolerance for ambiguity. I have been constantly impressed by how talented and committed my fellow classmates are.

Pam and Suzi have a way of offering us new and surprising perspectives with every iteration of this professional learning. Every class is a living organism that offers a chance for us to bond and grow as educators. I have used countless activities from the institute in my classes over the last seven years: What’s the Story?, Visual Literacy, Two Voice Poems, etc.

I have been a part of the Art of Reflection and Response for almost half of my public teaching career, and I know it has enriched me and the lives of my students. I have also been fortunate in recommending it to fellow educators who have also benefited significantly by participating in the program. One of those educators is my husband- one of the most creative people I know, and he has really gained much from his participation as well.

The gratitude I feel for being a part of the Art of Reflection and Response knows no bounds. I am a better teacher and person because of this program.

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David Finkle English 1, English 1 Pre-IB, and Creative Writing , Grade 9 - DeLand High School I was not able to join the Art of Reflection and Response for the first few years of its existence. Another commitment (teaching cartooning and fiction writing at Stetson) kept me from being a student each year. When the Stetson program ended, I was finally able to join my wife at the museum, where it became, perhaps, the only thing that could have taken the place of my summer teaching gig.

This program is about activities involving images and words (two of my favorite things!), of course. But it is also about open talk about what teaching should actually be about - what it could be, if we actually let teachers teach. I am in my 30th year of teaching, and I sometimes despair of what will become of my profession. It seems at times that we have been reduced to users of educational products who encourage our students to also be users of educational products. Give your students these textbook pages, this piece of tech, this online program, and they will meet standards better on this other product, the test! No need to think! Teaching becomes less and less an interaction between human beings and more an interaction between various products designed to create a stream of data with students and teachers caught in the middle.

But at the Art of Reflection and Response, we talk about teaching as a human endeavor, teaching as an art. Art itself is a distinctly human endeavor - as teaching should be as well.

The author Frederick Buechner defines art as putting a frame around something - an image, a moment, a story, an arrangement of sounds - and saying “Pay attention to this!” I think the art of teaching does much the same thing. Pam and Suzie put frames around art by asking us to pay close attention to what we are seeing. They also put a frame around the whole idea of teaching. They create a frame around us as teachers, too, where we have a safe space to vent, explore ideas, and share.

Frames are something I am very familiar with: for the past 22 years I have been drawing a comic strip about teaching. I’ve drawn over 6,000 strips using thousands upon thousands of frames. I decided to end the newspaper run of the strip this year. As I pondered the final strip, I wanted to create a visual representation of what teaching and learning can be at their best. I thought about the very best classes I’ve had as a teacher, and of the very best learning experiences I’ve had as a student. The Art of Reflection and Response counts as one of the latter. Pam and Suzie teach, but they also encourage us to teach, and learn from, each other.

Teaching becomes a collaborative art. And so I leave you with my final comic strip… in its own way a tribute to this wonderful class.

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David Finkle David Finkle - Mr. Fitz

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Alexandra Gibson Mathematics, Grade 7 - Campbell Middle School The Art of Reflection Institute is a great professional development program where teachers from across the county come together to share experiences, ideas, and collaborate on projects. I strongly recommend this workshop to all new teachers and experienced teachers, especially, those who feel stressed and overwhelmed. The Art of Reflection Institute maintains a positive and safe learning environment where teachers can share ideas and experiences, all of which are very therapeutic. This program will revive your passion for teaching and, therefore, enhance your teaching practice. The Art of Reflection Institute revived my passion for teaching and introduced me to creative ways of incorporating art, storytelling, and perspective into my instruction.

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Alexandra Gibson Lesson/Activity: Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem, Mathematics, Grade 7 Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem On January 4 , 2022, I created an activity where students needed to create and solve their own real-life word problem. The purpose of this activity was for students to create a word problem based on a real-world situation based on their experiences with math in the real life.

This activity was originally called “Bell Ringer 1/4/2022”, students were asked to describe situations in the real world where you would use mathematical operations to solve a problem.

Students were then prompted to create their own word problem based a real-world experience. After creating their own real-life word problem, they needed to solve it. th

Criteria for creating a word problem:  Your word problem should contain decimals or fractions and/or percent’s.  Your word problem should contain at least one question.  Your word problem should contain a minimum of two numbers in the form of decimals or fractions, and percent’s.  Your real-life word problem should include who, what, when, where, and how much.

After creating your own real-life word problem, then you must solve and show your work for the word problem you created.  Create a word problem based on a real-world situation based on your experience with math in the real world. Be creative. Try to create a word problem based on your interests such as shopping, sports, science, cooking, etc.

During class discussions students described several situations in the real world where mathematics could be applied. One student suggested converting ratios of cooking ingredients in a recipe. Another situation a student mentioned was calculating deposits/withdraws from a bank account. A student interested in sports thought about calculating yards gained and lost from a football game then converting those yards into feet. Overall, this activity sparked student creativity in storytelling with mathematics.

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Alexandra Gibson Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem (continued)

Ashton, Grade 7

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Alexandra Gibson Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem (continued)

Riley H., Grade 7

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Alexandra Gibson Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem (continued)

Musarat Mansur, Grade 7

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Alexandra Gibson Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem (continued)

Amina Moseley-McCloud, Grade 7

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Alexandra Gibson Creating Your Own Real-Life Word Problem (continued)

Londyn Oxendine, Grade 7

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Adam Harpstreit ESE Math, Grades 9-12 - University High School In teaching mathematics, first Algebra and then later with Geometry over the course of this year, it was at times difficult to convey what was actually occurring in a given problem, however one of the strategies that I implemented from Art In Reflection and Response was about being mindful when identifying components from a complex image. Equations though not a visual medium, such as a painting or a statue, are frequently a difficult image for my students.

Therefore I made the components of equations more visual, I either changed the color of the different components, for example making the coefficient and the x variable red, or in another case making the coefficient represent a certain number of ‘adults’, thereby making the elements of the equation more relatable, to my students. I also went further when we began doing more complicated problems such as those involving multiple variables, highlighting how the coefficient related to the number of this variable, or the amount of hours of another variable, thereby making the problem more tangible and visually accessible to the student. In working directly or one on one with students this method has been especially advantageous.

Additionally I have found that in my role as a support facilitator I have been able to better communicate with the students, detailed standards when I have been able to utilize methods that we’ve discussed in Art in Reflection and Response. Student’s Just Like ART more than they like Math… Go figure.

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Adam Harpstreit Lesson/Activity: Drawing Angles of Elevation and Depression, Geometry, Grade 10 Background Information: Students were instructed how to identify Angles of Elevation and Depression as they are found in the world around them. Specifically, this is important when determining the way an aerator works in a plane or how to determine the height of tree when using a sextant.

Groupings: Students were assessed individually and in small groups to determine their level of understanding of the concept.

Learning Expectations: Students were given open expectations as to what the image created was to look like, but it needed to be understood that an Angle of Depression looks a certain way and an angle of Elevation though it might be congruent does appear different and requires different trig ratios to solve for. ____________________________________________________________________________ Lesson: Students were broken up into small groups and given a written description of Angles of Depression and Angles of Elevation. Students were then encouraged to use these descriptions to find situations in life that aid them in identifying these types of angles and by identifying them be able to solve using the Trigonometric ratios, to find either distances, or what the measure of the angles themselves were. Students then drew pictures representing this understanding.

Materials/Resources: Power Point presentations, Paper, Crayon’s, colored pencils, and markers.

Modifications: Students that were not particularly interested in drawing were able to download images from the internet and use them to help demonstrate the relationships.

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Adam Harpstreit Drawing Angles of Elevation and Depression (continued)

Student Example

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Art, Grades 9-12 - DeLand High School The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute had been an integral inspiration to me in my teaching. As a new teacher to Volusia County Schools in 2016, I met Pam Coffman on a visit to the Downtown DeLand Museum of Art at an opening. After touring the museum with Pam and learning about the educational program, I decided to register for the teacher institute. I was new to the area and thought “what a great way to meet new people while immersing myself in the arts!” Well six years later here I am completing my fourth season in the institute!

The teacher institute provides participants with an in-depth immersion in the arts through gallery walks and talks exploring the museum’s ever-changing exhibitions. We participate in various hands-on activities and collaborative experiences based on the artworks on display. We collaborate with fellow teachers in sharing progressive ideas and lesson plans that we bring back to our classrooms to engage our students in higher level thinking. he collaboration among participants is one of the highlights of the class. I believe I am speaking on behalf of all of us who have been enrolled in the course that the camaraderie between us is invigorating. We inspire each other to share the best we have with our students. In sharing our ideas and experiences in the classroom, we learn to elaborate on teaching and take it to another level. The professional development we experience in the institute is immeasurable.

I highly recommend teachers of all curricular areas and in all grade levels to take the opportunity to enhance their teaching by experiencing the teacher institute firsthand. Its addicting! I guarantee they’ll return for repeat sessions.

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Lesson/Activity: Inspirational Portraits, Drawing, Grade 9 Objective: Students will exhibit their learned skills to create a portrait in oil pastels, of a person in their life who has inspired them.

Purpose: Student Artists will learn how to use a grid to create an enlarged portrait in the style of portrait artist Chuck Close.

Essential Questions: How do others influence us in our lives?

How can your feelings be depicted in a work of art?

Vocabulary: inspiration, depiction, grid Materials: Rulers, 16 x 20 in. drawing paper, Pencils, Oil Pastels, photo reference Resources: Website “Americans Who Tell the Truth” Works from portrait artist Robert Shetterly Documentary Film on YouTube “Chuck Close - A Portrait in Progress” Procedure: 1. Students will view the website of portrait artist Robert Shetterly and discuss portrait art and the inspiration of others.

2. Students will select an individual who has inspired them at some time in their life to use as their subject for their portrait art.

3. Students will submit a written statement explaining who their inspiration is and why, with a quote from that person and a photograph to use as a visual reference.

4. Students will view the Chuck Close Documentary on portrait art.

5. Students will use a grid to enlarge the portrait of their inspirational figure to create a portrait of them.

6. Student art works will be displayed with the written statements and quote from their inspirational figures.

Assessment: Self Evaluation, Classroom Critique and Teacher Observation

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Chelsea Christoffers, Grade 9 Tim Tebow has inspired me in many ways. I have been fortunate enough to be in the same room as him and hear him preach in person. He is an excellent speaker and has never been afraid to share his words on religion with the people around him. Tim Tebow inspires me to be a better version of myself, and to trust in my religion. I feel encouraged by him to trust in the path that God is leading me on, and to not fear the thought of the future.

Quote “I don't know what my future holds, but I do know who holds my future.”

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Leela Church, Grade 9 I find Andrew Garfield to be inspirational for many reasons. For one, Andrew Garfield has all the love in the world for people, he loves everyone and everything despite their flaws. He has supported foundations such as Small Steps Project, Stand up to Cancer, Starlight Children’s Foundation and Worldwide Orphans Foundation, as well as causes like Adoption, fostering, orphans, AIDS & HIV, cancer, health and poverty.

Quote “Hate doesn’t end hate. Love ends hate” 30

Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Isabelle Jagers, Grade 9 I chose Toby Mac because he is my favorite singer/song writer. He writes a lot of inspiring music. His music is also very catchy and upbeat. Toby Mac unfortunately lost his son two years ago, but he still continues to write music. Although it tends to be slower, it still has the same inspiring message.

Quote “You’re not alone, we’ve all been there Scars come with living” “It doesn’t matter who you are This world goin’ leave some battle scars”

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Rio Lawrence, Grade 12 Marilyn Monroe is one of the people that inspires me the most in my life. She is an American model and actress that has accomplished a lot throughout her life and career in Hollywood. I love how elegant she is and how she portrays herself to the world. She still makes an impact on the world even after being deceased since 1962. Being a model is kind of a secret dream of mine, and knowing how Marilyn was in the modeling industry makes me want to do it more. Now days, people are pressured to look a certain way and be certain way, or under a certain weight, especially in the modeling industry. What I love is that she didn’t have the “perfect” Barbie doll figure that people may think they need. That definitely gives me, and should give other people the hope, that even if they don’t fit a certain image, they are still beautiful. One of my favorite quotes from her is “Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world.” This quote helps me embrace my femininity as a woman.

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Kaylee McGonigal, Grade 9 The person I choose is Paul Walker. Paul Walker was a TV actor who is known for his role in the Fast And Furious. He sadly passed away in 2013 in a car accident, but his legacy lives on in the movies he starred in. A famous quote of his is “My philosophy is: if you can’t have fun, there’s no sense in doing it.”

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Kristan Kinsella-Brinley Inspirational Portraits (continued)

Rebekah Rengifo, Grade 9 Bruce Campbell is an American actor and film producer. He inspires me with the story he tells of his lifetime and film career. He often sites how he was ashamed to be considered a b-movie actor. I find it inspiring how he claims he now owns that title. He is also known as an overall kind, good guy, making him easy to idolize. Bruce Campbell’s perseverance that he describes in his books is much so inspiring.

Quote: “groovy”

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Christina Kromhout Music, Grades K-5 - Samsula Academy Unlike my peers, who came in from recommendations to take this course, I came in blind. It is harder to find PD for non-core teachers, but with my license renewal coming up, 40 credit hours to gain, and nothing planned for the summer I decided to give this a whirl. In hindsight I am glad I did! I truly believe this course has some of the best minds Volusia County has to offer within it and the best instructors around! If this was mandatory for all teachers, we would see a positive upward trend throughout the district.

This biggest impact this course had on me was personal. My first year of teaching was during the Covid shutdown, with my second year being far from normal. Through this course I realized I had just put my head down and started the grind. Come in - hope that cough wasn’t covid - try to keep the students away from each other - hope that kindergartener who sneezed all over me wasn’t covid - try my hardest to make my music class still enjoyable without sharing or touching and limited singing - oh and a whole class I just had in my classroom is now quarantined for covid - and finally going home dead after sanitizing my entire room to do it all again tomorrow. I didn’t realize until after how much of a toll that took on my personal well-being. During this shut down I also lost all my normal gigs/rehearsals for various groups I performed in. Playing music with others was my way to be creative and destress. This class shed light to just how much I was in the hole and how that effected my ability to teach. Since then, I have been playing music again, and picked up an old passion for creative writing. I can see the difference when I come into school with some gas in my tank. I am able to use that extra energy to create fun and rewarding lesson plans for my students.

Although I have always made a huge focus of my teaching practice geared towards SEL and creating a safe learning environment for all my students, this class reiterated just how crucial it is. When you have 20 students, 100 students, 300 students, or 1000+ students there is no way to know exactly how each of them are doing day to day. They could be the best student in your class but go home to a broken home life. Or they can be “the bad kid” that teachers talk about in the lounge during planning.

Teachers can try to understand, but students aren’t always the best at explaining what they are going through and how we can give them the support they need. We as teachers need to do what we do best and TEACH them how to express themselves in positive ways through creative means. During this year I have taken a few days out of each semester to focus on writing and verbal discussion of the students’ emotions and how they handle those feelings, instead of music. And I have seen the culture of my classroom change. Students have more confidence when a lesson calls for it. They are also more genuinely caring about their peers’ feelings and feel empowered because they been taught approaches they can take to help.

In conclusion, you need to take this class if you have not already. Teacher, admin, para, it doesn’t matter. There is something in this course for everyone. Professionally and/or personally, this will help you succeed! Thank you, Pam, and everyone at the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute for this opportunity! Hope to be back next year!

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Christina Kromhout Lesson Plan/Activity: The Bodyguard, Self Confidence and SEL Strategies, Grade 5 While teaching K-5 music I have learned that as students grow up their willingness to perform and be creative diminishes. I have longed pondered the reason this may happen and have settled on the conclusion that as students become older, they become more self-aware. Although it is amazing that the students are beginning to form a self-identity, the side effects are not. Students begin to become self-conscious; they don’t want to try anything that might make them stand out. They begin to form self-doubt and give up easier when the going gets tough. All they want is to fit in and not be judged by their peers. This lesson was created out of a need for a tool to combat the natural progression of puberty and the emotional roller coaster these students will face for years to come.

This activity was derived from the book “The 9 Modern Day Muses and a Bodyguard.” Throughout this book the muses have noticed that humanity have become less creative and go on a mission to solve this crisis. The bodyguard is there to protect the muses and anyone who follows their advice from outside threats to our mental psyche such as embarrassment, judgement, and “fitting in.” All common challenges humans face as we navigate from the beaten path and find our way in the world.

I have noticed specifically my 5th grade students have become anxious about moving to middle school next year. As we began to talk about their fears it was clear they could benefit greatly from a mental bodyguard to protect them. We had a discussion on what students could do to combat these fears. Many said tell the teacher or talk to a friend about it. Well, these are great ways to deescalate situations do they always make us feel better? Safer? This is when I explained the story of the 9 muses and more specifically their bodyguard. The students liked the idea of having almost an imaginary protector they could call upon when others were not around to talk to. Thus, we created our bodyguard and wrote some things they would be able to protect us from. We also wrote phrases they might say/remind us of when faced with difficult emotions.

Not only was this lesson a great way to teach/give the students a healthy coping mechanism for future challenges they might face, it also helped in class. The students felt safe to discuss their biggest fears moving to middle school in a safe environment surrounded by peers who felt similarly. They knew they were not alone by the end of the lesson. Many even compared bodyguards and found they needed protection from the same problems/fears. I also saw these in action as we prepared for our Christmas Performance and the students started getting anxious about performing in front of hundreds of parents and guests. I think this should be integrated as a 5th grade lesson across the county to help transition all students into the next chapter of their lives.

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Christina Kromhout The Bodyguard (continued)

Terra Taylor, Grade 5

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Christina Kromhout The Bodyguard (continued)

Kendall Shaw, Grade 5

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Christina Kromhout The Bodyguard (continued)

Danny Woodard, Grade 5

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere Visual Arts, Grades 6-8 - T. Dewitt Taylor Middle-High School This is my 2nd time participating in the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute at the Museum of Art in DeLand. My participation in this Institute has benefitted me personally to give me a place to relax and talk with like minded people to observe and enjoy art. This institute is good for my soul and is just what I need to nourish that side of me. This institute has benefitted me professionally by being able to share fun and engaging lessons with my students and giving them interesting ways to look at and experience art. Sharing our experiences with other teachers and getting advice in areas of trouble also provides invaluable perspective I may not otherwise get.

My participation in the institute increased my skills in writing, this is an activity that as a child I always dreaded so I can find that commonality with my students. I feel uncomfortable expressing myself in that way so doing these challenges at the institute allows me to stretch that side of me and it helps me relate to my students who are finding this activity troublesome. It has increased my knowledge and understanding of arts integration and the importance of creativity and visual and verbal literacy by giving me the tools to expand on just glancing at a painting. This allows my students to get a better understanding of not only a piece of art for my class but life in general. The tools I am giving them can apply to other areas of study and the world around them.

This new knowledge is very important to my teaching practice. This year’s theme was perspective and it couldn’t have come at a better time. These past two years, I have felt like I needed to be in these classes for my personal growth and it also benefits my teaching practices. The classes are giving me inspiration and messages that makes me feel they are necessary at the exact moment I am needing to hear them. It has energized and inspired me to continue to help my students learn the importance of perspective in more ways than just seeing what is in front of them. I look forward to every class even though our days are often overwhelming, the museum course and the colleagues I work with are a breath of fresh air in the current climate of education.

I will be able to utilize the lesson plans I received during my course at the museum in future art classes, having students analyze artwork will always be valuable in my art room to help students dig deeper into a painting. The writing assignments will also help to use a different part of the brain and give my students more of a toolbox to pull from in other classes. I like to hear how other teachers in the museum class interpret the assignment and how they use it in their classroom, being able to get a different perspective than I have is helpful and I am grateful to have access to the valuable assets that our teaching community has. This museum class has provided me with a much-needed respite and a rejuvenation full of endless ideas and opportunities to help me become a better teacher for my students. We are very lucky to have an opportunity like this in our county.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere Lesson/Activity: Lesson One - 100 Word Story and Lesson Two - Twisted Tales, Art, Grades 6-8 I chose to share the 100 Word Story and Twisted Tales Assignments with my students. At first my students seemed reluctant to participate in these activities because of it being a writing assignment. But with some coaxing I think that they had fun with it. For the 100 Word Story, I explained and reiterated that it should be 100 words total, no more no less. That this should be a story either what happened before, during, or after we see this still image in front of us. I gave about 6 different options to provide a variety of images that would appeal to each person and I found that to be successful and was surprised how many chose the same image.

For the Twisted Tales assignment, I used the photos of the artworks provided in our museum class. I split up my students into groups of two and explained the directions. At first, they were caught up on the amount of words, based off the previous assignment, but after it was explained it could be unlimited, they got right to work. It was exciting hearing all the chatter between the groups coming up with their twists, I am surprised how many went so dark with it.

The purpose of this activity was to have my students take a deeper look into a photograph or painting to look beyond what information in right in front of them. This assignment was an opportunity to observe and infer to create a story based off their perceptions. Overall, I found that these 2 assignments went over well with my students, I was very transparent with them about the intentions behind them and I feel it was received well. I think some of them even surprised themselves with their ability to be creative and think outside of the box without the pressure of being in an English class. I think it was a good confidence booster for some of my students who struggle with writing.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story (continued)

Twig People 100 Word Story Teriauna Carruthers, Grade 8 We come alive in the night We are angry and disgusted.

Why do you do this to us?

Why do you poison us?

Why do you hurt yourself?

Stop the pollution.

Stop the carelessness Why can’t you care about you and nature.

Just reduce the waste, with plenty of haste.

Just reuse.

You don’t need glasses to see the harm you are doing to us.

Pollution all around Filling up my atmosphere We give you oxygen and this is how you repay us? Mother Nature is not happy with humans.

You’ll wonder why it is 70-80 in December But it’s you, all you.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story (continued)

100 Word Story Christine Collins, Grade 7 One day, a mother gave birth to a beautiful child. Since the mother loved nature, she named her daughter Ivy. As Ivy grew up, she seemed to love nature. One day she found bird, not a pretty one but it still was Ivy’s little companion. As she continued to grow their relationship was unbreakable. But the bird was growing too. Ivy knew she couldn’t keep it away from its home anymore. Ivy went down to the beach and sat with her bird for a while. She wanted to keep the bird, but to Ivy’s surprise, the bird was already gone.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story and Twisted Tales (continued)

The Bridge 100 Word Story Azeraya Gonzalez, Grade 6 The Bridge is a story that was tragic, long ago the bridge was beautiful. Well that was before the major accident. The bridge was first built in 1968, destroyed. Not destroyed completely, but when the bridge was first built, people threatened to burn down the bridge. One day, a boy named Jose promised to burn the bridge down. Protests, fights, riots, everything was going bad. So, one day Jose drove to the bridge and had Molotov cocktail, 36 to be exact threw seven and burned the bridge. But Mary gathered money to fix the bridge again. She helped, the end.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story (continued)

Can’t Let Go 100 Word Story Valeria Hernandez, Grade 8

Trying to let go of something or someone who you took as a prize, it’s heartbreaking. You value all that, just for it to go when you least expect it. They say it’s going to be “ok”, is it really though? It’s just words. I would like to have fun in life with that someone, but I can’t cause I can’t let go just yet. It takes time, right? Well how come all these days pass and I still can’t let go. It’s like someone cursed me to repeat my mistakes. Why though? It’s like saying good

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story (continued)

The Super Heroes 100 Word Story Rylyn Rogers, Grade 6 It all started when two very evil scientists decided to release a very rare and deadly fungus.

Only four kids knew, the son and daughter of the explorer who found the fungi. Abby and Hayden, with their two friends, Violet and Blake. The four of them work really hard to stop them, but things were very difficult for the children to try and convince anyone and everyone what was going on. No one would believe them, so they took matters into their own hands.

They had much trouble and learned many things. Those four kids have probably saved the whole world.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere 100 Word Story (continued)

100 Word Story Zack Sheppard, Grade 6 It’s been 1500 years since the sun hit Earth with a solar flare. It dried up all the water on Earth, including water below the Golden Gate Bridge. Only a few humans and animals survived because they hid. Present day, there is still barely any water and there are only a few buildings left on Earth. Everyone had a meeting today to discuss how we will get full supply of water and food back. Scientists are trying to make hybrids to produce meat for humans. Luckily, they think there is DNA of animals we had. Humans might thrive again thankfully.

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Jillian Janiec Larriviere Twisted Tales (continued)

Dennis Weller, Interior XXII Carolina Cleere, State of Mine

The Dark Room Twisted Tale

By Azeraya and Jesus, Grade 6 Once upon a time, a little girl was wandering around the woods with her older brother. He took a photo when a bird all of a sudden landed on her. She followed the bird and lost her older brother. The bird lured the little girl into a dark room with two doors, thinking her brother was in one of them. She picked the left door and when she walked in it and woke up to no one seeing her. Like she was nobody, invisible. She cried but no one seen, suffering all alone. She rested in peace.

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Amanda Muessig Social Studies, Grade 6 - New Smyrna Beach Middle School Throughout the last three years in the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, I have grown both professionally and personally. This training has endowed me with so many new skills, life lessons, and perspectives. I have been able to expand and stretch my mind by both trying new things and listening to the perspectives of the other participants in the training. This training has brought new life and spirit to my relationships with my students, co-workers, administration, and personal connections in life.

Professionally this training has engaged me in the idea of using other’s perspectives in my teaching practice and when working with other teaching professionals. While working with co-workers and administration, I have tried to keep their perspectives about situations in mind. If we are working through everyday struggles and challenges that are present throughout the school, I always try to think about what the other person’s perspective is on the situation and keep this in mind before I speak about the situation. It is now an important part of my professional practice to listen to the perspectives of others before even finalizing and speaking on my perspective. While working with students, I have tried to listen to their perspectives and situations before reacting to their need, request, or issue. I have found that this strategy has allowed me to have a better relationship with students and provides me more insight into their lives outside of school. Students have shown more respect for me and my classroom this year using this perspective technique. In the classroom, I have also incorporated art, drawing, and perspective-based projects for every unit we study. Students learned about the perspectives of other people in the past through both the engaging curriculum-based history lessons and through the Samantha Smith Project with the aid of the Americans Who Tell the Truth website. This year I have also run two drawing and coloring contests in my classroom to aid in encouraging students to find their artistic sides. Using the techniques taught during the Art of Reflection and Response Institute, I have been able to gain a new respect for using other’s perspectives and points of view to make me a better teacher and coworker.

In my personal life, I have also been able to use the skill of taking on other people’s perspective to aid in my relationship building. Helping friends through family tragedies, loved one’s deal with stressors of everyday life, and building new friendships. I am grateful to have learned how to listen to other people’s perspectives and carefully craft the words that I use to build honest and respectful relationships with others. In my first year of the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute’s reflection, I wrote that I never thought I was an artistic person, but this training has taught me to tap into a creative side that I never knew I had. Recently in my personal life you can find me creating drawings by the bonfires outside my house just for fun, or even writing poems for Christmas gifts.

After every Art of Reflection and Response Institute training, I feel so uplifted, heard, inspired, motivated, and energized to be the best teacher and person I can be. I am always so grateful to our leaders and the other participants for letting me hear their perspectives, working with me to grow my point of view on the world, and pushing me to find my artistic side.

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Amanda Muessig Lesson/Activity: Lesson One - In Our Daily Life, Lesson Two - Samantha Smith Project, Grade 6 Observing life through different perspectives allows humans to keep an open mind and be lifelong learners. The focus of the Art of Reflection and Response Returning Teacher Institute’s training this year is on seeing the world through many perspectives and using these new perspectives to become more emotionally and academically intelligent. In the classroom this year, I have tried to incorporate the concept of giving the students new perspectives on life. This includes the perspective of how the ancient civilizations we study influence their daily lives and how the students may influence the future of our world.

The first lesson plan that was brought into the classroom this year was the “In Our Daily Life” lesson.

At the end of each unit on an ancient civilization (such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Israel) students were asked to analyze how that ancient civilization influenced their lives today. This lesson required students to change their perspective from these old faraway lands that have nothing to do with me to opening their eyes to how these civilizations truly changed the world into what they know today. For each civilization, students had to write one to two sentences with pictures about how the civilization influenced their life in eight categories. The eight categories included agriculture, government, religion, writing, social structure, art, technology, and famous people. The students synthesized their notes to create wonderful projects displaying the impact that civilizations had on their life. The students were very engaged during this lesson and were able to draw on their new knowledge of the ancient civilizations from class to see how their daily lives have been influenced by these civilizations.

Changing the students’ perspectives from these ancient civilizations that are old and have nothing to do with me to now fully understanding multiple ways the civilizations influenced them has been a great experience for my students this year.

The second lesson plan that was brought into the classroom this year was the Samantha Smith project and the Americans Who Tell the Truth website. During WIN time, students who did not have class remediation were taught about who Samantha Smith was including watching a video and researching her story on influencing the ending of the Cold War. Then students did research on the Americans Who Tell the Truth website about other Americans of their choosing who made big changes in the world on an issue the students were most interested in. Students learned about different causes and issues happening both locally and globally that impacted their lives. Students then completed research on a cause or issue they thought they could help. Students were encouraged to create projects to help make the world a better place like Samantha Smith. Students completed projects such as creating posters, songs, writings, and events proposals that would make an impact on causes such as homelessness, recycling, ocean cleanups, school safe, bullying, LGBTQ community, underprivileged youth, and more. In the beginning of the project, many students thought a sixth grader could not make a difference in the world, but by the end of the project many students were encouraged to go out into the world to make a positive change for their cause.

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Amanda Muessig Lesson One - In Our Daily Life, Lesson Two - Samantha Smith Project (continued) In the classroom this year it has been my goal to make sure the students see the world from new perspectives. This includes allowing the students to reflect on how the past ancient civilizations truly changed the world to make it the place they know today, and how the students could make a change in the future of the world. Students were engaged in both the classroom curriculum and the issues of our communities today. The skill of observation and changing your perspective will allow my students to be lifelong learners and positive global citizens for years to come.

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Mackenzie Golden, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Mackenzie Golden, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Melissa Kidwell, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Madysen Lewis, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Addisyn Moore, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Addisyn Moore, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Addisyn Moore, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Addisyn Moore, Grade 6 59

Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Emma Perez, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Emma Perez, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued)

Emma Perez, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Kari Ruiz, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Kari Ruiz, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Desiree Wesley, Grade 6

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Amanda Muessig In Our Daily Life and Samantha Smith Project (continued) Desiree Wesley, Grade 6

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Jennifer Olsen Mathematics Regular and Advanced, Grade 7 - Volusia Online Learning This investigative course fills up my bucket of teacher practices every year. This is my fourth year taking Art of Reflection and Response and as always, it did not disappoint. Every year I am blessed to be able to walk away with new skills, new friends, and a reinvigorated passion for teaching. Through this year’s course I have gained a heightened sense of visual intelligence and have explored how individuals interpret differing views on the same scene or passage. I have used these skills and experience to develop opportunities which enable me to grow both personally and professionally.

Over the years in this course I have studied both resilience and giving grace, and in result I have developed my own voice in the classroom and learned how to ensure my students find theirs. This year’s focus was investigating visual intelligence and considering opposing perspectives. Perspectives vary for each person and often we can find ourselves stuck in thinking that our perspective can be the only view that is right. The activities offered in this course exposed me to viewing and listening to varying views or interpretations on the exact same painting or passage. While listening to poems and paragraphs that were written with the same prompt that all have vastly divergent messages and concepts- it all started to make sense. I was able to find the value in how we as teachers have a responsibility to try and understand the different perspectives of our students.

This class is a welcome challenge, and I always walk away with such good insight on myself, how I teach, how others teach and with a new outlook in my teaching. It is a blessing to have this program and I will be sure to be back.

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Jennifer Olsen Lesson/Activity: Math Real World Problem, Mathematics, Grade 7 Purpose of Lesson While reading Visual Intelligence by Amy E. Herman it occurred to me how little we see of the real world. We go through our day and we miss details, clues that could tell us more about the world around us. I then started thinking of how I saw the world and how that must differ from my student’s perspective. One quote that drove this activity was when Amy said “remember, no matter how obvious it seems to you…it is possible others do not see it”. I reflected on this and decided to create an activity that would show me what my students saw.

Description of Activity Read the Math Real World Problem below and then read it again. You are to Draw your interpretation of the problem making sure to include as MANY details you can find in the word problem (eg, if the setting is a store, draw the store, the shelves etc. to make it look real life).

Real Life Word Problem: In January, Georgia, an office manager, signed up for a membership at Anytime Fitness in a big city.

When she entered and talked to the front desk she chose a plan that cost $95 in start-up fees and then $20 per month starting in February. Edwin, a construction worker, also signed up at Anytime Fitness in January on New Years Day. His plan cost $35 per month starting in February, and his start-up fees were waived. Who received the better deal?

When we read Real World problems we need to read carefully and get all pertinent information. This project will help build your visual perspective.

Reflection of Activity: Results varied widely. Some students saw the basic information but did not catch the details to the level that would be required to solve the problem. Other students provided in depth pictures that had every detail that was possible from the problem and one student broke the problem into two separate issues. It was obvious that all students do not see the same information.

This project was to help me as a teacher understand what the students sees in a problem and what might be missed. If important information from the words are missed it is obvious that the problem would not be able to be solved and a student would struggle.

Amy stated that “with sharpened observation skills we need to become a “super sleuth” and prioritize information as well as trust our view (perception).” As teachers it is imperative that we teach our students this same skill. It is our job as teachers to take a moment and look at the work from the perspective of the learner to become a better teacher, and to help our students see all the information that is available to them. Moving forward, I have concluded that if I can demonstrate and teach the skill of observation to my students when dealing with Real World Math Problems, they would be more successful.

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Jennifer Olsen Math Real World Problem (continued)

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Petra Ramirez de Arella 2-D Art, 3-D Art, Drawing I, Drawing II, AP-Art, Cambridge AICE Art and Design, Grades 9 - 12 - Deltona High School I have returned to the institute because I missed the learning environment of the museum and the fellowship with other teachers who are passionate about their profession. As in previous years, I gained more ideas for strategies to engage students in critical thinking, questioning, discussing and becoming more profound artists.

This year our topic was “Perspective” which has led me to reflect about my own perspective and the perspective of others. I enjoyed our discussions which helped to get to know each other and respect the different point of views. I highly recommend the book “Visual Intelligence” we were given to read during the institute. It sharpens definitely the perception of the reader.

We did a lot of activities which can be applied in the classroom such as viewfinder, 100 Word Story, How would they see it, Twisted Tales with artworks in the museum, Poetry, Future Monuments etc. What I already have used in my classroom is the poetry activity that requires writing a poem that describes what we wish to give to someone we love. We created a pop-out valentine’s card which included a poem like this.

The greatest impact during this institute has been for me the introduction to Robert Shetterly and his portrait series “Americans who tell the Truth”. This encouraged me to create a rigorous lesson plan to make my students aware of how art can be used to make people known who bravely address social, environmental, and economic issues. My students were engaged in looking at the portraits, reading about the “truth tellers” and discussing Robert Shetterly’s quotes. They eagerly created portraits of people they felt they should be honored for their accomplishments.

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Lesson/Activity: Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism, Art, Grades 10-12 Resources: “AmericansWhoTellTheTruth”website, PowerPoint about Robert Shetterly and agenda of activities, hand-out to be filled out during PowerPoint, hand-out to be filled out during “truthteller” research, 8 Robert Shetterly’s quotes and questions to be answered during group discussion.

Strategy: First day: After a short introduction to Robert Shetterly and his project, students will fill out a handout that consists of questions about a truth teller that Shetterly has painted. They will go to “The Americans Who Tell The Truth” website and choose one portrait of a truth teller that addresses an issue they are interested in and answer the questions on the hand-out. Then, they will share the portrait of the truth teller and his/her accomplishments with their table group. The group chooses the most interesting truth teller to be presented to the class for the next day.

Second day: 1.Teacher greets students at the door and gives them one hand-out.

2. Students sit down and start answering the questions for the bellringer posted on PowerPoint and the hand-out.

3. After the second bell rings, teacher takes attendance and students have approximately 3-5 minutes to finish answering the bellringer questions.

4. Teacher and students discuss the bellringer responses.

5. Teacher explains the Learning Target and Success Criteria 6. Teacher continues with the PowerPoint about Robert Shetterly’s education, career and his project while students listen and answer the questions on their hand-outs.

7. Teacher gives each table group one hand-out. Students read and discuss one quote of Robert Shetterly and write their answers to the questions on it.

8. Each table group presents their quote and their answers to the class and then the truth teller and his/her accomplishments they have chosen the day before.

9. If time permits or the next day: Each group will create a list of qualities which are important for a truth teller, e.g. moral courage, honesty, integrity. List will be shared with the class. Students vote for four (4) qualities by putting a tally next to each they think is most important.

10. Following the reading, writing and discussion assignments, the students will create a portrait drawing of a person who made or is making an impact on society, community, country etc. they would like to honor with their art skills.

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Josiah Antuna, Grade 11

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Amelia Hall

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Holly Marshall Painter, Grade 10

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Dana Pantoya, Grade 11

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Alyssa Rademaker, Grade 12

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Katrina Rich, Grade 12

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Petra Ramirez de Arella Robert Shetterly – Americans Who Tell The Truth – Contemporary Realism (continued)

Hannah Rosario, Grade 10

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Word History, Grade 6 and U. S. History, Grade 8 - Heritage Middle School

Returning to the Art of Reflection Teacher Institute this academic year was an incredible experience. Collaborating with peers and reflecting on beautiful art proved to have a profoundly healing impact on myself. One week before preplanning began, my father died unexpectedly.

Practically paralyzed with grief, I almost declined to return to the institute this year. Yet, I am so glad that I did.

The support and comradery from my peers coupled with the meaningful assignments and readings from this program helped me to persevere with my healing process. I came to find that this loss that I experienced shaped how I viewed and interpreted the art. As we studied the different pieces of art, I was reminded of the fondest memories. I also felt the sting of the more painful memories, too.

This session of the Art Institute taught me find strength in my vulnerability. It also taught me to face loss with courage, mindfulness, and honesty. Iyanla Vanzant once said, “Your willingness to look at your darkness is what empowers you to change.” Only after I confronted my loss instead of running from it, was I able to heal and grow. These are lessons that I don’t think I could have learned anywhere else, and for that I will be forever grateful.

How has this impacted my personal practice? This year, more than ever, I am determined to approach all my students with an added layer of intentionality and empathy. In the classroom, I am providing more opportunities for creative expression, decision-making, and personal reflection. My classroom has become a haven for expressing individuality and honest, collaborative growth. As a result, I feel closer to my students this year than I ever have before.

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Lesson/Activity: Foreign Allies, Instagram Saw it First!, U.S. History, Grade 8 Standard SS.8.A.3 - Demonstrate an understanding of the causes, course, and consequences of the American Revolution and the founding principles of our nation.

Learning Intention I will examine the contributions of influential groups to both the American and British war efforts during the American Revolutionary War and their effects on the outcome of the war.

Success Criteria I can identify individuals that provided foreign aid to the American war effort and illustrate their contributions to the Revolutionary War. Input: Students will be learning about these four foreign allies that provided substantial contributions to the American war effort during the American Revolution.  Marquis de Lafayette  Bernardo de Galvez  John Paul Jones  Baron Fredrich von Steuben After a class-led PowerPoint presentation and discussion, students will transition into independent work. They will start by reading a short summary packet about these four allies. Students will utilize their personal technology to engage in additional online research to determine how these allies were able to assist American revolutionaries. Students will be provided an “Instagram” template sheet with four different “posts.” Students will integrate their knowledge of these foreign allies with modern-day ideas and technology, to create an Instagram post on behalf of each of the four allies listed above as if they were alive and fighting for the revolution today. Students will be encouraged to be creative and relevant. Each post will have a full-color illustration, creative username, (Insta handle) caption, and hashtags that represent each revolutionary learned about in today’s lesson.

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Foreign Allies, Instagram Saw it First! (continued)

Chan Brignoni, Grade 8

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Foreign Allies, Instagram Saw it First! (continued)

Mia Dudley, Grade 8

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Foreign Allies, Instagram Saw it First! (continued)

Isabella Montero, Grade 8

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Nicole Rose-Peadick Foreign Allies, Instagram Saw it First! (continued)

Candel Safar, Grade 8

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Nicole Rose-Peadick

Nicole Rose-Peadick, Bloom with Grace

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Kimberly Scaccia Assistant Principal - R. J. Longstreet Elementary School I have been in education for 20 years. My background as a music teacher has provided me with countless moments to witness the look on the face of a child who has experienced something new or come to a new understanding through the arts. It is pure joy! These moments inspired me to find opportunities to incorporate the arts into all areas of learning.

Michelle Obama once said, “Learning through the arts reinforces critical academic skills in reading, language arts and math and provides students with the skills to creatively solve problems.” In order for our students to thrive beyond graduation, every child must have the opportunity to develop and practice creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, and citizenship.

The arts are a key to this endeavor.

Participation in the Art of Reflection and Response Institute has been a goal of mine for a while, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to enroll this year. The lessons and discussions each month have been centered around the idea of perspective and how our individual perspective can influence our thinking and interaction with others. There have been countless opportunities for me in my role as an assistant principal to reflect on my own lens through which I am using to gather information. The influence of my decisions is great; therefore, the perspective I maintain can have a significant impact on the lives I touch each day. My role requires me to see the forest when others around me may only see the tree.

Additionally, the opportunities to learn and collaborate with outstanding teaching professionals across our district and across all grade levels and subject areas has brought great value to my time spent at the museum. I am renewed and inspired following a day of learning when I think of the number of students who will be impacted by the Art of Reflection and Response Institute. Our students are growing up in a time that is unlike any other in our history and we must equip them with the skills for success. This can only be accomplished through visual and verbal literacy. Our society has changed significantly, so as educators, we must find ways to reach them. Arts integration is the key. Time and space for students to safely express themselves and communicate their understanding of the world around them is only going to happen through a culture of creative learning.

In conclusion, my most sincere gratitude goes out to the Museum of Art – DeLand, Pam Coffman, Suzi Preston, and Bryce Hammond. The time spent with you this year has truly been a gift.

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Kimberly Scaccia Lesson/Activity: Creating Perspective through the “Artful Orchestra”, Grades 3 and higher, English Language Arts, Music, Art Purpose of Lesson: To inspire students to create a story based on a painting using music and sounds to bring the story to life.

Description of the lesson/Activity: Conducting your own “Artful Orchestra” Warm -up: Explain that experience art involves all of the senses and that sound will be of particular importance in this activity as a way of exploring the mood and impact of the painting. Model the idea for them by making a sound with your voice that expresses how you feel at the outset of the activity.

As the class to echo that sound back to you.

Procedure and Prompts 1. Quiet Meditation Invite students to take a long, careful look at the image. Then guide them with the following prompts to encourage difference ways of seeing the image. 

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Make yourself physically comfortable as you look at the image. Sit up as tall as possible; stretch your spine from your core all the way up through your neck to the top of your head; take a deep breath. Relax your shoulders. Feel your feet making contact with the floor. Relax your jaw; smile.

As you immerse yourself in the image, take another long, deep breath; try to shut out all distractions and be present in the moment.

Let your eyes wander over the surface of the image. Some parts of the picture probably caught your eye immediately; some details take longer to emerge. (Reflect on what elements are guiding your eyes around the composition.)

Imagine yourself inside the scene. Wander all around… enter the shadowy areas, travel off into the distance, and wonder what you might see there.

Examine the artist’s choices of colors, including those that appear most frequently, those that appear less often, and completely excluded from the work.

Squint your eyes: to better focus on broadly contrasting areas of light and dark.

Perception of a painting is not only visual. Engage all your senses as you take yourself into the image, and imagine walking through the scene. What sounds do you hear? What do you see that awakens your sense of smell, taste, touch?

Stand up; stretch. Move around and examine the painting from other vantage points; up close, and further away. (Notice any new discoveries that come from a different perspective?) Take another deep breath, and return to your previous position.

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Kimberly Scaccia Creating Perspective through the “Artful Orchestra” (continued)  

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Consider what story might be unfolding here. What happened before and what might happen next?

Imagine how this world looks from someone else’s perspective- try to see it through the eyes of one of theses individuals. Now change your perspective to that of a bird, flying overhead- try to image the bird’s eye view of this scene. Imagine the work from the artist’s perspective- how might he have gone about planning and making it?

Now close your eyes, take another long deep breath and consider your own perspective. How are you thinking and feeling now?

II. Conversation: See-Think-Wonder Conversation is structured around the Project Zero Artful Thinking Routine: See-Think-Wonder http://www.pzartfulthinking.org/see_think_wonder.php  What do you see? (Observations)  What does it make you think? (Interpretations/analysis based on what is visually evident in the image)  What are you wondering? (puzzles and questions that surface for further investigation) III. Create Soundscape (Adapted from Silk Road Connect educators at Harvard’s The Arts and Passion-Driven Learning Institute and Lenore Blank Kelner’s Environment Orchestra in The Creative Classroom: A Guide for Using Creative Drama in the Classroom, PreK-6) 1. Introduce assignment: Together we are going to create a work of art – a soundscape – to accompany this painting.

(Like a soundtrack to a film.)

We’ll do this collaboratively: You’ll be the orchestra and I’ll be the conductor. Your instruments will be your voice and your body.

Let’s warm up those instruments: Everyone stand up. Stretch. Take a deep breath. Make a sound with one hand. Make a sound using two hands. Make a sound with your mouth. Make a sound with your feet. Make a slow sound; now one that is faster. Make a quiet sound, then one that is louder. Make a slow loud sound. Make a fast quiet sound. Pause (be as quiet as you can); remember that silence is an effective sound. Make the sound of the stream, make the sound of leaves rustling in the wind, etc. Reflect on the different sounds that can be made with our bodies.

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Kimberly Scaccia Creating Perspective through the “Artful Orchestra” (continued) 2. We’ll be creating music and not noise; the difference is that music is organized, thoughtful, and intentional. So, let’s do some thinking and planning. Brainstorm all the possible sounds related to this painting. Consider those sounds that are associated with things you see, as well as sounds that might not be seen with our eyes but we’d hear with our ears.

3. Now I’d like to “gather” the sounds from the group (teacher/conductor allows everyone to share sound ideas and jots them down in a master list).

Discuss the kinds of sounds further: What sounds do you think are the loudest and most dominant? Which of these sounds are the quietest? Which sounds occur frequently? Which sounds might occur less often?

4. Teacher/Conductor paraphrase what’s been discussed about sound and gives next steps for constructing the soundscape: Now, like and artist with a palette of paint colors, we are going to mix these sounds together to make a work of art. We have a variety of sounds- loud, soft, background sounds, fast, slowwhich will create a nice texture.

Music moves through time to tell a story. So, we’re not going to just make the same sound over and over again. We’re going to shift and change our sounds. Our musical story will have three parts: (1) beginning, (2) middle, and (3) ending. (Teacher/Conductor will describe what is happening in these three parts, based on painting… it could be a story that emerged in conversation. Have the group brainstorm how the various sounds change over the course of the story- i.e. rain drops start slow, get loud and fast in the middle, and then disappear in the end.)

5. Assign a part of the painting to small groups of students; they will be responsible for representing the sounds related to that part of the work (i.e. sky, trees, two figures on the right, animals, etc.). I’ll give each group some time now to brainstorm the sounds that they will make. Think about how those sounds change over the course of time- from beginning, to middle, to end. You might choose to be silent for some of the time.

6. Teacher/Conductor then asks group to share ideas, and gives feedback on ideas.

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Kimberly Scaccia Creating Perspective through the “Artful Orchestra” (continued) 7. It sounds like you are ready to be an orchestra together and have a rehearsal of our work.

An orchestra is like a conversation. So remember that not everyone “talks” (makes sounds) at the same time. Both sound and silence is important to making music. So listen carefully and decide when it’s your turn to join in and when it’s your turn to take a pause and be silent.

Just like our painting, where lots of details and colors make up the whole work, each of will make detailed sounds that when together will create a whole piece of music. That’s what harmony is- in both the visual arts and music- when all the parts/layers come together. (Every detail/part/sound is important.)

Let’s give it a try. Teacher/Conductor explains some conducting hand signals to the group (louder/softer, start/stop, fast/slow).

8. After the first run-through, conductor gives feedback on how to improve it. Asks group for ideas on how to improve it. For the second performance, conductor encourages careful listening to what others are doing- try to hear the entire piece, and your part in relationship to the whole. Do a third performance, if necessary.

9. You’ve done a great job as an orchestra! Now I have one more challenge for you. You are going to perform this piece with your eyes closed- so you will really have to listen to one an other, and decide to move along the story without my conducting. Do a blind performance 10. Applause.

Reflect What qualities of this experience did you value?

What connections to you see between this experience and your work in the classroom?

What questions/wonderings do you have about the experience?

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Kimberly Scaccia Giving Poem

by Kimberly Scaccia

For My Husband: If I could I would give you a golf course free of sand traps and water.

An eraser that could remove the hurt you have experienced in life.

If I could I would take away your pain and provide you with youthful energy to dance through your days.

I wish I could build a venue for you to perform your music and it can be heard by all, carrying us away from the worries of today.

I would give us the wings to travel anywhere your heart desired and a stopwatch so that we could live in the moment forever.

I would turn our days into forever so that you would always be by my side.

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Ann J. Sejansky Theatre 1-4, Grades 9-12 - DeLand High School I have to say this was one of the most productive years for me and my students. The best lesson plan I have done in a very long time sprang from our meeting in October when we were introduced to the Two Voice Poems. I never thought I could use this in my Theatre classes. As it happens, the students loved doing it and I loved the results. In our Reflection class, we watched a couple perform an original two voice poem that dealt with friendship and all the character/ family traits they shared. We were given the website to find this particular piece.

When I searched for it, I found a whole new world of this incredible genre and couldn’t stop watching and listening. The pieces appropriate for high school students abound and we enjoyed sharing them together as a class. This brought out a lot of energy from the students, who were given a laundry list of social issues to choose from. Everything from gun violence to the LGBTQ cause (the most popular among my Theatre students) was given as an option for the base of their poems.

What has this got to do with Theatre? We started with Spoken Word that needed to be scripted. Then we memorized and staged it. The hardest part was students finding their voices and working on presenting with emotion, vocal clarity and purpose. Then we presented it in front of a live audience. Our presentations were well received by most of our student audience. My students were open about women’s rights and fair pay in the workplace. They spoke out against bullying and pleaded for acceptance and wondered aloud how anyone could overlook the Black Lives Matter cause. They openly argued about their safety on school campuses and asked how it was possible to put gun rights before their own lives. We had students writing about and articulating the pain of being foreign in a country that is not friendly to newcomers from “certain nations”. I learned that they are not unaware of the world around them. They CHOOSE not to discuss these topics openly in other classes because they feel outnumbered and frightened to speak out against the blatant, learned hatred coming from their peers.

They were hesitant at first, but as soon as they started working and understood they had a safe platform to stand on, they let go. They were researching their topics so they could write intelligent poems. This tells us how important each topic is to individual students. Researching the topics that directly affect their lives is not pretty. In fact, it was frightening at times.

Because many chose to create power points and photo slideshows to enhance their poems, many pictures were needed, and uncomfortable but attainable sites were used. In fact, at one

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point, I was contacted by one of our school administrators and asked if there was a reason my students were going on gun websites, drug addiction help websites and gay platforms during class time. When I explained what the kids were doing, all was well.

On the day of their performances, ALL my students were present except for those few out due to quarantine or sickness. After they performed their poem, they had to write their reflections, as well. Most of my students loved the unit. They were happy to have been given the opportunity to speak their minds and research topics they cared about but didn’t really understand at first. They were inspired to keep writing and to keep paying attention to what’s going on in a world they are going to inherit sooner than we all think.

My next lesson, and the last one for my advanced students will be to create original monologues based on the lives of the people honored in The Americans Who Tell The Truth Project.

Each student will select a person to create a monologue or a duet scene about. I look forward to how this works out with so many brilliant people to select from.

In conclusion, this year’s Art Of Reflection inspired and encouraged me to try some new and incredible things with my students. I look forward to more ideas and more opportunities to put those ideas to good use.

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Ann J. Sejansky Lesson/Activity: Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials), Theatre Students will select one or two topics from the Social Issues list provided to them. Students may add to the list or select topics that are not listed.

Students will research the topics they’ve selected and create a power point presentation for the class on their topics.

Students will select five main points (themes) from their research to create their poem around.

Students will write their original poems together during class time. Students will follow the criterion for writing verses which allow for both people to speak separately and then together where needed.

Students will turn in their poems for grading and memorization purposes.

Students will work on memorization, staging and presentation of their pieces. Students will work on expressing passion and the need to get their informative subject matter presented in an entertaining and enlightening manor.

Students will perform their original 2 Voice Poems for a live audience before Winter Break.

Example: A: My friend was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder and refused to take her prescribed meds.

B: Why spend money on drugs a doctor gets paid to prescribe by the Feds?

A: What if the drugs they prescribed you are free?

B: Alcohol has the same effect on me.

A and B: Don’t feed me those lies.

This is a bad example but it gives an idea of how to present the 2 voices.

The first time I had ever seen or watched a 2 Voice Poem was in the Art Of reflection class. As we watched the first video, I was hooked. I started thinking about the Holiday Socials I’ve been doing with my Theatre I students for years and decided to perk it up a little. Instead of them creating entire scenes in big groups, what about putting them in teams and having them tackle Social Issues using poetry this year?

I included the Lesson Plan at the beginning of this paper to allow the reader to see what I expected from my students. At first, it was like pulling teeth to get them to select anything other than LGBTQ or drug addiction. None of the other issues drew any attention at all. So, we had a talk. Once certain issues were explained, interest grew, and we now have issues ranging from adoption to gun violence to immigration to homelessness. I am amazed at how well many of these students write. Some are doing so well I have had to investigate authenticity and am pleased to say I have not found anything that suggests plagiarism of any kind. The writing is done and now the hard parts arise. They must memorize

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) their pieces and stage them. Many students are opting to have a slideshow of images depicting the themes and points of their pieces. Some kids are rapping, others simply telling stories. We are working on vocal development and facial expressions to match their words when and where needed. The word that I find myself using repeatedly is PASSION. My students and I watched several pieces of 2 Voice Poetry, and they were excited about getting their voices heard. Three pieces stood out to all my students: Changing the World One Word at A time (winner of the Queen Latifah Poetry Slam), Lost Voices (Button Poetry) and Shots Fired (Brave New Voices). Watching the pros gave us inspiration and ideas on presentation. How is this Theatre? Well. It is written. It is spoken. It will be memorized and staged. They will perform in front of invited audiences. They are learning how to put their thoughts in order. They are learning to work with a partner and collaborating. Students are learning about the world around them and how they are fitting into it already. I was surprised to learn how many African-American students didn’t know what Black Lives Matter is about. They know what it is, but they didn’t know why BLM was formed or what the real purpose of it is. I was also saddened to see how many African- American and Latino students are afraid of speaking out. As the assignment grew, I started hearing more anger and hurt. Some of these students have really grown from this activity and I am hoping their performances go the way the kids are hoping for.

Finally, this assignment required my students to research their selected topics. Students were unaware of what was going on around them in their very own communities. Students who researched homelessness, social anxiety, depression, drug addiction, women’s issues and gun violence are now fully aware of the problems that exist and, more importantly, how these problems arise. There are also the students who know all too well- many firsthand- about what is going on in their communities.

One of the challenges of this assignment is to offer possible solutions to the problems. They are learning about how hard it is to fix an ailing world and that the future, no matter what it holds, is theirs.

I am including several poems that I feel best display some of the raw talent I have in my classes. I wish I could include all of them! Some are written by future International Baccalaureate candidates; others are written by immigrants and speakers of other languages. Many were written by young men and women who are appalled by how women are treated here, in the 21st Century and some are written by children who actually suffer from social anxiety or have survived parents who are addicts and/or

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) alcoholics. I had several poems about being gay or trans and one pair who created a pro/con gun control poem. No matter the strength of the poem, these students have been given the opportunity to raise their voices. A huge part of this assignment is not just the writing of poems, but the EXECUTION of their poems. Working to get them to FEEL what they wrote was the hardest part of the process. I wish I could provide a video of these guys in action. Without even realizing it, these students have been working on expressing their values as human beings. They are being provided an opportunity to think outside the “learning box”. Instead of being told what or how to feel about certain subjects, they are telling us what they think and what they’d like to see changed. What they don’t realize at this age, is that our futures are really up to them. Imagine students in high school thinking about the world they live in and their futures in it.

Ban all the books you want to, these kids already know what’s in them and don’t need anyone’s permission to think or feel for themselves.

“And that’s the work of your generation. As long as more walls still stand...We’ll need more of you, young people, who imagine the world as it should be; who knock down walls; who knock down barriers; who imagine something different and have the courage to make it happen. The courage to bring communities together, to make even the small impossibilities a shining example of what is possible.” ― President Barack Obama There really is hope!

Possible Holiday Social Issues Gun Control Opioid Crisis Homelessness Unemployment Bullying (kid/adult) Abuse Neglect Drug Abuse/Alcoholism Depression Suicide

Immigration Income Inequality Voter Suppression Social Anxiety Higher Education Adoption LGBTQ Gender Equality Equal Pay BLM/ Racism/ Police Violence

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Poem drafts Blaine Carswell, Grade 9 and Eliot Erich, Grade 11 Together: Neglect Child: Defined as failure to care for properly.

Adult: it's something that a Child: 10-year-old girl and a Adult: 80-year-old war veteran have both experienced.

Child: He’s a guy Adult: she’s a girl Child: he’s white Adult: and she’s black however, we have both been Together: Neglected.

Child: hey mom, I'm kinda hungry, do you think you could go grocery shopping this week?

Adult: excuse me, may I have something to eat?

Together: What do you mean “NO”?

Adult: I fought for over 30 years for this country, spent countless hours helping those in need and making a difference just to be treated like this in turn.

Child: I have done nothing but be the perfect model child. Caring for myself when my inattentive parents wouldn’t.

Together: it's just not fair.

Adult: sticks and stones may break my bones, Child: but words can never hurt me Together: is complete BS. Every day is a new way of invalidating my existence.

(Turn facing each other) Adult: “You’re such a disappointment” Child: “no one would care if you died”

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Blaine Carswell and Eliot Erich Adult: “You’re so stupid” Child: “why should anyone care about you?”

Adult: “You’re useless” Child: “waste of space!”

Adult: “I wish you were never born!”

Child: “why don’t you die already!”

(Faces front) Adult: Sticks and stones Child: may break my bones Together: but words can hurt just as bad.

Adult: My own family isn't even concerned about me unless it's about my money.

Child: My peers don’t even acknowledge me unless I can do something for them.

Adult: it's always “hey can I hold $100?”

Child: it's always “hey, do you have the homework?”

Together: and never...

Adult: “how are you doing?”

Child: “how are you feeling?”

Adult: “I miss you” Child: “I love you” Together: Used. I just feel used.

Child: Did you know At least 1 in 7 children have experienced child abuse and/or neglect in the past year. Meaning that a large portion of the people you go to school with have experienced neglect in one way or another.

Together: You would think Child: That with this statistic that more would be done to ensure that every child is properly cared for.

Together: You would think Child: That 12-year Sarah Ortiz would feel safe talking to her own mother about being molested by her stepfather but instead she felt as if she had to hide.

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Blaine Carswell and Eliot Erich Adult: 1 in ten Americans over the age of 60 have experienced some sort of elder abuse.

Together: You would think Adult: Patricia Blank would feel secure leaving her elderly mother in the hands of an Iowa nursing home but instead she wakes up to a phone call telling her that her mother had been placed in a hospital due to extreme dehydration that led to a stroke. Tests showed that she had been without any fluids for 4-5 days.

Together: Unacceptable.

Adult: The children are our future, yet we continue to mislead, mishandle and disrespect them.

Child: The elders of this country deserve to live peacefully after 65+ years of being a contributing member of society.

Together: So, how can you help?

Child: DONT have kids if you are not...

Together: Mentally, Financially, or Physically ready for them.

Adult: Check up on your elderly family and friends.

Child: Having at least one person that they feel safe talking to can make a world of a difference, especially if they are getting neglected or abused.

Together: We are all one in the same, yet we continue to blame one another for actions that are out of our control.

Child: I know it sounds corny, but you must understand that the power is in your hands.

Adult: We are able to come together to help those in need.

Together: Just like me

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Two Voices Poem

by Olivia Doan, Grade 9 and Bruce Baugh Both: 1769 B: An unfair time for women.

O: As in unfair he means how women couldn’t own any land or keep their own earnings B: Everyone says that Both: They just need to fight a little harder Both: 1777 B: Women’s right to vote has been taken away O: Like what the heck Both: They just need to fight a little harder Both: 1839 O: Finally, women are allowed to own their own land B: But only if their husband says it’s okay Both: Total bull, seeing how men were kind of dumb back then Both: They just need to fight a little harder Both: 1869 O: A woman has been granted admission to practice law in the state of Iowa making her the first female lawyer B: But four years later the supreme court ruled that the state can take that away from her if she is married Both: She just needs to fight a little harder Both: 1920 B: Women are given the right to vote With the help of Susan B Anthony O: And that’s great but they still got something to fight for Both: And they just need to try a little harder Both: 1963 100

Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Olivia Doan and Bruce Baugh

B: The equal pay act is passed so everyone will get equal pay O: Now it seems like they're finally getting the rights they deserve. Right?

Both: Wrong. They just need to work a little harder Both: 2007 B: Time to put the equal pay act to the test O: Lilly Ledbetter sues Goodyear tire company for gender discrimination and the jury awards her over 3.5 million dollars B: But the judge reduces it to only 360,000 O: Goodyear appealed saying that it only matters if it happened in the last 180 days instead of her entire 19-year career B: In the last 180 days there had been no evidence of discrimination O: Lilly Ledbetter was dismissed. The act failed to do what it was designed to do.

Both: They just need to fight a little harder.

Both: 2009 B: The Lilly Ledbetter act is passed.

O: A small victory Yet another act made to give women the same pay that men get.

But we are still far from close to equal and...

Both: They just need to fight a little harder Both: 2012 O: The paycheck fairness act, meant to fight gender discrimination in the workplace, fails the Senate B: That’s really dumb O: Like why would you do that to women You wouldn’t want that happening to you.

Both: If only they would work a little harder

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Olivia Doan and Bruce Baugh Both: 2021 O: Women are paid 84 cents or less for every dollar a man makes.

B: Well then just work twice as hard and they’ll be even.

Both: I think they just need to work a little harder Both: 2021 B: 80% of the healthcare workforce is made up of women O: But only 21% of health executives or board members are women and only 1/3 of doctors are women.

Both: They just need to work a little harder Both: 2021 O: The salaries of men in stem are nearly 15,000 dollars higher per year than women B: People say they just aren’t smart enough Both: And that they just need to work a little harder Both: 2021 O: A year where by now, everyone should be equal B: But we aren’t even close O: There is still so much farther to go.

Both: And we all need to work a lot harder

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Two Voice Poem

by Rio Lawrence, Grade 12 Slogan: All is fair together- all is fair Rio - double standards Josh- gender inequality Rio- equal pay Together- these things exist Josh- it's sad but they really do. Double standards. A woman doing something and getting shamed for it , but a guy doing the same thing, and it being praised..

Rio- if a guy hooks up with countless girls, that's acceptable. But if a girl does anything similar it's unrespectable.

Together- but all is fair.

Rio - traditional roles Josh- a woman has to stay at home taking care of the kids, while a man spends the day at work “providing” Rio-but that's a woman's true purpose right?

Together- to stay in the kitchen.

Together- international limits Rio- a woman being able to do anything within cultural limits, but only if her husband can take a minute out of his busy schedule to give her the ok.

Together- but no no no, all is fair.

Josh- stereotypes.

Rio- oh how I love being stereotyped Josh- Despite a woman expressing countless times that she doesn't want children, her mother still bombards her with the “when am I getting grandchildren?” question.

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Rio Lawrence

Rio- because all women are supposed to want a family right?

Together- WRONG. If a woman doesn't want children that's her decision, it's her body and she can decide what she does with it.

Rio- I mean look at what's happening in Texas.

Josh- these assumptions may seem small, but they quickly add up.

Rio- not to say that there aren't difficult things that men go through Josh- but some things just don't compare Rio- like 84 cents to a dollar Together- but all is fair right?

Josh- multiple studies show that women get paid significantly less money a year than the “similarly situated man” Rio- but women work less hours, that's why they don't get paid as much Josh- people want to make as much money as possible to provide for the people they care about..

Rio- but it's a little hard to do that when the big boss man tells you, you can work as many hours as your male coworker Together- is this really fair?

Josh - and there is a certain group of people that have it even worse Together- can you guess who it is?

Rio - women of color have found that they get paid even less than that of a white woman.

Josh-So even though not all white women have the string of pearls they've been dreaming of…

Rio- Any woman of color working on her same level, can't even afford to be that delusional Together- a string of pearls.

Josh -That's cute Rio- like come on Together- this isn't fair!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Ann J. Sejansky Two Voice Poems (Holiday Socials) (continued) Two Voice Poem

by Isabella Limonio, Grade 9 and Isaiah Arias Isaiah: Peaceful is how the world feels when you tell them we’re all safe. From the people that are evil and a threat to the human race. They get beaten down, they’re told “leave now” but can't because they live in a cage, I'm twenty- four now still don’t know how I wanna live in a world like this.

Isabella: My grandfather walked five miles to work every day, my great grandfather walked 10. How many miles do my ancestors have to walk before they never have to work again? My ancestors came here hoping for a better life.

Isaiah: See the Joy in their eyes when they saw lady liberty in all of her freedom glory. However, they still had to fight. All of their dreams went out like a light. They kick us out and take all of our rights.

Having freedom doesn't mean anything.

Both: I mean damn, It's still a chore.

Isabella: Thought by now I’d have my own business. Owning a store but instead they got me washing their dishes and mopping their floors. Don't they know that I got more than just a family to feed? I have seven other roommates that I don't get to see. Papa coming home with a lot of dough but little does his family know papa just got laid off. But papa says Both: Screw it Isabella: Let's party till the next morning time.

Isaiah: We're up before there even is a morning time and God forbid, we ever ask for some overtime.

I’ll overwork you and beat you. You claim I'm stealing jobs though. Swiper snatched from Dora and came back in the next episode. Venture from a nation that’s been swallowed up in poverty. Never truly owned property, looking for a better economy. Prosperity's what I'm looking for.

Isabella: Why is it hard for us to live in harmony? Boys in Bue walking their dogs really bother me and honestly, this overcrowding is making it hard to breath. They don’t care.

Isaiah: They don’t bat an eye when they turn on the news. So used to the abuses, lying about what's true. I'd rather die than work for you, just cut me loose or give me that paycheck that’s been overdue.

Both: An apology works too.

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Rajni Shankar Brown, Ph.D. Professor and the Jessie Ball duPont Endowed Chair of Social Justice Education Stetson University Vice President and Executive Board Member, National Coalition for the Homeless Creating Sadhana and Ubuntu Namaste! I am thankful to be a longstanding member of the Museum of Art DeLand (MoArt-DeLand); our family maintains a membership to the museum, and it continues to be a sacred place of replenishment and inspiration for us. Moreover, I am profoundly grateful to continue to be invited as a scholarin-residence and educational leader to be a part of the MoArt-DeLand Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, which is a beautiful reflection of experiential education, community-engagement, reflective practice, and the arts in action!

I have had the privilege and joy to participate in the Institute for close to a decade now, and the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute continues to remain a shining light in my life and journey!

The program does a remarkable job of bringing together diverse educators for meaningful professional development experiences. The program provides intentional space for self-reflection, deeplistening, open sharing, inquiry, and growth. The Institute encourages authentic learning, which as Brazilian educator and philosopher Paulo Freire describes as “a process where knowledge is presented to us, then shaped through understanding, discussion and reflection.” The hands-on learning experiences ultimately support educators as they help children and youth grow and thrive. In addition, as a social justice education teacher-scholar, amma (mom), artist, and activist, I find the Institute to be genuinely healing and energizing.

Every year, Pam Coffman, the MoArt-DeLand Curator of Education, does a phenomenal job of thoughtfully designing, organizing, facilitating, and leading this impactful program. Simply put, Pam is an education superstar! Further, her partner in action, Suzi Preston, is also an amazing facilitator and continues to generously share ideas and resources during our sessions. Of course, I also offer heartfelt thanks to the family of Dr. Evans C. Johnson, who provides financial support and enables this magical program to continue year after year.

With heavy challenges and deep heartaches facing our world, the institute provides a much-needed introspective and restorative space for educators. During the 2021-2022 Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute (as in past years), we engaged in reflective practice and community dialogue on a variety of critical topics including poverty, educational traumas, racial disparities, climate change, COVID-19 pandemic, standardized testing, child and youth development, teacher wellbeing, and of

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course, the power of the arts! During each session, each of us (as professional educators with many social identities, unique perspectives, diverse experiences, and multilayered stories) were invited to reflect and share inwardly, in small groups, and among the full cohort. We were challenged to listen attentively and in layers. Together, we worked to dig deeper, stretch ourselves further, ask more meaningful questions, support one another, reimagine current narratives and landscapes, prioritize our and students’ wellbeing, and advance educational excellence.

In Sanskrit, a classical language of South Asia and one of the oldest languages of our world, we have a luminous concept known as sadhana which holistically means “beloved community” and love for humanity. Sadhana also emphasizes importance of sustainable self-care, especially as we work to create and uphold beloved community. In the South African Nguni languages of Zulu and Xhosa, there is a powerful concept known as ubuntu which broadly means that we are human only through the humanity of others; it means, “I am, because you are.” To me, our community within the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, actively embraces, reflects, AND CREATES sadhana and ubuntu, beloved community and shared humanity. I am because we are. The human virtues of compassion, empathy, and humanity were consistently visible and amplified during the 2021-2022 Teacher Institute, certainly something to celebrate. In addition, we regularly reminded each other to engage in self -care as we educate and care for others. To quote feminist, writer, librarian, and civil rights activist Audre Lorde, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgent, it is self-preservation, and that is an act of political welfare.”

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Rajni Shankar-Brown

Rajni Shankar-Brown, Heart Vision Windows of Revolutionary Love

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Rajni Shankar-Brown

Rajni Shankar-Brown, Soulful Blooms Growing Community and Collective Care

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Christina Sills STEAM, Grades Pre-K-5 - Forest Lake Elementary School

This has been an interesting year as my first year as a STEAM teacher. I added the A because I wanted my students to understand the importance of art in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The institute has helped me by having peers to work with and bounce off ideas. I have learned how to help incorporate art with my students in the lab. Everything between posters to looking at the math behind art work. I have been greatly improved this year as I have looked at art in new ways and found ways to introduce art in creative ways. I have also been collaborating with the art teacher at our school to find ways to incorporate art together.

All together this class is a breath of fresh are as I get encouragement from my peers and acknowledgment of the importance of art in the classroom.

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Christina Sills Lesson/Activity: Mistakes are the Key to Success, Art, Grade 5 Learning GoalsLAFS.5.W.3.7: Conduct short research projects that use several sources to build knowledge through investigation of different aspects of a topic.

Essential QuestionsWhat can we learn from mistakes.

Teaching Prior KnowledgeWhat is an invention.

ProcessStudents will study different inventions that was made by mistake and create a poster or artwork based on that invention.

DemoStudents will explore the smore. https://www.smore.com/9txqk. They will watch a video on famous mistakes, and research those inventions. They will also watch the book, Beautiful Oops, which talk about how a mistake can open up a World of possibilities. Students will then create a poster or art work to highlight a mistake that they have researched.

Visuals/examplesExamples from my 5th grade class..

Student example:

Materials & Planning Paper Markers Color pencils.

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Christina Sills Mistakes are the Key to Success (continued)

Brianna Jeria, Grade 5

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Christina Sills Mistakes are the Key to Success (continued)

Aleeyiah Jones, Grade 5

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Darlene J. Stewart Theatre, Music Theatre, Grades 6-8 - Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts I have always been an advocate of the arts. My chosen, of course, are the Theater Arts, but I believe that all ARTS are important for children, pre-teens, teens, and adult people. The Arts remind us of what it means to be human in a world that sometimes seems like it has gone a little mad.

In the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, we gain amazing insight on what the ARTS can bring to everyday life. We share activities showing how students can learn to reflect on themselves, the world, the spoken word, visual art and more. We are allowed time to examine our own practices, have our own artistic musings, and work on bettering ourselves as teachers.

But if you were to ask me what the best part of this teacher training is and has always been, I would say…it is getting to know so many teachers from around the county, from different schools, teaching different subjects, of all different ages, backgrounds, and upbringings. It has been the ability to see each one of them express themselves in an artistic way. It has been to hear these teachers tell stories of how this work has benefited their students. I have watched as a history teacher embraced poetry as a means of expression. I have worked with elementary and high school teachers to create narratives and dialogues. I have listened while caring teachers struggled during this difficult time feeling undervalued, under pressure, and under the gun. Then have watched them turn around the despair to express themselves in an artistic way creating things of beauty for the world. I have heard poems about wishes for others that brought me to tears. Stories about pieces of art that have brought on laughter at ourselves.

And I have wondered how to make the world, our schools, our students, and ourselves better people. The Art of Reflection and Response isn’t a simple workshop for teachers to open up the possibility of using Art in our classes. It is an opportunity to examine our culture, things that make life worth living, and most of all what connects us at the basic level. I believe the ARTS are important to us all, because without the ARTS what tool would we have to examine our own humanity.

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Darlene J. Stewart Lesson/Activity: Two Voiced Poems exploring the Actor’s characterization, for Advanced/Intermediate Theatre, Grades 7and 8 Often it is difficult to get advanced theater students in middle school to drill deeper into characterization. They stick to what they have already leaned about acting and often don’t take chances. Most are afraid of looking different or silly to their peers. This leaves the drama classroom always looking for new or different ways to expand thinking about developing strong character choices.

When leaning about “Two Voiced Poems” in the Art of Reflection and Response, my students were working on duet scenes. The scenes were modern focusing on current events, ages, and situations recognizable to the students. Instead of developing characters that were rich with quirks, attitudes and expressions, the students were kind of “phoning in their scenes”, sticking to trite renditions of stock characters. What better way to shake things up then to assign a two voiced poem to the students to assist in exploring their characters?

I explained the assignment to the students as character development. Gave a few examples of two voiced poems. Discussed that the poem would include both characters feelings, thoughts, or information about themselves. Students were instructed to work with their partners and create a poem about their characters.

Students took one class period to discuss, write, revise and present their poems to the class.

Most took the assignment seriously and delved deeper into their characters. They had to ask questions about the scene to each other that they had not thought about before. They worked together in a creative way and tried to use what they discovered about their characters when performing their scenes. Were their poems great works of art? No, but my goal was to have them work on characterization and that goal was fulfilled. I would use this activity again when working on duet scenes. It helped the students think in a different way when creating their characterizations.

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Darlene J. Stewart

The Lion and The Leopard

by Timothy Deary and Darlene Stewart

Lion: Leopard: Both:

I am a lioness, a Pantera Leo. I am a leopard, a Pantera Pardus.

WE ARE CATS, BIG CATS!

Lion: Leopard: Both:

We hunt together.

I hunt alone.

WE ARE BOTH STRONG AND POWERFUL!

Lion: Leopard: Both:

We find strength in numbers.

I find strength alone.

WE RULE THE SERENGETTI!

Lion: Leopard:

We steal from the leopard.

I hide from the lion by taking my kill to the tops of trees.

WE RULE OVER OUR REALM EVEN THOUGH IT IS SHRINKING!

Both:

Lion: Leopard: Both:

We are symbols of strength and pride.

I am a symbol of authenticity and rare beauty.

WE REPRESENT STEALTH, COURAGE AND COMPETITION!

Lion: Leopard: Both:

Once we were respected and valued.

Once I was respected and valued.

THE HUNTERS HAVE BECOME THE HUNTED.

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Jennifer Surgent Art, Grades K-5, Beachside Elementary School

For the past seven months I have been on a journey led by Pam Coffman. She has introduced me to an abundant amount of information and resources. Each month I look forward to what she has prepared for the group. I am amazed by her thorough, thought-provoking presentations. She has certainly impacted me, and my teaching. As a result, I have incorporated many lessons inspired by the program into my art room.

One of my most favorite parts of the Teacher Institute is spending time with the other educators. I feel like I am surrounded by greatness and honored to be a part of the group. The conversations that take place are entertaining, educational, insightful, priceless…

I look forward to what the next chapter of the Teacher Institute brings.

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Jennifer Surgent Lesson/Activity: What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students), Art Many, many moons ago, I lived and breathed the art of photography. I worked as a freelance photojournalist and was hard at work creating images for several fine art projects I was developing. Photography taught me many things about the world and myself but most of all it taught me how to see.

To capture the images I wanted to create, I had to become an expert at reading body language. I became fluent in interpreting facial expressions, body movements, and assessing the situations I was sent to cover. I scanned scenes, took everything in, and anticipated how things would unfold. As a result, I was able to produce images that told the story.

Part of my job as an art teacher is to teach my students how to see. At the Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute we focused on storytelling and perception. I combined the two elements, along with my past experiences to build lessons for my art students.

Because the ages of my students range from 5 – 12, I created two lessons, one for my younger kids and another for my older students.

Lesson 1: What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) I introduced the class to posters containing examples of facial expressions. I pointed to the different faces, and students responded with the emotion the face was expressing. I asked how they knew; they explained the facial characteristics that went with each face. We talked about how to draw the different types of facial expressions and what must be included to express the emotion.

Each child received a dry erase board, dry erase markers, and a paper towel for erasing. I explained that I was going to tell them a story and that when the story was finished, they needed to draw a face to express the emotion in the story.

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Jennifer Surgent What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) (continued) Story/Scenario 1: You come home from school and the person who takes care of you says they are taking you to go get ice cream!

What kind of face are you going to make?

Faces Produced: Happy, Surprised, Disbelief. One boy didn’t know what type of face to draw.

Story/Scenario 2: You are at the ice cream parlor, and you just got two scoops of your favorite ice cream in a waffle cone. When walking to the table to eat your ice cream you slip and fall, your ice cream cone lands upside down on the floor.

What kind of face are you going to make?

Faces Produced: Sad, Crying, Mad.

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Jennifer Surgent What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) (continued)

Story/Scenario 3: It is the first day of school at a new school and you don’t know anyone.

What kind of face are you going to make?

Faces Produced: Scared, Nervous, Shy, Happy.

Story/Scenario 4: You are at the park playing with your favorite toy, a kid you have never seen before grabs the toy from your hands and walks off with it.

What kind of face are you going to make?

Faces Produced: Angry, Sad, Crying, Surprised.

One boy said he would be happy because he could play with the child who took the toy. Several students said that they would want to fight to get the toy back.

We discussed other options like telling parents, or an adult.

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Jennifer Surgent What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) (continued) Story/Scenario 5: It’s your birthday and you are going to go celebrate with all your friends at Chuck E. Cheese!

What kind of face are you going to make?

Faces Produced: Happy, Surprised, Happy Crying.

This scenario received the biggest reaction.

They kids were elated, bobbing in their seats with huge smiles on their faces!

Lesson 2: What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) Before I introduced the activity to the students, I showed a couple of images that were presented in the Perception Power Point at the Teacher Institute. The two pieces had hidden images included in the work and challenged the students to thoroughly examine what was being shown to them. I then played three 2-minute videos that were also shown at the Institute. The videos were created by Procter & Gamble and were designed to get people thinking and talking about perceptions placed on the black community. The videos sparked great conversations and allowed for some invaluable teachable moments.

For this lesson, I used the front covers from Sun Magazine, a beautiful publication devoted to black and white photography. Each student received a cover image, a page of three thought bubbles, a pair of scissors, and a pen. The students were asked to study the black and white image they received and gather visual clues to help create a thought bubble for the subject in the picture. The activity continued with the students trading images with their classmates and creating more thought bubbles.

The kids produced some insightful understandings of the subjects in the images. I was impressed by their ability to visually analyze and communicate their conclusions.

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Jennifer Surgent What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) (continued)

I wanna go home! I hate work.

I’m so happy to be with my dad and brother!

We have been together for a long time and it feels good.

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Jennifer Surgent What Face Are You Going to Make? (For the Younger Students) and What Are They Thinking? (For the Older Students) (continued) I love my Dad.

Hopefully I ace this exam. I have been studying all night.

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Jennifer Surgent

Jerome Witkin, Alive, Alive O

Thank You, My Friends

by Jennifer Surgent I don’t mind if I smell. I’d rather smell like fish than be dead.

I sometimes dream of having a family. The smell of bread in the air. Little girls with ribbons playing patty cake next to a fire. A handsome protector kissing me hello as he enters our home from a long day’s work.

Never would I have thought that my days would be filled with creatures from the sea. I have learned to love them. What would I be without them? Do they know I think of them as more than produce? Do they know I secretly thank them for their sacrifice?

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Jennifer Surgent

Stairs – Color

by Jennifer Surgent

Stairs – Black and White

by Jennifer Surgent Leading to the sky

Lines, shadows, pops of color

The twists and turns of a life

Looks inviting but should I trust?

Ready to be set free

Only one step forward

Stairs – Combined: B&W and Color

by Jennifer Surgent Up to the heavens Way down below I roam now Lots of work to do

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Khorletta Sutton-Cressor ESE, Grades SF, 6-8, Science and Unique Skills, Grade 6 Deltona Middle School Reflecting on this past year and how perspective affects how and what you perceive is interesting to say the least. Perspective is how you see what you see when you see it. We normally use our background knowledge to fill in the blanks when we see or hear an event.

We use what has been heard in the past to determine what was heard in the present, when and if we hear a creak or a snapping sound for instance, we think back to another instance where that similar sound was heard and use that as the reference to the current situation.

With this course and its subject matter, I have had the opportunity to think about perception in a different way. For example, a friend felt that they were being neglected due to what information they were receiving from another friend. But the other person was not sharing information, due to how busy they had become and what they deemed as a needto-know information. Due to the situation at hand, one friend was upset and felt neglected, while the other friend felt annoyed for the insinuation and untrustworthiness of the accusation based on information provided. Know a question holds would the persons feel different if the current situation was changed, probably so. That whole knowledge base is based on the perception and what is needed in that time and space. So, I look at that and remind myself each time an event occurs whether it be a student, teacher, family member, adult in the community, etc., that there is more then one way to perceive a situation.

Which is the reason why when doing an investigation of any sort, you not only take physical evidence, you also take statements, and video and pictures if its available to get the whole picture. Because at the end of the day, one person’s perception could be and is normally different from another person’s reality.

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Khorletta Sutton-Cressor Lesson/Activity: I Wish, Unique Skills, Grade 6 Objective: The objective is to bring awareness and creativity into the classroom. This allows students to think about what they would like for another person, as well as what they would like for themselves.

Description: Students will write a paragraph about making a wish for someone they care about. This wish could be anything the chose.

Students will write a second paragraph about making a wish for themselves.

Students could draw their wish if they chose once they have written their paragraph.

Student 1 I wish my older brother could talk. It would help with the things needed in our life, that would take a burden off the family. I wish I was older so I could help out as needed. I wish he was able to take care of the regular functions we are all accustomed to.

Student 2 I wish I could read better and talk correctly when it comes to talking to others. I wish I could do more for my family and take some of the stress of my choices off my family.

Student 3 I wish my mom did not have a hard time at work. I wish that she would get a break from my brother and me. I know we are a lot. I wish she could get money, wisdom, and love.

Student 4 I wish for someone to become successful in life. I wish that they get good grades and get drafted to a famous sports team. This person would also be able to help others.

I wish that I could get good grades. I hope I could join a sports team, help others and help those that are homeless learn more to help themselves. I also wish that I could learn how to cook, and to learn how to become a boxer by boxing.

Student 5 I wish I could be with my cousins, mother, and siblings. I love them so much and strive to be with them daily.

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Khorletta Sutton-Cressor Wish for Martin

by Khorletta Sutton- Cressor If I could, trust I would …

If I could release you from your captivity, believe you I would. The captivity that did not start because of fault of your own but due to others immoralities then from one to another, others poor choices, and actions put you continually in harm’s way.

If I could change the way of life, believe me I would. Lack of planning, lack of opportunity, and lack of support is how it played out to say the least.

I would not change you and the way you think for it is what makes you. You are a striving force of knowledge, and you love to share, if I could I would give you what you need to continue your plight of religious spirituality.

Your thoughts and actions strive for perfection in an unperfect world.

If I could bring back hope and faith back into your perspective I would.

It saddens me that you have lost the hope and faith that you provide to others every day. You have become accustomed to the simple things in life, just a roof over your head, a soft bed to lay in and food to eat. You strive to be able to please without looking for anything but love in return. I wish I could provide that to you with ease.

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Keisha Wallace Math Coach - Campbell Middle School This is my third year participating in the Art of Reflection Institute. Each year has provided me with the support that I’ve needed to grow as a professional in ways I didn’t realize I needed.

This year’s focus on perception and awareness has helped me see areas of bias in myself and given me the tools and support to look through the lenses of others rather than rely on my experiences alone.

As a coach, I work with students and adults, who bring their own experiences with them into their classrooms. Identifying and working through my bias and perception gives me new lenses so I can better relate to others and employ empathy in my daily work. Using art and unleashing teacher creativity gives me a window seat to catch a glimpse of the depths of each teacher I work with at school. It shows each teacher that I’m investing in them, much like we do for our students when building relationships.

Each person participating in the Institute becomes a partner with me on my journey to be a better teacher and coach for our district. I have enjoyed every challenging moment, conversation, and connection made during my experience at the Institute. The bonus: I get to grow with friends I made while at the Institute! This training is priceless, and the instructors outdo themselves every time.

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Keisha Wallace

A Glimpse

by Keisha Wallace Would it be worthwhile to see the outcomes your sacrifices have had on me.

To know they were treasured and your decisions not in vain, To see the successful impact overshadow the rain If I could, I’d give you a glance; a look at your impact that gave me a chance.

Would it be worthwhile to see the results of your choices before they be.

To know your right turns and foresee the wrong To see your potential impact create a unique song If I could, I’d let you see; a forward glimpse of your legacy.

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Keisha Wallace

A Wish for Me

by Keisha Wallace I’d give myself three wishes So that I could explore, Travel the seven seas with dramamine taken afore.

I’d not wish for money Where’s the fun in that?

Rather’d learn to catch the fish; Sustainability is where it’s at!

Of all the wishes I could make Unlimited life and youth I wouldn’t take.

Though death is sure and scary enough, Living life too long seems rather rough.

My wish should make life easy and fun But then I’d lose the life lessons surely won So maybe all this wishing isn’t truly what I need.

Maybe I’ll just wish for Thankfulness Contentment Friendships and Sweet Dreams.

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Stephen Wallace English Language Arts, Grade 7 - Campbell Middle School

I enjoyed the Art of Reflection course 2021-22. As a first-year teacher in VCS, I needed a place to go where I could collaborate with more experienced teachers. AOR offered me a place to feel creative again. I did my best to add value to the group assignments by participating in whatever we were asked to do. However, I did find it a little difficult to keep up with the outof-class assignments because of all of the first-year teacher training that I have to do. It really was information overload for me. I plan to go back over the information in order to see how I can apply it to my instruction. Thank you for offering the course.

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Stephen Wallace Lesson/Activity: Is Space Exploration A Daring Adventure or A Dangerous Risk?, English Language Arts, Grade 7 Unit 3 The Terror and Wonder of Space Exploration Essential Question: Is Space Exploration A Daring Adventure or A Dangerous Risk?

Bell Ringer Define faulty reasoning.

List three types of faulty reasoning. Explain each.

Teach Compare Arguments Distinguish Between Facts and Opinions Persuasive Texts Fact = prove true Opinion = belief cannot prove Activity Show two-person poetry video Have students write a two-person poem using Humans vs Robots exploring outer space.

Students share poems

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Stephen Wallace Gifts to My Students

by Stephen Wallace I would give you a hunger for knowledge, to take advantage of the teachable moments that are right before your eyes.

I would give you the discretion to shift through the true and false.

I would give you insight into knowing that your future is being shaped by your present actions.

I would give humanity to know that this life is always shorter than you think it will be.

A Gift to Myself

by Stephen Wallace Oh, that I had listened to my teachers, Instead of saying, “I know that, I heard you, I’ll get to it.”

Oh, that I had listened to my teachers, Instead of counseling with my peers who knew as much as I did about life, Oh, that I had listened to my teachers, I would have saved myself heartbreaks and trouble, So, I will listen to my teachers and give myself the gift of perception.

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Robin Weiss ESE, Grade Pre-K - Palm Terrace Elementary School

As a high school student, my career goals zig-zagged between acting, writing and interior design. Little did I know that teaching ESE Pre-K would allow me to do all three. My classroom is a theater where I design the set, choose the props, strive to bring the material to life, and write behind the scenes.

It’s creative work. But it exists within a system which values conformity over originality and discourages independent thought. There’s an unspoken assumption that teachers’ ideas can’t possibly be better than those in the curriculum, and therefore all children in all schools must follow the same published script for their grade level. According to this one-size-fits-all formula, I should teach the weekly Pre-K vocabulary to my ESE students, some of whom are minimally verbal. Last week’s list included “quantity, magnifier, observe, freight, incline,” and “visualize,” among others. Yes, really.

As I try not to drown in a sea of exasperation, The Art of Reflection and Response has been a life preserver that helped me stay afloat. At every meeting we were encouraged to open our minds and examine situations from different vantage points. Conflicting views were respected, and critical thinking was not only accepted but expected. I’ve been awed by the talent and intelligence of the others in the group and encouraged to learn that these gifted people share many of my concerns. I left each gathering feeling refreshed, revitalized and less alone.

I also felt empowered to remain independent. I follow the curriculum’s themes and basic concepts but revise “the script” on a daily basis. My kids typically hear four to six books per day instead of one or two, and we use recycled paper and objects for art and fine motor tasks.

Inspired by the Institute’s adage “Change your view,” we’ve found new uses for old garbage as foil wrappers became twinkling stars, wallpaper scraps became cats and clouds, plastic tablecloths were cut into scarves and penguins floated on chunks of Styrofoam “ice.” We cut pampas grass for a mural depicting “The Lion and the Mouse” (Aesop’s tale is not in the curriculum but my class loved it), and the children learned cognitive flexibility and creative problem-solving in the process.

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With the money saved I bought tapestries that transformed sections of the room into ecosystems, campgrounds and distant galaxies. My classroom decor became an ongoing art project which reflected the themes and enabled the kids to act out their favorite stories. Even my least verbal students participated in re-enactments of “The Three Little Pigs” by slamming the door in the wolf’s face or handing him a hot dog in an impish improvisation. The interior of the brick house (pictured) started with two wooden chairs from the district and a ghastly strip of electrical outlets across the back wall. It evolved and expanded into a favorite play area and focal point of the room, now ~8 feet by 13 feet. Aside from the two chairs, it was constructed and decorated with cardboard boxes, peel-and-stick wallpaper, salvaged furniture and assorted odds and ends. The broken recliner was found on the side of the road and the fireplace was a bookcase in a past life. My only purchases were the peel-and-stick “bricks” and foam floor tiles, and the DIY results so delighted the kids that the house has been rearranged many times to reflect new themes and other stories. Even adults love it.

The Institute reminded me to make time for creative expression and have faith in my knowledge and instincts. It provided a joyful respite, camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and much-needed moral support at a challenging time. Thank you so much, Pam. I’ll be back.

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Robin Weiss Lesson/Activity: Pre-K puts the pieces in place, ESE Language and Literacy, Math, Fine Motor, Pre-K This multi-disciplinary lesson was designed to increase student comprehension of stories read aloud, while simultaneously incorporating math concepts and fine motor skills in the creation of a tangible product. It was repeated several times with several stories.

Description: 1. Students listened as the teacher read a text aloud. The teacher stopped frequently to ask questions, explain new vocabulary and point out details in the illustrations.

2. With instructions from the teacher, the children used pre-cut pieces of paper and common objects (e.g. bottle caps, twigs, buttons), to create collages reflecting the story. The teacher worked with each child individually so that questions and directions could be targeted to the child’s needs. In addition to pre-literacy, math concepts (shapes, colors, spatial concepts) and fine motor skills were addressed in the activity.

3. Students were allowed to select colors, materials and placement of pieces on the page.

4. To the extent that they could understand, students were encouraged to see how materials had been recycled in the creation of their pictures.

5. Days later, students were encouraged to label and describe their masterpieces and (if able) retell parts of the story.

Outcome: the students loved this task and loved showing off their finished products to family members. The lesson was so successful that it was repeated several times with different books. Having a tangible reminder of each story seemed to help the children recall and discuss the content. As a bonus, the use of recycled/repurposed materials added an element of science to the discussion.

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Robin Weiss Pre-K puts the pieces in place (continued) Zackariayah Broxton, Grade Pre-K

Markeith Williams, Grade Pre-K 138

Robin Weiss Pre-K puts the pieces in place (continued)

Zackariayah Broxton, Grade Pre-K

Markeith Williams, Grade Pre-K

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Robin Weiss Pre-K puts the pieces in place (continued)

Jad Douah, Markeith Williams, Jayden Davidson, Grade Pre-K

Zackariyah Broxton, Grade Pre-K

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Robin Weiss

What I’d like to give you -For Rayby Robin Weiss

There are so many things I wish I could give… more movement more strength more pain-free years to live but those things are not attainable and even what you have now is not sustainable So instead I’ll try to give you… more laughter less anguish more cuddling more fun more serenity less obsessing… that the life we had is done You still have me And I still have you Let’s mourn less for what’s been lost And cherish what we still can do

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Judy Williamson AICE US & History & Global Perspectives, US History , Grades 10-12 Pine Ridge High School

The art of reflection workshop is the one professional learning activity that I look forward to. I leave each meeting feeling completely fulfilled and appreciated. It is from this workshop I get all of my creative assignments for my classroom. Each time I use a lesson inspired by the institute my students enjoy it and ask for more work like it. It is from this workshop that I feel validated as a teacher as I am learning with others like me who think outside of the box. I will be leaving teaching at the end of this year; my students and this workshop are what I will miss the most. The Museum of Art in Deland provides the most valuable resources to teachers through this program, they give them the gift of creativity which they share with their students inspiring the next generation to think outside the box. I have recommended this workshop to every teacher in Volusia County that I know and even when I no longer teach I will encourage teachers to seek it out. Pam made all of us feel welcome and encourages all of us to teach from our hearts because that is where the real lessons emerge from. Thank you, Pam thank you from the bottom of my heart for the lessons you have taught me and those I have brought to my students.

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Judy Williamson Lesson/Activity: What I Would Give Myself, Global Perspectives , Grades 10-12 Purpose My AICE Global Perspectives class is made of (in my opinion) the hardest working students at my school. These students are the higher performing students and they also seem to be the hardest on themselves. They always push themselves to get A’s in all their classes and most of them are involved in numerous clubs and organizations on campus. This of course means they are very busy and most of their ‘free time’ is dedicated to schoolwork in one way of another.

Leaving them little time for relaxing and having fun. My assignment for them involved some inner reflection in the hopes they were able to take a breath and see what they needed to give themselves.

Description I had my students complete an activity that Pam had us teachers complete. The assignment was to think about what they would give themselves if they could give themselves anything, anything at all, real, imaginary, impossible, or completely plausible. We talked about different things we needed, some students said time, some said love, some said money. We had a good discussion about silly things such as visiting Narnia and real things like cures for depression after the class discussion I had them start witting themselves letters.

Outcome They enjoyed the activity as it gave them time to think about themselves and what they need.

Some of them said they would start taking a few moments to reflect on things like this as the activity really helped them put some perspective on their lives.

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Judy Williamson What I Would Give Myself (continued) Anonymous You have the chance to give/gift yourself anything at all; what are you receiving?

I’d give you the chance to cry and truly feel your feelings. The chance to express yourself and not hold it all in for fear of what others would say or think.

I’d give you the ability to sleep, and still complete your schoolwork well, and stay invested in friendships, and be confident in and proud of the things you do.

I’d give you a healthy relationship with and between the people who should matter the most to you.

I’d give you a world – a society – where people were more accepting.

I’d give you a world where the cramps and nausea and back pain weren’t a thing.

I’d give you the ability to open up to the people who care.

I’d give you the ability to just breathe and not worry about what else could be done in that time instead.

I’d give the chance to read to your heart’s content. You’d play music, make music – music you love, music you feel.

I’d give you the ability to look past others’ expectations of you.

I’d give you the chance to ask for help – real help – when things are hard.

I’d give you time… and the ability to manage that time.

I’d give you the pause button you’ve so desperately been seeking.

I’d give you the ability to help ease others’ minds.

I’d give you a home where expression of thoughts and feelings was met with open arms, understanding acceptance and logical discussion.

I’d give you hope, and I’d give you people who trust.

I’d give you truth.

I guess when it comes down to it…

I’d be giving you happiness.

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Judy Williamson What I Would Give Myself (continued) Dear Me

by Lauren Jackson, Grade 12 Dear Me, If I could give you anything I would give you bravery and confidence. I know your life is kind of messy, and difficult right now, but I think the gift of confidence and bravery could help. I know you struggle to stand up for yourself and confront others, but if you were confident enough you could do anything. You wouldn't allow people to bother you, make you uncomfortable, and you wouldn't be afraid. It's scary to stand up against people, even if you know that they aren't a threat. You struggle to stand up to people in fear of disappointing them.

But, if you were confident in yourself, you wouldn't be afraid anymore. I currently struggle to tell people no, or just how I feel. I am not confident and brave enough to not hide behind a mask. I struggle to tell people how I feel. I currently would rather be walked over or have other people fight my battles, than fight them myself. It isn't because I don't think I could, it's because I am afraid of how others will look at me because of it.

You know who I am referencing here. Don't be afraid to stand up for yourself. Stop hiding your eyes and avoiding the confrontation. I know you hate it, but you have had to deal with a lot in your life. And I wish I could do anything to make it easier for you. If I could give you the gift, everything would be okay.

However, I know that this letter isn't real, and I can't give you this gift. You have to create it yourself. I know you can. You have smiled through some of the hardest moments imaginable, but you came out smiling at the end. Self-Confidence and Bravery can take you far. You already have confidence in your intelligence, communication skills, and talents. You are just lacking confidence and bravery in confrontation skills.

Don't let people walk over you, don't feel bad for saying no, don't people-please. I know you are scared to say no, and what their reactions would be, but you have to. And I promise, standing up for yourself is amazing, and freeing.

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Judy Williamson What I Would Give Myself (continued) Gift to Myself

by Greyson New, Grade10 If I could give a gift to myself I would want the gift of more time, or not needing it to sleep. I wish I had more time to relax and more time to work I am really good at time management but I feel like I don’t have enough time. I wish I could get more done by working to help my mother. If I wasn’t at school then going to train for track, then later working and training for karate. I don’t feel like I deal with the stress properly as I don’t really get a chance to not do anything. It probably is unhealthy but karate and music is probably my best chance to chill. I also want to watch some shows and stuff. ~~~~ Dear Me

by Vanessa Villegas, Grade 11 Dear Me, One thing I would give you is like a warm blanket. Not one of those $100 blankets with the high thread count. One of those ones that have pretty animal designs. Ya know the normal Mexican blankets that all the memes talk show. Although the warm blanket is just like a jacket of some sort, but it isn't bulky. The warm blanket would be there when the worst times have come. Those days where you can feel safe in the dark. The days where you want a tight hug from your mom when she's across the country. The days where you feel like you don’t know yourself. The days were its freezing and you needed a nice warm thing with you. It’s a small reminder of who you are and where you came from. The memories of play wrestling with your cousins, your uncle's floor on the blanket. The days where you had your summer sleep over with your cousins on the floor of your grandparents' house. The day when you were so sick you vomited 7 times and were asleep most of the time, but you had your mother's blanket to keep you warm even if your fever was still running high. The blanket wouldn’t be just a blanket. It would be a reminder of who you are and how you came here. A blanket that will help you take on the world. Everyone needs a blanket that’s not a blanket. When I'm about to go to college, first day of work, and maybe you're wedding. Something that is well needed can be something so normal. The blanket would have a tiger. A normal tiger Mexican blanket that’s in the shape of a jacket but not too big. Since those blankets are huge and imagine carrying that weight around all day. You already have so much to carry, and you already have back pain to the max. So hopefully one day you'll have that blanket.

One day you'll get that comfort forever.

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Judy Williamson Time

by Judy Williamson If I could give you anything If I could give you anything I would give you the gift of time I would gift you time to read the books on your to be read list, slowly so you can savor every word and learn from every page I would gift you time to finish all your projects, time to make the gifts for all the people on your list so they will know how much you care I would gift you time to run every day, time to take just for you to think and ponder and not worry or be responsible for anyone but you I would gift you time to call your sister, time to catch up, time to laugh together, time to cry together I would gift you time to travel, time to see the world, time to eat pastry’s in France, time to stroll the square in Rome, time for tea in London I would gift you time to breath, time to relax, time to smell the flowers, time to look at the clouds, time to listen to the birds I would gift you time to enjoy, the ability to just be, simply exist and not be in control, not thinking of what needs to be done next If I could give you anything I would give you the gift of time (and the ability to enjoy it)

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Kathryn Wilson English III and English III Honors, Grade 11 - DeLand High School

It has been two years of pandemic living. It has been two years of pandemic teaching. Things are vastly different from how they were even 3 years ago. The world around us is changing and growing and morphing into something new. Things will never be the same, and our New Normal will become another Old Normal soon. People have made major adjustments in the way they approach the world, and the Art of Reflection and Response has been a light, a welcome distraction, a world of growth and support in a life that is in flux.

Participation in this teacher institute has helped me keep my mind working and my lessons fresh. I have been challenged and inspired by our work in class and by my desire to incorporate the creativity and challenge into my classes. I have also used the lessons and the conversations in this institute in my personal writing and learning.

This is my 5th year attending The Art of Reflection and Response Teacher Institute, and each year I’ve come away with new skills, new insight into art analysis, and new ways to bring the beauty of fine art into my English classroom. Watching the learners who attend my classes grow in their abilities as writers and as audience members is exciting. I am amazed by what these learners bring to class. Each brings a different perspective, and all those perspectives allow other humans to appreciate the art and creativity around them.

Every teacher has lessons they love. I am no exception. This institute has allowed me to elevate those lessons while keeping the core texts that I love. Adding art and writing about it during units thick with text gives all of us a much-needed change in scenery and engages student brains like nothing else I’ve seen. For this I am grateful.

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Kathryn Wilson Lesson/Activity: Poetry of Visual Texts, English III & III Honors, DeLand Poets’ Society, Grade 11 As an introduction activity for our unit on The Crucible, learners were asked to produce two poems based on two different yet similar pieces of art. I based the assignment on the 10-Line Poems we composed during a session of The Art of Reflection and Response. Writing the 10line poem was a challenge for me during my own class; the rules for this poem were specific and required me to pause and really think about the words I chose to use. In my11th grade ELA classes and with DeLand Poets’ Society, we have discussed perspective and writing intentionally throughout the year.

It was my hope that assigning this poetry activity to my classes would help learners to pause and think deeply about what they wanted to say and to write intentionally while grappling with whatever emotions arose as they viewed art. I hoped they would gain some perspective as it pertains to visual art, as well. We talked about the foreground, midground, and background and the use of color and positioning of the subject of the art. I used the guidelines provided during the Art of Reflection and Response class and reminded learners about intentional writing and the importance of word choice then gave them time to draft, edit, and finalize their poems.

For their visual texts, I provided 11th grade ELA classes with an 1850 etching that depicted the 1692 Salem Witch Trials by an unknown artist and a January 6, 2021 photograph of the gallows at Capitol Hill by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds. Learners wrote poems slowly and intentionally, discovering words to convey their perspective that contained what they needed to say. DeLand Poets’ Society used more whimsical art of the Chicago skyline by Joe Smigielski for their poems.

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Kathryn Wilson Poetry of Visual Texts (continued) L’Arc

by Kathryn Wilson Inspired by: Arc de Triomphe by Antoine Blanchard Vertical Reaching up, up, up into the gray sky Human Moving to-and-fro with leisure with purpose in awe Gleaming Pushing back the darkness Enticing Luring me back into the bliss Disoriented Longing to return (to those days)

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Kathryn Wilson Poetry of Visual Texts (continued) Hanging Witches

by Gloria Hanken, Grade 11 Straight Reaching towards the ground Round Watching with curiosity Gloomy Staining the sky Intense Balancing on darkness Scary Observing with fear

Orange Rope

by Gloria Hanken, Grade 11 Tilted Expanding to the sides Rectangles Framing the whole building Orange Hanging from the wood Intense Brightening skies mixed with dark events Terrifying Looming over us

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Kathryn Wilson Poetry of Visual Texts (continued)

Seeing All, but Knowing Nothing

by Reagan Shivers, Grade 12 - DeLand Poets’ Society Arced Racing through tufts Of cotton ocean waves Curved Waving against each other Bent to time Luminous Pulsing between calm winds Awake Demanding attention but Revealing no secrets Perplexed Seeing all But knowing nothing

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Kathryn Wilson Poetry of Visual Texts (continued) A Deary Evening

by Raine Taft, Grade 11 Taut Pulling tight with weight unimaginable Still Silencing wails follows a loud thatching creak Dark Consuming the innocent Silent Emptying words to say but a message screamed Disgust Burning feeling of anger and disappointment

A True Focus

by Raine Taft, 11th Grade Unfocused Blanking, a true message Gloomy Breaking out in a twisted sky Authoritarian Demanding our respect Angry Redding the wire, seeking justice Sad Retelling a story no one learned from

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Kathryn Wilson

Dream Gifts for You

by Kathryn Wilson Trust Belief Advice Sought out Kudos Gratitude Opportunities Offered Recognition Appreciation Follow-Through Promises Kept I dream That I can Make them see You’ve earned more I dream That I can Encourage them To do what’s right

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Kathryn Wilson If I Could Give Myself a Gift

by Kathryn Wilson If I could give myself a gift I’d give myself unlimited time To give me time To grow To read To learn To realize To recognize To fail To reflect To use my growth for good If I could give myself a gift I’d give me opportunities To prove myself (I’m better than good enough) To help others Working in service To offer my abilities To make this world a better place If I could give myself a gift I’d give me thanks I’d give me a “good morning” A “Happy Friday” I’d give me sincere gratitude For being there For continuing to learn and grow For not giving up Because I could If I could give myself a gift I’d give myself unlimited time To do what I know needs to be done And what it takes to make it so.

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Sarah Wilson Choir, Music Theatre, Creative Writing, Grades 6-8 Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts I have been teaching middle school Music and Creative Writing for the last 11 years. I am in my 8th year at Ivy Hawn Charter School of the Arts where I teach Choir, Music Theatre, and Creative Writing. I heard about the Art of Reflection and Response Institute from my colleagues and was encouraged to join. This year, I finally committed. I am glad I did!

I was unsure what to expect from the institute since I already teach an arts discipline. However, I have found this training to be invaluable. Personally, I found this training affirming as an educator. It reminded me that I am not alone in my concerns regarding arts in our classrooms. In a world where technology is all-consuming, it can feel lonely and isolating for arts teachers. I found that I left the trainings feeling inspired to reach beyond my comfort zone and present my students with new ways of approaching art.

The last few years have been hard on everyone. It has been particularly hard on performing arts teachers and our students. The lack of concerts, events, and rehearsing in groups left a palpable hole in our hearts. We have had to reassess and redirect our energy toward virtual performances and dive into the world of music technology. To say it has been challenging, would be a drastic understatement. We prevailed as arts educators because one thing was paramount during these difficult years. We had to adapt to keep our students engaged and in love with the arts.

That is what this institute did for me. It reminded my why I love my craft of performing and writing. I have been so consumed with the challenges of the past two years that I have neglected my own artwork. I cannot stress how valuable it was for me to enter a space and be asked to engage with art to create my own. It has rekindled a passion that I feared was gone.

I have since dedicated time each day to my writing as an author. This habit has improved my empathy as a teacher. When I ask my students to share their writing, I share mine. It has been a beautiful and humbling experience. I always tell them that I will never ask them to do something I would not also be willing to do myself. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to engage with and learn from the fabulous educators in The Art of Reflection and Response Institute. I look forward to many more years with this program.

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Sarah Wilson Lesson/Activity: Two-Voice Poetry, Creative Writing, Grades 6-8

As a creative writing teacher, I am always looking for different ways to engage my young writers with poetry. Students are often intimidated by the idea of poetry. Each year I am met with the woeful moans and groans of my student when I happily announce it is time to write our own poetry. They are always terrified. Poetry can seem inaccessible to young authors. When I ask them to close their eyes and think about what a poet looks like, they often come to similar conclusions; white, old, aristocratic men that have left this earthly world long ago. They did not see themselves as poets.

I decided to focus them on perspective and their individual voice. I found the two-voice poem activity we completed in our Art of Reflection class to be a great vehicle for this. We watched a few performances of two-voiced poems to give them an idea of what a finished product might resemble. I paired students and asked them to think of what makes them different from one another and what connects them. I handed out a grid and had them use it to structure their poem. Students then performed their pieces for the class.

I found this activity gave them the opportunity to grow more comfortable with their voice before writing solo poetry. They thoroughly enjoyed watching the performances and seeing how each voice came together to creative a bigger picture. In the future, I would like to extend this activity into their playwriting projects next school year. I will have them write a twovoice poem that explores the main characters motivations in their plays. I think this will strengthen their use of dialogue and allow for a more in-depth understanding of their characters needs and goals.

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Sarah Wilson Two-Voice Poetry, (continued) A Two Voice Poem

By Collin Billette and Allison Callaway Grade 8

I am a musician.

I am a dancer.

I play music that builds the moment.

I listen to the music to find the timing.

I play the music; she just uses what I have done.

I memorize the fingering.

Music is key in both our fields

We both train for the performance

I play piano and forte.

I make the music come to life; he just looks at a sheet.

I memorize the choreography.

I play with the quality and the sharpness of my movement.

My performances are on key, unlike the stumbling madness she does onstage.

He messes up on something as easy as just sitting and memorization. I mess up trying to add more into my performance.

Ouch!

We both practice.

We both work hard.

I am a dancer!

I am a musician!

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Sarah Wilson Images for Alice’s Choice

Carolina Cleere, State of Mine

Dennis Weller, Interior XXII

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Sarah Wilson Alice’s Choice

By Sarah Wilson “It’s time to choose that which you must lose,” the regent doves sang their refrain while perched on young Alice’s petite shoulders.

“Must you always sing in rhyme?” asked Alice.

“The choice is yours through those two doors,” they belted in unison.

Alice sighed and carried herself forward, her pink slippered feet crunched on fallen palm fronds. She pushed her way through the island brush.

“I’m tired, are we there yet?” Alice wiped the sweat from her face with a torn piece of her pink tutu. “We’ve been walking for hours and I still have no idea where we’re going.”

“It’s just up ahead, no need to dread,” one dove launched off from Alice and took to the cerulean sky. Alice watched him grow smaller and smaller against the vast horizon.

“Where is he going? Should we follow?”

“Have a seat and rest your feet,” the remaining dove chirped.

Alice allowed her eyes to wander. She spotted a pond near a shaded fruit tree. She stripped off her slippers and dipped her toes in the still blue water. She sighed with relief. Her feet torn and sore from the day of endless walking. She plopped down on the soft dirt and dangled her feet in the warmth of the pond.

“Are you sure I can’t just stay here? What choice must I make? Where do the two doors lead? Why won’t you answer me?”

“In due course and with great remorse,” Something about the way the bird’s song changed to minor, silenced Alice. She focused instead on the easing of pain in her feet. She rested her head on a log and nodded off.

“No time for sleep! An appointment to keep!”

Alice woke to find the lone dove waving its wing frantically in her face. She rubbed the sleep from her brown eyes and looked to find two eyes in the water coming closer. She blinked.

A smiling crocodile approached with the prodigal dove riding upon his back. Alice jumped up and away from the water.

“Your ride is here the choice is near,” the doves joined in harmony.

“My ri-…You can’t mean him!” Alice pointed at the crocodile, its tail swiping from side to side.

The crocodile smiled showcasing his perfectly pointed teeth. They were so bright she could see her own fear reflected in them.

“No need to fret he is no threat,” both doves circled above the waiting crocodile.

“Will you eat me?” She asked.

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The crocodile closed his snout and shook it slightly from right to left.

Alice took a shaky breath and stepped closer to the beast. She reached out to his great mouth with her eyes averted. She opened her eyes when she made contact. She gasped while her fingers felt the bumpy solidness of the animal.

“What do you want me to do?” she inquired. “Do I sit on your back?”

He nodded and flashed his glistening pearls again.

Alice padded in knee deep and sat on his back. “I wish I knew where you were taking me.”

She received no reply. The crocodile swished his tail from side to side. Alice watched the ripples left in its wake. They traveled to the middle of the pond where the giant simply stopped.

“Breath deep Alice or your lungs will malice,” warned the birds.

Before she had a chance to ask the doves what they meant, the crocodile began to sink into the pond. She barely had time to swallow air before they were both submerged. She gripped on to the crocodile as they plunged deeper into the water.

Her lungs began to burn when suddenly the crocodile sped them forward. Just when she thought she could no longer hold her breathe, they slammed into a wall of air.

Alice sputtered and she rolled off the crocodile and slammed into a cold floor. The crocodile nudged her to her feet.

She whipped water from her eyes and glanced around her. She was in a dark room. To her left an open door with no light. To her right a door with bright white seeped into the dwelling.

“Which door do I choose?” she turned to ask her swimming companion, but he simply sunk back into the water his teeth gleaming white.

“I don’t understand!” she yelled.

She walked toward the two doors. Her heart thudded. “Which door?” she whispered.

“This one is so dark I might get lost. Surely, I should choose the door with light. That must be right. But what if it’s not?”

Alice sat between the two doors. Panic drummed in her chest. It crescendoed in her ears.

“The door in light or dark?” she whispered.

She couldn’t possibly choose.

Alice stood on steady feet and without another thought she turned around and dove back into the warm comforting water. She released the air from her lungs and allowed herself to be swept further into its depth.

Sometimes the best choice is not to choose at all.

The End

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Two Voice Poem

by Anonymous T= Teacher D= District T: Lessons that inspire are the Teacher’s gift.

D: Just open the manual and follow the script.

T: Learn! GROW!! EXCELL!!! Be the best that you can be!

D: Test, test, data, data- THAT'S all we need to see.

T&D: It’s all about the children, not you and me.

T: Never stop learning. Take your lifetime to grow!

D: Students show mastery of content. We’re all in this together, you know!

T: Challenge students to ask tough questions first!

D: As long as those questions are approved by us first! (Or the Moms of Liberty...)

T&D: It’s all about the children.

T: Outside resources are a valuable tool.

D: Not if it isn’t approved by the school.

T: Wearing a mask is a sign of respect, a means to protect.

D: Our students have a constitutional right to infect.

T: I’m the professional. Just let me teach!

D: Teachers no longer have freedom of speech.

T&D: It’s all about the money/children.

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Museum of Art - DeLand Board of Trustees Dagny Robertson, President Solomon David Greene, Vice President John Wilton, Secretary Mary Jeanne Ludwig, Treasurer Judy Thompson, Immediate Past President Karen Allebach ▪ Samuel Blatt ▪ George S. Bolge ▪ Jean Burns ▪ Kelly Canova ▪ John Clifford Vernette Conrad ▪ Sal Cristofano ▪ Greg Dasher ▪ Manny De la Vega ▪ Linda Colvard Dorian Barbara Girtman ▪ Kyle Glass ▪ Joan Lee ▪ Lisa Ogram ▪ Todd Phillips ▪ Ian Williams ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The following donors and businesses merit special appreciation for their support and their commitment to this year’s programming: Becky Adesso, Jeff and Karen Allebach, Dennis Aylward, Robert Apgar, Denise Autorino, Joel and Sandra Bautista, Bruce Bigman and Carolyn Bigman, Samuel and Donna Blatt, Michael and Beverly Bleakly, George S. Bolge, Michael and Deborah Branton, J. Hyatt and Cici Brown, Tom and Jean Burns, Ann Brady and Rick Kolodinsky, Billy Calkins, Richard Campeau, Courtney and Kelly Canova, Edward Chambers, Miles and Stephanie Clark, John and Linda Clifford, John and Vernette Conrad, Sal Cristofano and Laura Gosper, Greg Dasher, Manny De La Vega, Gretchen Delman, Lisa DeVitto, Wayne and Jewel Dickson, Naomi Dimmick, Robert Dorian and Linda Colvard Dorian, Susan Downer, Anthony Ehrlich, Rick and Carolyn Evans, Kelly Fagen, P.W. Fleming, Barbara Girtman, Richard and Lilis George, Stephen and Jane Glover, Mark Grantham, Solomon Greene, Susan Griffis, Lorna Jean Hagstrom, Tom Hale, Katheryn Hammer-Whitty, Patricia Heller, David and Susan Hensley, Paul and Charlene Holland, John and Karen Horn, Richard and Beth Jackson, Betty Drees Johnson, Darrin and Diana Latow, Joan Lee, Eneida Likes, Craig and Tracy Lindsey, Stanley and Claire Link, Tim and Mary Jeanne Ludwig, Elizabeth Marotte, Barbara Mars, Philip and Cynthia McConnell, David Scott Meyer and William Suddaby, Greg and Beth Milliken, Clara Montesi, Kieu Moses, Lisa Ogram, Todd Phillips, Donna Poole, Frances Porter, Hari and Jenneffer Pulapaka, Curt and Patti Rausch, Richard and Pamela Rintz, Tommy and Dagny Robertson, Stephen and Claudia Roth, Patty Schwarze, Michael and Nancy Shayeson, Ellen Smith, Peter and Elizabeth Sorenson, Clifford and Lavonne Strachman, Dr. Mac Steen and Kathy Steen, Marty Suarez, Judith Thompson, Mara Whitridge, Ian Williams and Nancy Hutson, Linda Williamson, John and Nancy Wilton, Dave and Sandy Wilson, Adams Cameron Foundation, Capital Group, Earl W. and Patricia B. Colvard Foundation, Duke Energy Foundation, Dorothy, M. Gillespie Foundation, Lacey Family Charitable Trust, Publix Super Market Charities, Inc., Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, Wells Fargo Foundation, Advent Health DeLand, Bank of America, Boulevard Tire Center, City of DeLand, County of Volusia, DeLand Breakfast Rotary Club, DeLand Fall Festival of the Arts, DeLand Rotary Club, Inc., Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, Deltran USA, Duke Energy, E.O. Painter Printing Company, Faith Hope & Charity, JetBlue, Junior Service League of DeLand, Krewe of Amalee, Mainstreet Community Bank, Massey Services, Inc., Merrill Lynch, Ogram, Higbee & Associates, Orange City Blue Springs Manatee Festival, Museum Guild, Orlando Sentinel, Passport Luxury Guide, Robertson Advisory, Inc., State of Florida Division of Cultural Affairs, Stetson University, Waste Pro USA, West Volusia Beacon, West Volusia Tourism Authority.

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