My students are a creative group of diverse individuals. The one hundred and fifty students who walk through my classroom every week are part of a student body of sixteen hundred. Each student brings their own unique background and personality to the art room to make one-of-a-kind artwork. I believe in incorporating relevance and meaning to student artwork so their artwork is individualized and personal. Students have the opportunity to explore multiple electives, including the art classes I teach, as well as honors and advanced placement courses. Some of those AP classes are in the arts, including AP 2D art and AP 3D art!
Every student is an artist; it's my job to help them figure out what kind of artist they are.
My students are able to pick from a wide range of art classes to take. They participate in stained glass, ceramics, drawing and painting, graphics, videography and photography. A lot of the supplies students use in class are donated from the community. They are a wonderful resource that has had a major impact on the things students are able to learn and create. We also rely on grants to bring new ideas and opportunities to our students.
My Project
I will be teaching three sections of Clay 1 and two of Clay 2 each semester this coming school year. In the past year, I have over doubled the number of students signing up for the advanced clay classes where we spend about half of our time working on the pottery wheel. With one hundred and fifty students working with tools in my classroom per semester, tools get beaten up and worn out to the point of being unusable. I am looking to get donations for new sets of pottery wheel tools that will be used solely by students working on the wheel instead of shared by the whole class. Each wheel will have it's own set of tools that will stay with it so students will have everything they need and not have to spend time looking for tools.
Working on the pottery wheel is a time for my students to decompress from the worries of their lives and just be in the moment.
Students have told me that this is the best part of their day and they feel zen and accomplished while working on the wheel. The wheel teaches students to be patient and persistent to accomplish their goals. They may not be good at first but with self-reflection and guidance, everyone is able to successfully make something on the wheel, some even vases twelve inches tall! We are looking for donations for new tool kits, sponges and a tool to help take more complicated pieces off the wheel in one piece.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mrs. Tesch and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
