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Laurie Carpenter
Teaching art has been a wonderful way to have a career in education for the past 45 years. Every year produces different results. I have worked with K-9th grades as a teacher and have also taught numerous adult classes. Presently I am working with 5th and 6th graders at Walker Upper Elementary School as I have for the past 23 years. The Charlottesville City School system where I have done most of my teaching is very supportive of the ARTS, and allows all children to have weekly art K-4 and select full year ... read moreart 5-12 if they wish. I love what I do, enriching the lives of children and helping them express themselves visually.
My classes are very diverse from a cultural aspect and educational levels of ability. My lessons are designed to be open ended, meaning all children can do the activity to some degree and others can go as far as their talent allows them. Classes are 55 minutes long. Lessons are taught as part of a unit of study with units building on previously learned concepts and material use. I teach about 150 students every two days for an entire year. Enriching Arts ( art, band, chorus and orchestra, student select what they want to take for a year) has an alternating schedule with physical education. Thus our students have five days of enriching arts (whatever they have selected to take for the year) and five days of P.E. every two weeks.
Artsonia is a wonderful way to share student work with family, relatives, peers, friends and the community. It gives students an extra incentive to put forth their best efforts when completing work to have it displayed on Artsonia and also receive a certificate from me. Many times students have come to class and said that they looked at work by students in other states. Parents are frequently commenting to me how much they enjoy having their child's work on Artsonia. It is totally worth the time and effort it takes to participate in Artsonia.
Thank you for making the process easier and and faster every year. The 2012-13 school year will be my last year of teaching> I will be retiring in June 2013 and look forward to life after teaching. It has been a wonderful way to spend the last 45 years and rewarding in so many ways. I hope that the person who takes my job will continue using Artsonia. I plan to visit often to see what has been posted and also browse the lesson plans. There may be something I 'd like to try doing in my new found time. Sincerely, Laurie Carpenter
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