Jacob Ward – Franklin Fine Arts
Greetings and
salutations again, dear reader! Here’s
the skinny on what’s been happening this week in the life of Jacob Ward!
At Franklin Fine Arts:
One thing I
have seemed to notice (and have slight difficulty with) during my time at an
elementary/middle school is the pacing of lessons. Pacing in K-8 is much harder to do than with
high school, where my last two placements have been. High school pacing is like flying a plane:
you see students every day (or at least every other day) and there’s this nice
smooth arch of consistent progress.
Elementary/middle school is kind of like driving a train: you pick up
steam and then it’s time to stop and you don’t see them again for 2-3
days. Then you start slowly chugging
again to regain momentum but then you have to stop again and you don’t see them
for 3-4 days. It’s very stop-start and
there is a lot of time spent reviewing/re-demonstrating.
These pacing
issues have taken an unexpected toll on my edTPA plans as well. For example, “Day 2” of edTPA lessons has
stretched out and become days 3 & 4 in reality and “Day 3” of edTPA lesson
plans probably won’t happen for another two class sessions.
Those things
aside… THIS WEEK WAS HALLOWEEN AT FRANKLIN!
Students and staff went all out with a morning costume parade, spooky
activities, Dia de Los Muertos sugar skulls, and the Dance teacher & I even
broke out our scissor shoes to cut a rug with the 6th graders and
dance to Michael Jackson’s Thriller!
In Chicago:
Balancing
being a student teacher and living life is important. It is important because the opportunity to
live in the thick of Chicago may never happen again. Future Chicago Semester students heed this
message: Do your work and be responsible about doing it, but also take the time
to live life. I have traveled to every
corner of the city, as far as the buses and trains would take me. I’ve seen the inside and outside, the
brightest and darkest parts of the city, and I still have a month left of
exploring. Chicago is a city that is
well worth conquering if you’re up for the challenge.
This week’s
“conquest” has been packed to the brim with arts events. Chicago Semester’s event of the week was a
trip to the Art Institute during their weekly free day (Thursdays 5-8 for
Chicago residents). Since photography
was allowed in the galleries, I managed to document the trip on my Snapchat
Story and I also paid a quick homage to a scene from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off since the Institute is the home of George
Seurat’s Sunday Afternoon on the Island
of La Grande Jatte. 
Another free
day in the city was an open house of the Chicago Lyric Opera House where guests
were allowed on the stage, backstage, in the orchestra pit, and under the stage
to see the props, scenery, and costumes AND were given a free performance by one
of the singers.
As a “Saint”
I serve as a volunteer usher at theatres around the city. This week I also managed to see:
·
Million Dollar Quartet (a Broadway hit musical about the real-life
event of the one night only recording session between Elvis, Carl Perkins,
Jerry Lee Lewis, and Johnny Cash) at The Apollo Theatre.
·
Pop-Up Magazine & Ira Glass’ Three Acts, Two Dancers, One Radio Host (both took other mediums of
entertainment, magazine and radio show respectfully, and turned them into
performance pieces) at The Athenaeum Theatre.
·
Mariposa Nocturna (a puppet show incorporating
traditional bunraku & shadow puppetry to tell the tale of San Pasqualito
honoring the wish of a little girl to protect her abuela as she moves into the
afterlife) at the Berwyn Cultural Center
·
Rocky Horror (It would not be Halloween without
this cult classic, live on stage) and
Zanna Don’t (a musical satire on
society done by using some creative role reversals) at the Mayne Stage Theatre.
Future students (and anybody for that matter) remember, take time to live life. As Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”
Until next
time, peace out!
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