Student projects!

This year is going by way too quickly!!!

The bf and I are making big plans for next year that involve a possible job search for me! Exciting--yes, overwhelming--just a bit! I have lived in the same place for almost three years and have been so lucky to be at a great school with wonderful co-workers. I have very high standards for co-workers and administration now. That being said, it will be nice not to have to drive somewhere every Fri/Sun evening!

And I do feel pretty well prepared for interviews and such. I could literally teach art anywhere to anyone. I have taught students from all over the world who may or may not speak any English. I have taught from a cart, in a tiny trailer room with no sinks, in a small room with one sink and no storage, and have been told to switch rooms with a few days notice. Right now I am righteously spoiled by an enormous brand new art room with an equally large storage room AND kiln room!!! Except for Tuesdays when I am still on a cart and teach 5 kindergarten classes....

I could probably teach a successful art lesson out of the trunk of my car on a highway median during rush hour if they asked me too! As I update my portfolio with lesson plans and images, I am surprised at how many great projects my students have made. Here are just a few samplings from several different grade levels:

Such creative little brains they have! It always amazes me what they come up with or how they interpret my directions... Never a dull moment here!

New painting projects coming soon!

Update on the Italian Cafe Window!

Little by little I am finishing up "Cafe Window in Italy"--a wedding present/commission for a co-worker friend! It has been tricky because in the photograph itself, the window is slightly crooked AND off center which totally fools with my eyes when I am trying to even out the window frame and shutters. I also need to add some warmer colors for a more glowing effect. Can't wait to go home and work on it this afternoon. After some yoga of course!

And now for some random teaching tidbits---

• Preschool girls should NOT be wearing eye-liner.
• Why do my 6th graders confuse a wedding shower with a bachelor party with strippers? OH DEAR. I do believe when I was in 6th grade I knew nothing, thought even kissing was icky and decided I would just shake hands when I got married......
• Apparently the tree branches I cut out look like "tree pants."
• I can make a very nice olympic torch out of cellophane and construction paper!
• Me to new student:" Hi! I'm Miss Fontaine! What's your name?"...New Student: "Amen" ...Me: "What was that???!"
• One of my students just got an "asthma TV" at home (I guess being on free/reduced lunch does free up the budget a bit)
• Two students at lunch eating corn on the cob: Student 1:"I like to put ketchup and cheese on my corn on the cob.".. Student 2: "EW"...Student 1: "It's Spanish, you should try it!" Student 2: "Well black people don't eat corn on the cob that way" And there you have it!

Have a super Wednesday!

No school until next year!! Thank you snow :)

Hmm it is 11:21 on a Monday morning..I am still in my pjs, drinking coffee and perusing the internet. With up to 2 feet of snow, they canceled school today, tomorrow, and our half day Wednesday. ..Not that the students would be missing out too too much! This close to holiday break, it is best to take advantage when the librarian runs "Polar Express" 3 times a day on the school TV circuit, not to mention having endless amounts of holiday themed "arts" and crafts to further occupy the children. They are probably having a blast in the snow--hopefully they all have warm coats, hats, and gloves-- and missing school only because they couldn't get their ceramic projects to take home from their fabulous art teacher!! I love living in an area that can't handle any weather worse than rain! Makes a winter storm that much more exciting....

As far as the holiday hubbub...I sent Christmas cards last week and have so far shipped any presents that need shipping and only have a few painting projects to finish as gifts (which is what I SHOULD be doing right now!) Pictures coming soon! I do believe then I only have ONE painting that I will be working on for someone else. Time to get creative--more pencil/ink drawings, more spontaneous paintings, more random still-life drawings/paintings. I have an entire stack of photos that I have been saving to paint and so many blank canvases (I tend to buy them whenever they are on sale) begging for attention..

And tonight---shall I make a Thai stir fry? PW and I found this great little Thai cookbook at Marhsalls a few months ago. We discovered that you need some very interesting ingredients to make Thai. For example PW was very hesitant to buy an entire $5 jar of "sesame oil" when the recipe only needed 1/2 teaspoon. I keep telling him--hey soon we'll have ALL these weird ingredients--but every new recipe calls for some random sauce or paste that we don't have yet that involves 10 laps around the grocery store to find :P oh well. Maybe I'll do something simpler --pork chops and mashed potatoes?!

Stay warm!!!

Happy Friday with some Pumpkin Scones!

Normally when asked to contribute to a faculty/staff breakfast, I offer to bring juice or paper goods....But I am getting brave with my baking! These pumpkin scones turned out to be delicious and not too difficult to make. (However, make sure you have all the ingredients so you don't have to dash over to your neighbor's house at 9:30 pm to borrow two eggs) I doubled the recipe and made rather large scones..I think it made around 16-20 big scones!!

Dry Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 cup margarine/butter

Chocolate chips

Wet Ingredients:

1 egg

3/4 cup pumpkin

2 tbsp plain yogurt

Combine wet and dry separately....Combine both and mix well--dough will be sticky!

If you want...flour the cupboard and spread it out to 3/4 in thick...Use a biscuit cutter and place scones on greased cookie sheet! (I just used spoonfuls which made them slightly less pretty but no less delicious) Cook for 10-15 minutes at 350.

Yum Yum

Have a great weekend and enjoy the last of the fall colors--Wow!!

MMM Wings in the Crockpot :)

First here are some pictures of "Three Satin Dresses" and some fellow teachers' works on display at the FCPS Artist Teacher Exhibition! What talented art teachers we have!!! It was so funny how they put the masculine stapled-wood "sculpture" in between my painting and my friend's paintings.. Nice contrast I guess! My least favorite part of the exhibition was the hanging and then take-down at 8am on a Sunday... who scheduled that time slot? PW decided that if /WHEN I enter any more shows, I better check out the set-up/take-down times first :P.
I am very excited to have my painting home safe and sound.
















Yesterday was a fabulous relaxing Sunday! I am not sure what we do on Sundays during the football off season....There is nothing I like more than having people over for a casual dinner party and watching the games. My old roommate came over with her pug, Ellie (snort snort snort) and her new BF (PW had another MAN to hang out with!) . She brought chips and guacamole and a veggie tray+ dip and cookies AND wine! sheesh!

To complete the buffet, I made wings in the crockpot--YUM. It is my latest crockpot endeavor. I have followed recipes in the past courtesy of two fabulous crockpot cookbooks, but created my own simple concoction this time.... First I browned the wings in the broiler--about 5-10 min on each side... Then I put them in the crockpot and dumped a mixture of buffalo wing sauce, bbq sauce, and garlic (of course!). I also but jalapenos in the bottom to add some spice. Onions would have been yummy too but I was lazy... .

They were done in 2 hrs and made the house smell SO GOOD! If you want them crispy, I guess you could put them BACK in the oven to broil for a little time on each side.... I wish I had leftovers!

Ok time to grade stacks and stacks of projects from last week!

Teaching, Painting, and High Hopes!

Where did September go? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was posting only my second post about the beginning of summer and the excitement of the summer months ahead?!

So begins another school year and after the semi-lazy days of summer, I welcome the chaos of a daily routine, lesson plans, interesting child behaviors, and attempting to fit some creativity and painting somewhere between 4:30 and when I fall asleep at night.

This time of year always forces me to reflect on various topics...Maybe it is the lovely fall colors and the cool clear air that provide so much artistic inspiration....Or the way some of my students act that make me, heaven forbid, want to thank my parents for raising me the way I did...Or the beginning of another school year reinforcing the fact that I am indeed a successful, independent young adult already in my 3rd year of teaching (where did the first two years go?) paying my own bills....AND in an awesome and promising relationship, I'll call him PW!....AND even squeezing in enough time to sell artwork here and there......please excuse my lack of sentence structure!

Coming soon..... Some portraits and landscapes already being completed on commission for Christmas presents!!! And of course the daily antics of my creative and crazy young students. And maybe some book or movie recommendations and yummy recipes!

And now I am ready for the weekend, heading out to meet coworkers for an after-school "staff meeting" at an alternate location that serves yummy beverages and appetizers!

Have a good weekend!