Getting Back Into the Groove

A photograph I took this summer in Falmouth

"Education is learning what you didn't even know you didn't know."
~Daniel J. Boorstin, Democracy and Its Discontents

I'm sure many agree that the summer is magical. This week one of my students wore a shirt with a graphic: "Preserve Summer." One of my favorite reasons for living in New England, however, is the the changing of the seasons; it's like nothing else -- a dream, really. And I absolutely love the start of a new school year. September brings a new beginning of a another academic year compared to the monotony of business life (the life, which, in fact affects many of my own friends and family). 

Today, Mrs. Vigneau likened the school year to being shot out of a cannonball--you feel like your arms and legs flailing out of control, but eventually you enjoy the ride and by the end of the school year you land softly in a net, take a break, and then prepare for the whole thing again. Well, I'm sure Mrs. Vigneau doesn't know how it really feels to be shot out of a cannonball, and I'm not going to try it either, but I like her analogy. And I feel like we are getting settled and sailing smoothly through the air. My students are all wonderful and are enjoying their routine again. 

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Speaking of getting back into the groove, I wanted to share with you my first day lesson for graphic design. Instead of giving my course expectations or rules on the first day, I like to do an art exercise to get the creative juices flowing. Students were tasked with emulating a story or fairytale in the simplest manner possible, using only cut paper. This exercise took only one class period, and here are a few really stellar examples.