2015-644-E Arts - Susie Wilde Arts Grant

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TEACHING ARTIST JOURNAL 154 2007 VOLUME 5,NUMBER 4 265 '.�.w r- . .-,„ ,-- -;,• E I had twenty-five rhildren who were a mix of ethnicities;The largest number were o *' '�� 'T.' ` His attic students mostly fluent in En 3 ff p y English.Though I was working in a district and school The author helps students that were"low performing,"these were the children who were on the border of succeed analyze character,conflict, �; motivation,and resolution ing at testing.This program expected good behavior Three to four teachers would assist ' with her Story Skeleton.Later me at each session. ° they will use the same graphic ti model to compose their story The schools were different in more than geography Haw River students were from lower socioeconomic backgrounds than those at Radnor.The Welsh children represented a broader range of abilities.My Welsh workshop took place during school hours for five days in a row and the American program was an after-school situation that continued - twice a week for several months. Still,given these differences,I formed contrasting impressions that made the culturally curious. Often the differences offered proof that affirmed the techniques I used would b f work in a different school culture.Sometimes,I gained insights on how I could improve cmy work and make it more meaningful. a CD- Top-Down Support 1`1;I I ra In Wales,right from the beginning,I felt surrounded by support,most notably from x� f.' the Head of School. She toured me proudly around Radnor,introduced me to her secre- t tary,and asked that her secretary help me. Several times she visited class and asked me noticed,"You get really far when you work together"Another offered,"It's great to ask how the work was going and if she could be of any help. Once,when I needed a supply, other people for ideas." she volunteered to run the errand so the teacher I was working with could enjoy her Finally we used games to revise and edit a series of drafts,and we examined and changed words and ideas until they seemed just right.A boy with a huge smile admired break.The Head attended the final show at the gallery In North Carolina,the principal of the school seemed welcoming and eager on the "the way the story all fined together." By week's end we had finished two stories.One classroom wrote about Zacchaeus,an phone. She asked me to come '''._.s��. . ^ 3:t.'.::'''. for an ixrtmducto meetin with annoyed older sibling who has to find his own brand of magic to rescue his little sister ':.. ;:;r xr f ; rY g o from an enchanted globe.In the second class we composed the story of Storm,an inno- This was not the firstAmerican school in for marce a But when I arrived L.Li o cent grape who sunbathes too Tong,becomes a raisin,and briefly turns to a life of vio- which I've had to lead students into inner for that meeting e I waited a half c� hour until her meeting with the CNI fence as"his sweet side withers with his skin." landscapes and then struggle to keep them teachers finished and another Q The students'involvement led them to a deeper understanding than I usually see in producing.I wonder how much American ten minutes for those not w American classrooms.The play was important—winning free books by defining writing m curriculum, like much of the technological involved in the project to leave 1 LL terms and earning sweets by dreaming up dialogue—but ultimately it was the story that w world stresses learning in little bits and the room.Two minutes into o mattered.These children could see the bigger picture."We used games to create work g m without realizing r marveled one child.Another understood that"stones are fun to makes students unused to involving them- explaining the Project the prin- alixirxg't," o write as well as to read."My favorite comment came from aten-year old who said he'd selves in projects of any length. cipal asked,"Has this project v been approved by the district?" learned"working together has made us strong." co "I assume so,"I told her "The arts council has been quite thorough in organizing." co "Until I'm sure,you'll have to wait to speak to my teachers,"she told me, dismissing Back in the USA me. j coThis set the tone for the project.She was uninvolved,her secretary would not even .:c2 My experience gave me courage,and I decided I would take Welsh cheer with me run a few copies,and one day I was told at the last minute that I would have to move my li when I signed on to work in an after-school program sponsored the Almanance group of thirty into the cafeteria to work,as the school had a meeting scheduled for four 1; p r$ P �� P by g ;s m County Arts Commission in North Carolina.I made it clear before I started at Haw people in the library. mRiver School that this would be a program devoted to writing for writing's sake as we Taking care of self first is woven into American culture.Add to el is an.overwhelmingly M created a story that textile artist,Peg Gignoux,would turn into a Story Quilt with col : busy world and overcrowded curriculum.and you've got a set up for the"every man for Wlege students at Eton University the following January.This Story Quilt was to be sent i himself"philosophy.Wales seemed a culture that works together,and I saw this reflected g to a school in Metairie,Louisiana,whose lower school had been destroyed by the ': as the head in Wales was a team player who offered welcome to even a visiting artist.Top- r) waters of Katrina. down support made the project run more smoothly.The head's involvement made it �r o : ? j 0 Vi, 1;: