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Name: Jo Holly Funchess
Class: Senior
Major: Art education
Hometown: Clemson
Name: Marie Tennyson
Class: Senior
Major: Art education
Hometown: Charleston
Jo Holly, you and your students have been working with birds’ nests this morning at the first summer Youth Art Workshop sponsored by the art department. Can you tell me a little about what they were doing? Basically, what I’ve been doing is an observational drawing class, using sources from nature. The first day we spent time outside. They’re studying contour-line drawing and action drawing and gesture drawing. I’ve been using the nests to hold their interest and give them something cool to look at.
Has that worked? It actually seems to have worked pretty well. At first, I was a little concerned they might start to get bored, but it held their interest very well. I’m excited.
What other things will you be teaching in next week’s classes? I’ll do some of what I’ve done this week, but I’m going to use more color. I’ve been working with graphite this week as a starting point, but I’ll have some of the same kids next week. I can build on what I’ve done.
When will you do your student teaching? I’ll teach middle school and high school for half the semester in the fall. Then I’ll teach elementary school, also. We do half and half for our student teaching. Everybody does that in art ed. I’ll be certified in K–12 when I finish.
When will you actually get into the classroom? We do a week of seminars. Then they send us out into the schools about a week or a week and a half after we start.
Are you looking forward to student teaching? I really am. This experience has really helped me, too, because we don’t do as many practicums as students in other education departments do. We did our very first one at the end of our senior year. Everyone else does them throughout the program. It will be a good experience for me, and I’m looking forward to it. We do very little work with older students, so that’s why I’ve been excited about having middle-school students in the workshop. Most everything we do is with elementary-age kids.
What kinds of classes do you take as an art education major? We do everything, pretty much. We have to take at least the beginning level in every studio area. We cover photography, art history, ceramics, sculpture, painting. We have to pick a cognate in a certain area. Marie’s is printmaking. Mine is painting.
How has the workshop experience been? I did it in the spring, which was more formal. This summer, I’ve had more control. I feel like this is more my classroom and I have more freedom. It’s been a great experience.
Marie, what are you teaching in your classes during the first summer Youth Art Workshop? I’m focusing on printmaking and book art. I’m introducing the students to bookmaking and experimental forms of printmaking. Monday, we did printing from gelatin. I made gelatin molds, and we used those as a matrix to make prints.
What age children are you working with? Middle school. They’re in grades 6, 7, and 8. Some of them are about to start high school, and some are about to start 6th grade.
How are the students responding? They are definitely enjoying it, especially since we’re doing some nontraditional things like printing with gelatin. They like to experiment and get messy.
Did you create the lesson plans for your classes? Definitely. Weeks before the workshop started, I began getting ideas. I attended the Southeastern Association of Book Arts workshop here at USC in May. That’s where I got my ideas for book arts and doing bookmaking with the students. Then I came up with the ideas for all the lessons and wrote them a week or two ago, and I’ve been adapting them.
Will you be able to use those lesson plans when you become an art teacher? Oh, definitely, I’ll be student teaching in the fall, so I hope to able to use some of the lessons, trying them out here first. If they’re successful, I can use them in my student teaching and adapt them however I need to.
Are you looking forward to student teaching? Oh, definitely, it’s what you anticipate all four years. After that, I’ll graduate in December. It will be exciting working in the classroom one-on-one with students every day. You don’t really get that while you’re taking classes. I’m really looking forward to it.
Why did you choose art education as your major? I’ve always loved art. My mom is a teacher, and I’ve always enjoyed teaching. I played school when I was younger. I really enjoy being in the classroom. Art education was the obvious thing for me to do.
What are your plans after graduation? I’ve thought about grad school as an option, but I might take some time off. I’ll probably look for a teaching job around Columbia.
7/05
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