me arts ed

Latest edition is out online or in print

You now have a choice… you can access the Maine Arts Commission magazine online by clicking here or you can receive a printed copy by contacting Darrell Bulmer darrell.bulmer@maine.gov at the Maine Arts Commission.

Don’t forget the Maine Arts Commission Blog. By clicking here you can go directly to the blog. I hear that the Marketing workshop that Darrell and colleague Kerstin Gilg recently presented was a great success. If you missed it you can see pictures and a summary at the blog.

Looking for examples of blogs created by young people or thinking about creating a blog this summer for your classroom?

Two of the blogs that I follow are created by young people. Both are people in their early 20’s, both previous students of mine, one my son.

Hazel Groce is finished college, has recently joined the Peace Corps and is spending 27 months in Nicaragua. I am following her trials and tribulations by reading her stories and looking at her photographs. I feel her pain and her joys. You can follow Hazel’s adventures as well by clicking here. I am sure Hazel would appreciate comments from the states.

It is not only great to see young people blogging and sharing their stories but also to see their photographs and know they are turning into writers because they are writing about their passions.

Noah starting his trip on the Allagash

Noah Nestor Kleiner just completed his junior year at College of the Atlantic. In the fall of this school year he built a 16 foot strip canoe using red cedar. During the last trimester he paddled in several locations in Maine testing and pushing the limits of the boat and himself. You can read about his adventures on his No Right Angle Blog by clicking here.

If you have a blog you’d like to share please let me know. If you are thinking about starting a blog yourself and you have questions, please email me or post it in the comment section at the bottom!

Taking place this week

Maine is one of 13 states that are part of the The Partnership for 21st Century Skills. You can learn more about the partnership by clicking here.

This week is the Cyber Summit where you can join in on the discussion and listen live or to recorded sessions. They will be available after this week so you can listen to the sessions that have taken place. Commissioner Susan Gendron presented a session entitled: “Fulfilling the Promise of a Learner-Centered Education in Maine”.

To register for this conference that is being hosted on a site called We Are Teachers please click here. There are tons of resources on the site.

The influence of an art teacher

At the end of April Anthony Mullen from Connecticut was selected as the National Teacher of the Year. In a recent interview Mr. Mullen was asked several questions, one of them was “In your NTOY application you wrote about a “newly minted” teacher who was struggling and how you mentored her. In your early days of teaching, who mentored you?”

Here is his answer where he spoke about the art teacher Diane Rhoda, who impacted Mr. Mullen. “I had the great opportunity to visit the classroom of Diane Rhoda, an art teacher at Blue Mountain Middle School, a couple of times in my first year of teaching. I was doing inclusion and noticed that when I went to different classes with the same group of kids, some were complete chaos and others were productive. The one class that they excleed in was hers. She had this kind of magic chemistry with the kids.

Diane Rhoda not only gave me the organizational skills to be a good teacher, but she always talked to me about what it’s like for the students. I took her lessons with me when I went to the high school knowing that no matter how angry a teenager may seem there’s a story there. She taught me how to be a caring and effective teacher. I’ll never forget her.”

You can read the entire interview with special education teacher, Anthony Mullen, by clicking here. I recommend spending the 10 minutes it might take as you close in on your school year.

Music and visual arts teachers retire- CONGRATULATIONS!

For the years you’ve given of your life to educate children in music and visual arts I applaud your dedication, passion and outstanding work!

Please join me in congratulating the following and post a comment in wishing them well.

MUSIC EDUCATORS

• JAN THOMAS- Greely High School
• DARRELL MORROW- Gorham High School
• PAUL LAPOINTE- Houlton Elementary School
• RHODA SAVAGE- Bath Middle School
• JOHN SOVETSKY- Gray- New Gloucester
• JIM CALIFANO- Messalonske Middle School
• JANE PARKER-Farmington Elementary
• DIANA MOSHER-Pownal

VISUAL ARTS EDUCATORS

• CHRISTINE HIGGINS- Cony High School
• ELAINE CYR – Lisbon High School
• TRUDY WILSON – University of Southern Maine
• JOHN ROLLINS – Winslow High School
• CORLISS CHASTAIN- Maranacook High School
• HERB ALDRICH- Maranacook High School
• BONNIE D’ABATE – Berwick School District
• PAM BERRY – Oxford Hills Middle School
  

If anyone knows someone else who is retiring or if you are retiring please let me know so I can add the teacher(s) to the list! And happy last days of teaching!

MDOE May art exhibit features two elementary schools

A HUGE THANK YOU to Anne Kofler and her students at Union Elementary School and Prescott Memorial School (Washington). Their artwork was on display at the Department during May. Ms. Kofler has been teaching elementary art in MSAD #40, at these two schools, plus Friendship Village School for 15 years. You can view the artwork by clicking here. Great work students!

800 Middle and High School Students on Orono Campus

Photo by David Patterson

On Friday students and teachers from all over Maine converged on the UMaine campus to attend a variety of workshops. It was amazing and exciting to see all those laptops and enthusiastic kids.

As we entered the performing arts center in the AM the 20 photographs by Maine students were rotating through on the giant screen. It was great to see them so large.

My colleague, Carol Waldron, and I presented a new session called Photocharades. It was all about communication and what it involves in the 21st century. Students jumped right in engaged and having fun.

After 2 morning sessions that students chose from and lunch we headed back to the performing arts center for a Google session. Commissioner Gendron and a rocket scientist joined us electronically. Everyone was engaged as questions were asked and the answers appeared instantly on the big screen. Instead of Google being used only to ask questions to we participated in answering questions and thinking about going a step further to enhance our learning.

I highly recommend attending with students next year if you haven’t participated this year or in the past. If you were there, please comment about your student opportunities. Please click here for the article that appeared in the Bangor paper on the day.