Today is the day for getting a lot of things done. Over the weekend I usually create quite the list for Monday. We will see if I get it all done by the end of this week.I have a month before I start teaching again. Less then a month. Thank goodness.
I am teaching ASL beginning and advanced classes, and Photography for my Junior High kids.
I asked my principle (amazing woman) what kind of photo class she wanted me to teach.
She said "Whatever I want".
What? You mean I get to write the curriculum for a photo class? My life is so cool. Too cool sometimes. I kind of want to do the whole thing with Diana's. Sometimes I picture myself teaching the way Julia Roberts does in Mona Lisa Smile.
Then I remember that my photo students will be 12-14.
I may tone it down a bit. But not too much.
Off to run some mundane errands.* And while I do I will listen to one of my favorite books on CD: The Alchemist.
Today I have been listening to this song. Alot.
*Sometimes its nice to do mundane things.
5 comments:
Great, Amy.... Sounds like a much fuller curriculum! I vote you teach them 35mm and then move on to Digital SLR, Teach content etc. Just dont go too deep or you will lose most of them... remember to make it fun, yet still a good full learning experiance.
Help them learn to develop their own style. Just like you have!
Love you,
Dad
Have you heard of the photographer Christopher James? He came to USU a couple years back and did a lecture that was amazing. He is like the lord maestro of alternative photography processes and wrote the bible on the subject "The Book of Alternative Photographic Processes."
Anywho, I asked some of my photo major friends and we decided that you could do a lot of fun and easy projects like pinhole, cyanotypes and then of course Holga/Diana. It seems like these are good things that teach them all about the foundations of photography in a really fun way that could get them really excited about the medium.
Matt- I totally HAVE heard of that book. The bible of alternative photography. I need to find me one.
I def want to do pinholes. Such a good idea. It will help them understand the basics of how photography actually works.
I don't know too much about the cyanotype stuff. I can recognize the pictures and I know it was big in the 20th century but I don't know much more then that. Do you know more about it?
And your right- thats exactly what I want to do. Get them excited.
Dad: thanks! your right- I can't get too intense for their little minds. I just want to spark a fire inside them about it. Thats the goal
I don't know the specifics of cyanotypes off the top of my head. I've done them before and they are really super easy to do and they're fun. You have to take this chemical and brush it onto paper (or a tshirt or wood or whatever) and let it dry in a dark place. Then you can take a paper negative, even a computer printout, and sandwich the two together and stick it out in the sun for about 5 minutes, depending on how bright it is outside. Then you just stick it in a bath of water and agitate it for a couple minutes. The image appears like magic.
The specifics of it can be found in that book or if you want I can ask around and I'm sure I can find out pretty easily. USU is one of the few schools in the country that specializes in 19th Century processes.
The nice thing is you could teach them a little bit of the history of photography in the way that your projects are laid out. It would give them the foundations and it would be fun and easy. You could start with cyanotypes since you can use a digital printout and developing is just with water, move on to pinhole since that would just deal with developing paper (I'm assuming you have a darkroom. I wish my Junior High had a darkroom), do a film project or two, whether it's 35mm or Holga/Diana and finish off with digital photography. I guess it depends on how much you think you can handle and what equipment you and they have access to.
Anywho, good luck! I'm so jealous of you teaching. What school are you teaching at?
Matt you awesome. I think you just outlined my class for me. Really though. I just emailed my principle to find out budget and things. Thats going to play a big part in this. We actually don't have a dark room. Which is something else I am running into. I think I might get access to UVU's dark room. Or I already talked to Allen's Camera and they are going to give me a way good deal on supplies and developing and printing. Cross your fingers I have at least SOME budget.
I am teaching at Walden. Its a charter school. Its pretty rad. I love it there. I should have gone to USU. Ha ha their visual arts programs always sound so great to me.
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