I feel so fortunate to work at a place that supports my belief that learning for my students extends beyond the walls of my classroom.
The origami ornaments we made in the classroom was part of a tree design for the festival of trees. This exhibit is one of the biggest fundraisers for our local Museum of Art and Science. It is one way we can contribute to society while simultaneously creating an awareness for our school and art department.
I have few enough students that the museum has allowed me to bring them to help decorate the tree, and while we're there, we explore the museum, which always has wonderful exhibits.
Students could explore the mini-zoo, dance in the light box, build with blocks and magnets, and dig for dinosaur fossils. They had a room for an immersive experience with sound and images sorounding the viewer.
But I was pleased to see that many were happy making art. The tactile plates to make crayon rubbings was perfect for students who are totally blind.
A week later, we made the trip to Atlanta to learn about Georgia's Library Services for the Blind. There are so many accessibility tools and support groups that can help my students tap into the world around them.
The Atlanta Library has a lot of local artwork, and so many pieces were fabric portraits, similar to the projects we had recently completed. It was fun to audio describe these pieces for my students who couldn't see them. And the Library Services area had art that was tactile and begging to be touched. We were happy to oblige.
We paged through Braille picture books and played Braille or large print BINGO and than had lunch at the famous Varsity.
Hopefully these experiences will be not only memorable but transformative. I want my students to know how to be part of a larger community where they can both serve and be served.
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