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Watkins Glen has used the arts in its many forms as a springboard for educating students for several years. On this page are four of many members of the staff at Watkins Glen who have been involved in this project. Featured on this page are an art, math and science teacher and one cultural arts programmer who have used the Corning Museum of Glass as a valuable resource in planning their curricula.
A trip to the Corning Museum of Glass obviously inspired the ceramic project below. The glass vessel on the top shelf was created at Corning Glass.
The arts stimulate the type of thinking that pushes the limits of what we already know. They are able to infuse joy and wonder into what would otherwise be a rather sterile existence. Richard Shied Richard was twice voted "Outstanding Union Leader of the Year." He was a recipient of American Federation of Teachers' "Carl Megel" award for Journalism. Before he taught Math, Richard taught English and also had done a lot of work in theatre. About teaching, Richard enjoys "nailing the teachable moment" the most. During their trip to the Corning Museum of Glass, the task of Richard's math students was to search for information relating to wages and work conditions at the turn of the century. In class, they were doing very basic life skill planning by calculating life expenses such as rent, medical care, taxes, etc. They were to investigate the kinds of jobs or careers that would enable them to indulge the lifestyle they aspired to have. At the CMOG, they calculated these same expenses for workers in the early 20th century and got some historical and sociological insights as well. The fact that very young children worked long, hard hours, as well as adults was a surprise to some students. Why, they were asked, was there a movement for better working conditions?
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GST BOCES Congratulates Watkins Glen Middle School, " whole arts school"
One of the driving forces behind whole arts integration is Marty Evans.
I've been working at the Watkins Glen School
District for 27 years--24 years as an Elementary Art Teacher, the last 3
years as an Instructional Support Teacher in Grades 5-12.
About 7 years ago, I started helping the Elem. School apply for
arts grants through the Arts to of the Southern Finger Lakes--and I have
expanded that endeavor to all 3 of our buildings in the last few years.
We now have Cultural Arts Programming in Grades Pre K-12. Currently,
I hold 2 other positions with the District: Cultural Art
Chairman K-12 and the Comprehensive School Reform Grant Coordinator
for the MS. The CSRD grant requires a researched based model and
our school chose a model from the Galef Institute in California called
"Different Ways of Knowing." This model uses the
arts as a motivational tool for students' learning and achievement.
So I guess my professional life is like a tree that keeps branching
and branching--one solid base and growth that has taken on a
life of its own. I've looked back and it seems incredible how this
has all woven together.
Watkins Glen has kept up a solid base of
arts grants in the last seven years so we have not been hit quite
so hard with budget cuts in our Arts Programming for next year
like a lot of other school districts have. The Watkins Glen School
District has a definite commitment to the Cultural Arts Programming.
In this past year we have developed a partnership with the Corning
Museum of Glass as we further the development of our curriculum
integration ideas with the arts. The CMOG Education department has been
terrific. This year I worked with Ann Hazlitt, Head of Education
for CMOG and 35 teachers as we explored connection between our Curriculum/Instruction and the Museum. During these 4
days
that we visited CMOG, teachers got a chance to explore new ideas. Back
at school our Different Ways of Knowing Coaches would assist
teachers with their ideas and the implementation in the classroom.
As the Instructional Support Teacher, my own job became a lot
easier when we could all talk about student centered learning and student
engagement in the learning process, because the Arts does this so
naturally.
These last few weeks, we have been taking
all of our Middle School students to Corning Museum of Glass. Many
of the ideas and activities the students are doing on site are
the result of these past months of planning. Already we have been
talking in grade level teams about our ideas for next year, and how
excited we are to continue our relationship with this great community
partner.
Dale Slusser, Science teacher Dayle Slusser teaches 6th grade science and was the outstanding educator of the Twin Tiers in March of 1997. The things she likes the best about her profession are her students. "The children are so much fun when they are excited abut learning. When the "light bulb" goes on, it is all worth the effort." Our unit on sound is a great
example of Arts in the Classroom. Bells and Motley from the Renaissance
Faire in Sterling, NY spent three days with the sixth graders exploring
science, music, art and history of that time period. This was an
excellent cross-curricular adventure. The students had to design a
simple musical instrument and play a simple tune. Instruments and
essays students work are displayed below and on Mrs. Slusser's school
web-page
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