A Comprehensive Program.SA Donna, you teach in one of the largest public school districts in the country. What kind of budget do you have for your program? DG My budget is very good. I am among the fortunate to be working in a school district that realizes that in order to have a quality art program, they need to provide adequate funding. The district also set a school policy to charge each student up to $15 for a materials fee each semester se·mes·ter n. One of two divisions of 15 to 18 weeks each of an academic year. [German, from Latin (cursus) s . SA How do you match your goals with your budget and time limitations? DG When I started teaching, I was seeing a thousand students and had a thousand dollars. We did a lot of paper and paste projects. The budget here is ample. Out of the student fee, I get each one a sketchbook in addition to the consumable A material that is used up and needs continuous replenishment, such as paper and toner. "The low-tech end of the high-tech field!" supplies we need for the class. The county budget takes care of textbooks, visuals, videos, and equipment. My theory is that two weeks is enough time for a project. If a project needs more time than that, I need to simplify the next project so that I can fit everything in. SA Tell us more about what it's like to teach middle school students. DG Middle school youth are at a very important stage of their lives when they see things and try things that affect the rest of their lives. The art teacher has to be a positive role model and has to help them find their talents by giving them the opportunity to do, think, and feel good about what they are learning. Most middle school students are interested in how to make things look real, so I start each semester by teaching drawing skills. For middle school students, drawing is always a basic to other media experiences. SA How do you develop lessons for your students? DG I relate subject matter to things that they should know--for instance, painting a scene from American History. I pose questions that make them look at the subject matter from different points of view. My lessons consist of not only creating art but also the historical background, criticism, and aesthetics aesthetics (ĕsthĕt`ĭks), the branch of philosophy that is concerned with the nature of art and the criteria of artistic judgment. . Students are really very good at talking about artwork and ideas about art. Each lesson also has a component that involves self-assessment and looking critically at their progress. Donna R. Grone National Middle School Art Educator of the Year 2000 Middle School Art Teacher, Grades 7 and 8 Lake Braddock Secondary School Lake Braddock Secondary School is a combined junior-high and high school in Burke, Virginia administered by Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). It is one of four secondary schools in Fairfax County, the other three being, Hayfield Secondary School, Robinson Secondary School and , Fairfax County Public School System, Burke, Virginia Burke is a census-designated place and an unincorporated community in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2000 census, Burke had a total population of 57,737. Burke, Virginia is a suburb suburb, a community in an outlying section of a city or, more commonly, a nearby, politically separate municipality with social and economic ties to the central city. In the 20th cent. , twelve miles west of Washington, DC. Typical class size: 29 students Instruction time: Lake Braddock Lake Braddock is a reservoir in the community of Burke in Fairfax County, Virginia, USA. Lake Braddock is created by an impoundment on a tributary stream of Pohick Creek, itself a tributary of the Potomac River. External links
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