Adteacher

I don't know why I always get wistful when I see it raining all day. Maybe it's just that old song from the 70s by The Carpenters that seems to play in my head on cold and rainy Mondays. In case you have never heard the beautiful voice of the late Karen Carpenter, you really should. Press play on the video above, and enjoy. Yep, I'm old, but I refuse to apologize for the music that is ingrained in my soul, and this one is. I always think it's kind of a sad song, but it isn't entirely hopeless. It means that Tuesday isn't far away. On to Tuesday! Even if today is kind of dreary and drippy, there is one wonderful thing to celebrate. My daughter turned 19 today, and my son turned 22 last Friday. I am very happy to wish them each a happy birthday, and I am very lucky that they are all so near that I get to see them often. No reason to be sad at all! Turn loose those animated butterflies now!

This year in the advanced afternoon class, there are more people doing traditional art to complete illustrations than in any year since I have been at DJCC. There are talented students painting and drawing, there are even some really cool mixed media pieces that are being created. Typically, a majority of the projects done for our spring competitions are digitally produced. This year, we have a lot of students intrigued with doing some of their work using non-computer technique mixed with digital. It is a great way to work, and I am glad that the students understand the relevance of all the tools that they have at their disposal. In the studio is a conference table with a nice working surface. Students in the PM class come in around 12:30 or so and sit there for half an hour before we start class and eat lunch together and share conversation. It is a nice time of the day where they can talk about art topics and just spend a little while discussing whatever they would usually discuss ...

As wonderful as most of my days are, this one had its challenges. I am very glad to see the end of day and my cup of warm coffee as I sit in my nice cozy living room. Another thing that I am happy about today is the wonderful work that has been produced lately by my students. Today we had a large number who competed for a spot on this year's SkillsUSA team. The work that they produced will be reviewed this weekend, and there should be an announcement upcoming on Monday or Tuesday. I will share the work of the top three winners on the blog. I am excited to know who will be chosen to represent DJCC at District 4 competition. Another thrilling thing that was unveiled today in class was the recent motion graphics work being done by Conner... wow. There will eventually be a copy of his work posted to the blog, but for now, just know it is worth waiting for! This weekend I hope to start shopping for my "Mother of the Groom" dress and also a few other clothes to wear to showers,...