Day one of student teaching began with a staff meeting, discussing the recent happenings and changes to the school. This was great to experience first thing, because it really gave me an understanding on the school culture, the problems the school was working to address, and the triumphs the school wanted to celebrate. The staff spoke a lot about accommodations and interventions, especially for English language learners. This, along with some research about the school online, helped prepare me for the type of students that I would be working with. The next few days were spent with my mentor teacher, Natalie, planning and preparing for students. This was where I began to get a feel for her methods and teaching philosophy. I quickly recognized something in Natalie that I had learned about in my undergraduate courses: the ability to give students freedom and structure, simultaneously. This is truly an art form and a special balance to be able to achieve. Students crave consistency, but their art demands freedom. Natalie's planning accomplished both. When I was able to observe Natalie "in the classroom" (we worked completely remotely, our our laptops at home) this incredible balance was then demonstrated again in action. Students never worried about the next steps in the artistic process, because they knew that Natalie had them covered with steps that are easy to follow. They also were not afraid to add their own spin on things, which is where the freedom came in. Natalie encouraged this. Over the next few weeks I began to try and emulate this balance that I saw Natalie achieving whenever I would step up and give instruction in the classroom. The more I took over, the more I realized how difficult it is, especially virtually. The biggest challenge being, that you cannot always see what students are working on, because they wont hold it up to the camera. Most of my view in class were student's heads, working away on their art, hidden from view. I realized then, that I must work to establish relationships with the students in order to gain their trust and see more of their work. This would help me be better with pacing, asking the right questions, and knowing when students need help. I work on these things every day when I teach, especially as I am now teaching more and more classes. These first experiences in my student teaching journey have been incredible. It is wonderful to affirm that I am doing the right thing, and I can tell that I am because I have so much energy and positivity. It's like the kids fill up my cup, and therefore i have more to give back to them and other things in my life. They aren't all perfect, but most of the students that I work with are sincere and kind. It is incredibly endearing. I feel inspired to prepare lessons that excite them and make them feel successful. I am incredibly motivated to teach to the best of my ability. These first few weeks will have such a profound effect on my teaching career. I will look back and remember it as a time when I knew that I was doing the right thing. This will help me when times are rough, when the students are unruly and I have too much on my plate (it will happen at some point, I know). I will base my future actions on this excitement, remembering how magical it is to just be around kids who are excited to make art. I made a simple flower in playdough to honor this, as it was just fun to make a simple artpiece with simple, childlike exploration.