More of the little punks have brought in shoeboxes. Supplies are very limited. Magazines, recycled worksheets, construction paper, markers, and whatever I scrounge up. I bring scraps from my room-sized shoebox here at home and add random bits to their boxes. 
Bare bones materials to make simple visual journals. Fold the paper in half, staple in the middle, ready, set, go. I did a brief demo. I showed my scrappy security envelope journal and random pages from 1000 Journal Pages. Yeah, yeah, yeah, but when can we start?
I’ve made an executive decision to make Visual Journals part of the core curriculum. Ask me if I give a rat’s ass if this meets federal and state guidelines. Go ahead, ask.
MARY ANN MOSS
As a fellow elementary,(art), teacher of ELL all the way up to English Proficient learners, I can give a couple of dozen reasons why you are teaching federal standards. I can’t speak much about CA state standards since I’m in Arizona. If ours fit with the feds then they should work for CA considering where our state lands on the national scale.
I’d be happy to send you a copy that would help for lesson plans.
Marissa
Hey, send me an address and I’ll send you some things for the kids to use in their art. I can’t think of anything that would make me happier than sharing some of my supplies for your creative students. As a teacher, Ms. Moss, I can’t imagine anyone who could be more supportive and empowering. Your work is sacred.
In my state (SC), education is being cut and cut and cut again–we have an education lottery but it all goes to college scholarships. In the meantime, our schools in the “Corridor of Shame” languish. It’s shameful. We have a bonehead for governor who is throwing his hat in the future presidential ring. God help us if he’s successful. We live in a country that can’t/won’t protect the most helpless: children and the elderly. Every time I hear a legislator or talking-head discuss “entitlement” programs i want to scream. Healthcare for children and a dignified old age are not entitlements–they are an obligation we owe to the human community! Otherwise we are not civilized beings. How these basic responsibilities be called “entitlements”???
Kudos from New Zealand, where an art teacher (and friend of mine) has been doing this with her students for years. Encouraging children to express what is going on in their lives and how they feel about it is brilliant. I wonder if I would have had 40+ years of therapy if I had had art journaling at a young age?
I think I live near where you work and have supplies regularly. Please email me when the lovely things offered above get used!
Fabulous work Mary Ann, if only there were more people like you in the world. I’d love to send some ‘stuff’ from down under, to add to their boxes. If you’d like some just send me an address and I’ll send some your way.
WHAT??? Not follow the core curriculum? They should be doing 5 page written papers by this time in 2nd grade. Oh you rebel, you! Next you’ll be tossing out the pacing calendar and throw in music and movement and other such nonsense. You go, girl!!!
Unfortunately I don’t have time for journaling anymore thanks to a career change, and I’ve been wondering what to do with all my supplies and ephemera. (Tons of decorative papers, rub on transfers, pens, stickers and all kinds of treasures!) Sounds like this would be the perfect place for it to be put to good use! I don’t want to overload you as I’m sure you will be getting tons of stuff, but if you would like more just let me know!
Bless you Mary Ann. Wow.
Like everyone else, I am wishing I’d had a teacher like you back when I was at school (and Victoria ruled the Empire). Sounds as though you have a ton of paper supplies coming your way; if you need fabric scraps too, you only have to say the word.
Love that Miss Moss is going rogue!Wish I had a teacher like you way back, I went to the “stay between the lines” school of conformity. I see you have a lot of offers for supplies but if you need,let me know. Mary
LOVE This! I have introduced my son’s 5th grade class to visual journaling and they totally dig it. I made them a journaling box with supplies, but they come up with their own ideas and stuff in such a creative way. I love this little boy’s explanation of his pages and his shoe box is precious – just the best treasure box ever. Thank you for sharing. xo frannie
Can you hear me cheering for you all the way from Connecticut? You go girl!
I just wish my son had a teacher like you.
Awesome. I was going to offer to send magazine pages of storm clouds since I’ve been pawing through my collection of 300 National Geographics, but looks like you’re going to get a PILE of supplies now! (Let me know if you think he’d want storm cloud pages, and I’ll seek some out for him. 🙂
I actually DID have a teacher like you in middle school, and her class is the ONLY thing I remember from school! I’m sure I “learned”, I can count and spell for sure, but I remember all of her projects, techniques and even specific days in class…I can’t say that about the rest of school!
And I still make/teach art today and still do things with her too, 23 years later! I just finished a year long visual journal project with her and a group of other artists. A fabulous art teacher is a jewel that will stick in a kids crown for YEARS. You rock!
What can I say, Mary Ann? Except there are tears in my eyes. This is what I loved the most about my 30 years (& just about nothing else!)
What’s your class total?
Wish I lived in LA. I would definitely volunteer in your room – art therapist in residence or, just clean-up!
Love to you, S.
awesome! i really like hearing the kids explain their pages. I worked with a friend of mine who teaches in seattle public high school to incorporate visual journaling and zine making into her english courses. I only helped her gather materials and resources and explained different methods to her to pass along to her kids. She said it was a great success and that she’ll be doing it every year with them. The best thing she said was that it engaged students who were usually not engaged at all.
Oh M. A. Dang I wish I had a teacher like you as a kid! AWE-SOME!!!! Awesomest teacher EVER! Shine on woman!
send me an addy, too–will “single-handedly” pack up some stuff for you!
Just spit my morning coffee on the keyboard reading Susan’s post (the government’s NO CRONE LEFT BEHIND program…..!!!!I’m a member of it too, lol). Can I send you some stuff? I have old kid’s books (with cowboys) and paper, paint, stickers, stuff….where were the teachers like you when I was just a *little crone*?
Count me in for sending supplies for the punk journals. Will send direct to the school if that is easier. Would love to help their efforts to make “more better”!
mariedanti@yahoo.com
boyoboy, are you going to acquire some supplies! Once again, it is the “teaching as a subversive activity” mind that can find ways to include what is true and important in a school experience. If the teacher is knowledgeable and articulate, any activity is defensible. yeah baby!
Don’t need to ask the “rat’s ass” question, but I would like to know if you’d be interested in some supplies? I mean, good grief, I could surely fill a room-sized shoe box with goodies and cuttings and papers and STUFF … and I’d be most pleased to do it. Shoot me an email, M.A. antoniafufu@yahoo.com
Love you, you rebel! Couldn’t you just eat up that cute chubby hand. Keep at it sister! You rock!
okay, can I talk to you?
that video is fucking awesome.
this whole thing is fucking awesome.
i’m really scared to ask you about your core curriculum.
Mary Ann – I have a ton of stuff I can also ship you for the kids. I used to teach art for my daughter’s class a few years ago. Shoot me you address and I’ll put a box together. I love the whole idea of visual journals for them – I did that with her Sunday school class also – they loved it!!
I’d love to send you a the stuff I can’t bear to pitch for those kids. The piles are high these days. Email me your address and I’ll try to pull it together this weekend.
I regularly send up my prayers that my 6 year old son will have many teachers like you in his lifetime. I’ve been showing him your journal videos and he loves them.
WOO HOO, you go, M.A.!!! I wish MORE kids had teachers like YOU-ones who are actually TEACHING them something. Screw the curriculum is right (don’t get me started on that one).
I LOVE the little “punks” and their journals. THEY ARE EXTREMELY SMART COOKIES!!!!!!!!!!!
What a beautiful page he made. And what a wonderful teacher he has. You are such a great person and inspiration to be teaching your students art. And especially to be going against the curriculum. You go girl. Teach the children and screw the stupid rules. They need to learn art no matter what. Love it.
holy crap susan, that’s awfully nice of you. consider this a whole-hearted shameless YES!
M.A. That is too adorable!! Of course visual journals should be core curriculum…even for middle aged mavens such as myself (part of the government’s no crone left behind program) I am currently on a New Year’s inspired massive search and destroy mission to clean out my “studio”, a.k.a.a closet with two broken doors from so much ephemera yearning to break free. I would be happy to send you ziplock bags of collage stuff in an effort to help that young Picasso make his page way “more better”….Let me know
yeah!!! what a wonderful decision, would praise you more and more, but don’t like typing with one finger…