Subs with Suitcases

Contact

email: melaniesmeadow@gmail.com

phone: 828-682-2391

Availability

At the present time, I am registered to sub for elementary schools within the Yancey County School system. I maintain perennial gardens for clients in the area, but given a day’s notice, I can often make schedule changes to accommodate a substitute teaching day.

Teaching Artist Statement

My goal as a substitute teaching artist is bring art into the classroom on days when teachers can’t be there, enriching the curriculum that will be presented that day.  With testing and assessing taking such a large percentage of time for teachers in the classroom, they have far less time than they once did to incorporate art into everyday learning.

Children are, by nature, artistic. Teaching them about various art forms and giving them the opportunity to experiment within those arts helps children learn about their world and the world as it appears to others from different places and cultures. It encourages self expression, creativity, out-of-the-box thinking, makes them better learners and builds self-esteem.

And not only is it just plain fun to create works of art, some students who have less strengths academically than others will blossom when given art supplies and time to use their imaginations. So, what better way to bring art into the class than on a day when a substitute teacher will be there?

Areas of Interest

I began substitute teaching in January 2011. Although I am new to subbing, I am acutely aware of issues teachers deal with, as my father was a teacher his entire working career and my sister is currently working at Bald Creek Elementary as the Media Specialist. Also, I am a mom to four children, ages 22, 19, 9 and 6, which has given me many years of experience with children, as every parent is a teacher. 

I was a music major in college, have owned and managed a music store, am a professional gardener and am also a crafter. I create jewelry and ornaments out of salvaged lumber from the area using a scroll saw, incorporating other natural materials in my work. My areas of interest are varied and so I enjoy helping encourage children to expand on or discover their own varied passions and interests. It is a great joy of mine to see kids express themselves through artistic projects of their own, empowering them to have greater confidence in their own abilities and visions.

I can either come up with a project once I am in the classroom for the day that incorporates a subject being taught, or if given notice ahead of time, the teacher and I can collaborate for presenting a planned project.

What’s in My Suitcase?

• Water color pencils
• Artist quality paintbrushes
• Paper for watercolor painting
• origami paper
• recycled materials
• rulers