Almost time!

[Robert Young]

     Here it is only 3 days till school starts, and I have been in teacher mode all summer.  This year I agreed to teach their first ever ceramics class for summer school, so I tried to come up with something new for the shortened classes.  I had three weeks to take the students through pinch, coil, and slab, with a project in each method. The first group did a pinch bowl, a coil mug with a face on it, and a slab plate on a hump mold. The second group did a pinch bowl, a coil mug and saucer, and slab plate and salad plate.  Their five piece setting had to have a different form than the ordinary square, round, etc. forms, and the designs put on each piece had to be within a single design theme.  They came up with some really good work!  I will add pictures in a slide show on my main page shortly after posting this.  Now all I need is a kiln to fire all their work! (and mine!)

     This year I have planned on doing the face mugs for coil, and 6" textured tiles for slab.  The principal has agreed to start decorating the outside walls (starting outside my room) of the school with the student's tiles.  The students also have to do a research paper on a working ceramic artist.  A cover page, 750 words, and two photos of the artist's work.  

     I will keep this blog updated with the progress of this year's classes, and pictures of their work.

Happy Mudding!    

[Robert Young]

Yeah, I have been so busy with trying to come up with a curriculum that keeps the students interested. I think I have it pretty much like I want it, but it still might need a little fine tuning. It's been two years now, and still no kiln. This year, the new superintendent of education has personally assured me that I will get a kiln. We'll see...

[George Lewter]

Good to see your post, Robert. We haven't heard from you in a while. What happened to the school kiln? The tile project sounds very cool and could keep you going for years.