Tag: virtual

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2020

Post author By Raine Dawn
Post date February 3, 2021
1 Comment on 2020

Such an interesting number … 2020.

An interesting year it was for sure! A lot was documented in the first half of the year… and then fall came… and school started back up virtual, and then we bought a house.

Things have been in a constant state of motion. 2020 was like the winding up of the music box, doing the work with hope of something beautiful to come out of it.

I had been looking to purchase my first home for a while… but I had not seen anything that resonated with me. It took me over a month, and seeing over 20 houses until I finally found the right one.

On my way to see the house, a bald eagle flew over my car and followed me along my route for a while. When I finally pulled up the house and got of the car, I felt my heart start to get warm.

When we went inside, the current owner was there and I felt comfortable in the space and speaking to her about the home. As we took our tour, we headed outside to the yard… 1.53 acres.

Walking the property, my heart grew warmer and warmer… filling up with excitement. Tears began to roll down my face, tears of joy and gratitude that this land has chosen me as its steward. Excited to be able to care for mother earth in this beautiful sacred space.

We have 4 peach trees, and a very large area designated as a garden, with beets growing all over. There is a shed for the garden specifically, as well as a 3 car garage that will be used as a studio!

The house has taken up a lot of my extra time, as I dive right into home ownership and all that it entails.

Our first project was the hot water heater! It was slowly dripping from the temperature pressure release valve, which is not a HUGE deal but it did need to be fixed. So as I look into the project some more, I find out that the thermal expansion tank should be checked to see if it is still functioning. Well come to find out the tank had failed and needed to be replaced. After many many trips to Lowes, I finally completed the task and replaced the tank! I learned so much from one of the employees in the plumbing department, like to check your water pressure and to make sure you inflate the tank to the proper pressure for your system.

After replacing the tank, the temperature pressure release valve stopped leaking!!! First DIY fix completed and in the books.

Aside from fixing little things here and there, we have repainted almost the entire house, and are currently putting up drywall in places that had remodeling begun by the previous owners. Still lots to do!

It has been wonderful being home and teaching virtually for this period of time in my life. And being that it was winter, we were forced to stay inside and complete projects. Though I am very excited for spring, when I can get outside and work on the land more. Also it seems we will be going back to in person teaching in March!

We also got a new addition to our family! Meet Daisy! She is a Border Collie Blue Heeler.

And last but not least… one of my very favorite things about our property… we can see the sunrise from my backyard AND the sunset from the front!!

All of this, while completing commissioned art for clients, teaching 3 in person private art lessons, teaching virtually, and studying a few new interests.

2020 was a powerful year for me…

it wasn’t an easy year for sure, but it was a year full of growth, and blooming. Coming into my power and realizing my dreams. Connecting with the land and with other like minds. Stepping into the future I have been manifesting for a while… it was such a powerful year, and has me excited about what is to come.

Making it through the energy of 2020 has helped me to see that I am strong, centered, unified and more than capable to navigate the path the universe has before me.

Here is to all of the learning and growth that propels us forward… Thank you for being here with me, and for following your heart as you walk your authentic path in this life. <3

Tags 2020, Art, Home, mortgage, painting, puppy, sunrise, sunset, virtual

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Maryland Art Summit

I am so honored and proud to be apart of this years Maryland Art Summit as an ambassador and a creative co-host!

This year’s 2nd Annual Maryland Arts Summit is going VIRTUAL! The Summit is full of presenters with years of experience in the field.

This 4 DAY EVENT will feature everyone from Independent Artists to Arts Organization’s Executive Directors to Advocates of the community. With so much information in one space, it would be a shame to miss out.

Did I mention that it’s FREE?! That’s right FREE! Head over to mdarts.org/summit to register for this amazing event.

Tags #mdartssummit2020, Art, Art Education, art teachers, Maryland, Maryland art summit, virtual

Art Class Education Most Popular

E(mergency)-Learning

We are in week 4 of online e-learning through Schoology, using Google Meets for virtual meetings.

First I have to say how grateful I am to work for Baltimore County, and to work with such amazing educators. The BCPS visual arts office enlisted the help of my department chair and other art educators to create amazing lessons for our students. We are so fortunate.

The past 4 weeks have been a roller coaster.

As a teacher I have to keep up with my 300 students, who post 3 times a week, grading and giving feedback. It is a lot of desk work, a lot of time spent at the computer.

I miss being in my classroom. I miss interacting with my students face to face. I miss the conversations we have, and seeing them light up when they come up with an idea for their project, or when they figure out something and are proud of themselves!

Art is such a hands on interactive activity! I am learning to navigate the balance between the digital and the material experiences. But let me just say again, I really miss my students.

I get to do virtual meetings with them once a week, every other week for 30 mins. It is challenging to build relationships with 20+ students via a Google Meet in a half an hour. So far I have met with my A day kids twice, and my B day kids once. During our meetings, we have shared something interesting about what we’ve done since we’ve been quarantined, which took all 30 mins!

When my students tell me what they’ve been doing with their time, the majority of them say they are spending A LOT of time doing homework. They have expressed a huge amount of stress from the amount of focus it takes for them to get all of their school work done. Aside from the workload, students have also mentioned they are doing a lot more physical activity then before the quarantine! So that’s a positive!!

Teachers are not to use the meeting time to do new learning or direct instruction. We are to be building relationships and allowing time for students to check in. Part of me wishes I had more time with them so we could do a fun art project! There are a lot of layers to this though…not all kids are in the meetings, not all kids have materials to create an art project with and we have a limited about of time.

Also most of my students do not want to turn their cameras on!! I love seeing my students, so I ask them to please turn their cameras on so I can see them! It’s not the same teaching to a bunch of uppercase letters in colored circles!

I have also been leading google meets for my green club kids!! We have been learning about different edible plants and watching the fruit trees grow!

Aside from teaching my students, I am also assisting my own children in their school work. Doing both is challenging, but we are making it work!

Luckily my kids school has streamlined things on google classroom and my children are starting to really get the hang of everything! We have meltdowns every now and then… but it’s a lot more manageable then the first week!