Art with Mrs. B!

I have had the wonderful privilege of knowing many of you for years now, but to my new families, my name is Mrs. Beistline. My students call me Mrs. B! I am at three schools this year.

Northwood Elementary: I am the art teacher for the whole school, yay!

Oakland Elementary: I am teaching art to all first and second graders this year as well as Miss Parra's third grade, Miss Yaw's fourth grade, and part time for Miss Campbell's class. All other classes have the wonderful Mrs. Maria.

Upton Elementary: I am the art teacher for the kindergarteners at Upton this year. Mr. Woodward and Mrs. Hemmingsen are the wonderful art educators teaching the rest of the school.

I have a Bachelor of Science degree in Art Ed from Wayne State and a Masters of Art in Art Ed from the University of Florida. I currently live in Royal Oak with my spouse and two young children, one of whom is a Royal Oak Schools student as well!

This is my fifteenth year in Royal Oak Schools and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. I am beyond excited to have your students back in the Art room this school year!

Art, especially at this young age, is an expression of who the artist is. I encourage all students to create artworks that are unique to themselves. I focus more on providing them with the tools and techniques to express their own ideas rather than on what the final product looks like. So, artworks may come home that don’t look like anything (to the untrained eye; for more read Art as an Opportunity down below). But that is okay. Every child expresses themselves differently and I do my best to honor that in my classroom.

We are going to have a lot of fun this year. I am looking forward to seeing all the wonderful artworks your child creates!

Art is a representation of the artist who created it. It can tell you so much about a person. Your child is an artist and they will be creating many projects in my classroom. When your child brings home an artwork, it is the perfect opportunity to stop for a moment and just have a conversation.

A great way to start the conversation is to simply say, “Tell me about your artwork.” It allows your child to tell you what they have created, which is especially great when you are not sure what they drew to begin with! You will often find that there is a big story hidden in the artwork that gives you a glimpse at what your child is thinking and feeling. Ask your child what they learned while creating the artwork , or better yet, ask the child to teach you what they learned. Kids always love the opportunity to teach someone older than them. It also allows your child to revisit what we’ve been talking about in class.

When complimenting your child on his or her artwork, pick out a particular detail that intrigues you. “I am really impressed by how neatly you drew that circle” or “Using purple and orange together really makes your artwork pop” is a lot more powerful than “Wow” or “I love it.” It shows your child that you are really paying attention to what they have created.

One of my favorite parts of teaching Art is the conversations I get to have with my students after they have poured their ideas and time into a project. I hope you enjoy these art inspired conversations as well.

Below is a list of items we can always use more of:

Black Sharpies, fine and ultrafine tip

Crayola Washable Markers (all varieties)

Sharpie Creative Markers (any tip, any colors)

Elmer's Glue Sticks

Pink Pearl Erasers

If you ever want to donate any of these items, you can drop them in the office labeled art room or email me. We will put them to good use! If you have other art items that you think we could use in the classroom, contact me at alesha.beistline@royaloakschools.org.

I was at Northwood's Curriculum Night from 6:45 to 7:30 this week. If your child is from Oakland or Upton, or you were unable to attend Curriculum Night, please feel free to reach out to me with any questions via email. I am happy to chat about the art curriculum here at Royal Oak Schools.

Schedule:

Northwood on Mondays, Tuesday Mornings, Wednesdays, and Fridays

Oakland on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons

Upton on Thursday mornings

Email: alesha.beistline@royaloakschools.org
Location: https://maps.google.com/?cid=9589919551796916339
Phone: 248-541-0229-4043 (my phone has issues moving schools, so please try email first)