Confessions of a compulsive stapleflicker - and other random ramblings

My name is Phyl and I'm a staple-flicker.

Thank goodness I have a good relationship with my custodial staff, because I have a very bad habit. I warn the kids to always leave their shoes on in my room, and not just because you never know when there will be a fire drill (which, frankly, we do NOT have in the winter anyhow). The truth is, there are probably staples on my floor, or in the hallway, near any of my bulletin boards that I change regularly. The kids all know I'm a staple flicker.

I hang something up; it's crooked; I pull the staples out and flick them aside while I straighten and re-staple the artwork. Usually I'm standing on a chair while I'm doing this, but that's no excuse. I don't pick them up when I'm standing on the floor either. Are there any other staple flickers out there among you, readers?

By the way - the photo at the top of the post is a couple of years old - it was a Lichtenstein-related project. We discussed "thought bubbles" and facial expressions and their challenge was to use both to get across a feeling without any words. The ones pictured are panic, fear, and boredom.

Now about PANIC...
I am having some serious panic of my own right now. I've been curled up with my lesson plan book, trying to sort out what comes next and everything I have planned for the year, and I realize I'm in deep doo-doo. I'm retiring in June, I have a LOT planned, and it cannot all get done. Not possible. What do I leave out? How do I decide? I want to do it all! And why do I keep bookmarking project ideas and pinning them on my Pinterest boards, when I will not get to do them anyhow?

Everyone will do something with dragons in time for our art show. Did you know 2012 is the
Year of the Dragon? And so was the year I was born! I'm a dragon!!!

We're also going to do some sort of big collaborative Chihuly thingy, also in time for the art show (in early May).

Anyhow, here's a taste of what I was hoping to get done between now and the end of the school year -

6th grade:

• Complete our sheet rock cartouche project by the end of the marking period (Jan.20). You'll see them soon.
• Tooling foil relief dragons. Has to happen.
  
• Graph enlargement of seed packets, hoping to also make giant papier-mache vegetables to go along. I already have the seed packs but have my doubts we'll get it done. Do I do the big seed packs without the big veggies? Or skip them both?
• Japanese Daruma - a really fun magical wishing toy, made with a plastic Easter egg and papier-mache.
  
• Perspective words - an annual thing for grade 6; it may get left in the dust this year.
• Plaster bandage - last year we made those "people in action" that took FOREVER to finish; this year maybe finger puppets - they are quicker.
• Surreal lockers
• Art room Pictionary
  

5th grade:

• Papier-mache Laurel Burch cats - we're starting these next.
• Drawing unit, focusing on contour line.
• Some sort of perspective hallway if we have time. I'm afraid we won't.
• Toothpaste batik (my former posts about this project are my #1 viewed blog posts, all the time). I'm planning for these to be dragons.
• I was hoping to do a poster project - I have very specific poster guidelines. Not sure we'll get to it.

4th grade:

• Currently making wampum belts.
• Always do a coil pot project with air-dry clay.
• Always do a cave art project that is a huge favorite (I've posted about this) so I don't want to skip it.
• Planning to do a surreal collage that is always successful; will show the "Get Surreal" video.
• Hoping to find time to do a Jackson Pollock mural painting.
• Usually do an intro to perspective: "flying boxes".
• Hoped to find the time to do a Grandma Moses project. Worried we won't fit it in.
  
• Hoped to have time to make papier-mache garden gnomes. We would put them in the 6th grade oversized garden, if it happened. Don't know.
• Planned to do posters with these guys too. Not going to happen.
• And of course dragons. And Chihuly. I have plans.
  

3rd grade:

• Papier-mache. I was planning on Kachina dolls, but it may be too much for this loopy group of kiddos. Maybe they'll make the garden gnomes.
• Self-portraits? Not sure it will happen. We have some broken mirrors and not enough for everyone.
  
• Laurel Burch project?
• Dali project?
• Klee project?
• Chihuly /dragons/ etc
• 3-D buildings
• more more more
  

2nd grade:

• Teddy Bear chairs and lots more...

And then there's 1st grade and K's, and all the books I own but will not have time to use this year. And the boxes of air-dry clay to use in grades 1, 2, and 3. That's about enough, right?

So what do I do? The fun stuff? The curricular-ly sensible stuff? The crazy stuff? The stuff with guaranteed results? Do I be a responsible art teacher or go out in a blaze of wild color and large wacky projects? How do I balance it?

And how do I tell the kids they will have a new art teacher next year? HELP.