National Board Certification

This post marks the accomplishment of a personal goal that I set for myself about a year and a half ago. For anyone who might be unfamiliar, a National Board Certificate is like an advanced teaching credential that is nationally recognized. The NBPTS website explains, “While state teacher credentialing programs set the basic requirements to teach in each state, National Board Certified Teachers must demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices.”

It was a long and grueling process that involved portfolios demonstrating my teaching style and curriculum, video submissions of my classroom teaching, photographs of student work, and even a trip to Oahu for a content-based examination. I certainly can’t say that it was fun, but it was the most relevant professional development I have encountered in my post-graduate work.

I have to give a special thanks to my husband, Christopher Sanderl, for all of his love and support throughout this process. If there are any teachers out there who are interested, I’m happy to share my experience and advice!

Summer Sketching

watercolor pencils

Summertime is my favorite time of year. Months off from school, mango season, beach days, and time for projects are only a few reasons why summer rocks! Aside from a short visit to California, we spent most of the summer vacationing at home and enjoying all that Kauai has to offer!

mangos

Between multiple house projects and chores, I also found some fun time for simple sketching… It’s been a while since I played around with watercolor pencils.

callie

By the looks of it, I was most inspired by delicious fruit this summer! It’s impossible to count the hours I spent collecting, slicing, freezing, dehydrating, and baking mango recipes. Our cat, Callie, also enjoys the extra company around the house and makes sure to get in some extra attention with her cuteness.

inspiration

Happy Valentines!

On my desk today...
On my desk today…

Valentines day at Kapaa Middle School is a whirlwind of excited kids, pink carnations, little stuffed animals, and LOTS of SUGAR! For me, the highlight was a surprise delivery from Mr. Sanderl… a red-tipped white carnation with the note “Let’s flip a coin- Heads, your mine. Tails, I’m yours.” Sounds like a win-win situation to me! The paper-cut heart is my Valentine for him (and a possible future lesson idea!).

Pottery Wheel Demo

I had so much fun demonstrating different throwing techniques on the pottery wheel for Kapaa Middle School Art students! Wheel-throwing is not easy to learn, but it is certainly rewarding and FUN!

Pictured above are the various forms and vessels that were the result of my “demo day.” You can also see a peek into our studio space, which is equipped with 5 pottery wheels that students will rotate on to.

Season for Caring

This is the time of year when Chris and I launch into a frenzy of homemade crafty projects in preparation for the holidays. In an attempt to avoid the commercialism that can often feel overwhelmingly expensive and sometimes wasteful, I decided to use recycled materials as inspiration instead.

Handmade jewelry made from beach treasure might be a nice gift for some of the ladies I know, but now what can we do for the guys?

Ceramic Coil Lamp

I constructed this lamp as an example for my Kapaa Middle School students, who are building coiled vessels that incorporate an animal or sea creature. I used an octopus (locally referred to as “Tako”) as my example to demonstrate how the tentacles could be interwoven and entwined within the coil design. I wanted my octopus to blend in with my coil pot in the same way that real Octopus are able to camouflage themselves against the reef.

Ms. Pretty

Mrs. Sanderl is out for the day

“Hello boys and girls! Unfortunately, Mrs. Sanderl cannot be here to teach you today. My name is Ms. Pretty, and I am the substitute teacher. What happened to Mrs. Sanderl, you ask? She had an unfortunate accident… I ATE HER FOR BREAKFAST! If you don’t behave, I might just eat you too! Ahahaha! Ahahaha! Ahahaha!”

Digital Portfolio Cover

The Gifted & Talented Digital Media Class is an opportunity for bright and motivated students to work with the school’s most advanced equipment. 6th, 7th, and 8th graders work as a team to broadcast the Morning News for all of Kapaa Middle School, create High Definition movies and animated films, document school events through photography, and edit their projects to create professional-looking end-products. I really enjoy the playful and eccentric personalities in the group, along with this unique experience teaching digital art.