Family in Art

Film Essay

Artist's Statement

While working at Escuela Vieau through the Boys and Girls Club I instantly became aware of the tight knit “family” at the school. Family has a lot of definitions and you can find pretty much any sort of family at the school. The student’s biological families being one of them. It is very difficult for a student to perform well at school without the help of a good stable support group at home to guide and direct them in the right path. Now I helped out with arts and crafts as a part of the afterschool enrichment program. The kids always have fun and seem to enjoy what they are doing. When it is time for the student to leave some parents will physically come down to where the child is and pick them up. In my opinion this is a great sign that parental care is alive and well at Escuela Vieau. Sometimes the parents will talk to the teachers, another sign that the teachers are involved and doing their job at the school. Another aspect I noticed was the teachers. A school wouldn’t be a school without the teachers. These teachers do a fantastic job at what they do. They make sure every student is accounted for and doing the task at hand as well as keep them under control. Students are at school for long amounts of time during the week, the teachers become the parents in sense. The students get to know the teachers and the teachers get to know the students. I noticed that the teachers know all the kids names as well as their personalities. This is an evident sign of what a “family” is all about. I’ve also noticed that the teachers take great responsibility in what they do on a daily basis. Everything is extremely organized and put together. The teachers know what they are supposed to do and how to get it done. This helps the students to understand what they are doing and in turn helps the students to have fun and develop a family atmosphere. Another that is quite clear is all the posters and signs hanging up in the hallways. One sign just plainly says family therefore Escuela Vieau is aware that family is an important aspect of growing up and developing into young adults. This to me is very important because you should never forget your family or where you came from.

Journal Entry 2

The Service Learning so far is going really well! I didn't imagine for it to be as good as it is, I enjoy going and being with all the kids. Each child has their own personalities and it's quite enjoyable to see how each of them react with each other. I also like the school as well as the teachers. Everything runs smoothly and on time as well. Something that I wanted was to experience a different culture. This community's atmosphere is so culturally diverse, it really is amazing to be there and immersed in it. Of course they speak a different language but all in all the workings of the school is quite the same as when I was in grade school. Not only are the children there in the school but you get to see their parents at some points. This is interesting too because the parents are so involved with their kids lives. Some parents come down to see what their child has been working on and everything and like to talk with the teachers. I like seeing this because it still shows that parental care is still alive and well in the school systems. I've also learned some of the students names who I see on a weekly basis. I always make sure to say hi and talk to them every time I see them.

Journal Entry 1

For this Service Learning Project I hope to experience this a different culture in a way so that I can document and share my findings. I hope to help the students of Escuela Vieau School by sharing my culture and immersing myself in theirs. As a Service Learner my job is to help the students in any way possible. My areas of interest are helping with Arts and Crafts. I look forward to this because Art was one of my favorite subjects and extra-curricular activity to do. Since the students are from a different culture they speak a different language, although they still can speak English I’m a little worried that there might be a language barrier there. I’m thinking that most of these students will want to speak Spanish therefore speaking English will not be their number one priority. For me immersing myself in a different culture is a fun thing to do. I will do my best to portray their culture through pictures. I love to take pictures in the first place so doing this project shouldn’t be all that difficult. I really am looking forward to this experience by taking pictures and being with children of a different culture.