Mrs Nair

San Francisco Intersession - Teacher Reflections

At our school, Spring Intersession is a two-week break from regular academics where students choose a course to take - cooking, baking, hiking, fishing, or travel amongst others. San Francisco was one of the travel intersessions this year, and I was grateful to be one of the chaperones. We had 42 students, 5 adults, and four very full days.

Traveling with students is very different from teaching them in a classroom. You end up talking about life, music, college, families, and everything in between. I even got to spend time with students who are no longer in my art class, and I realized how much I had missed those conversations.

I had been quite sick before the trip, and the Lands End hike was harder than I expected. I was the last one making my way up, and I remember feeling embarrassed that everyone had to wait for me. But my students just stood there, cheering me on and telling me I could do it. That moment stayed with me.

One evening, we watched MJ the Musical at the Orpheum Theatre, and for a few hours, I wasn’t thinking about attendance, head counts, or schedules. I was just a teenager again, listening to music I grew up with.

At the Redwoods, I sat in front of a 282-foot tree called “The Giant,” and later climbed into a Redwood tree through a crevice in its trunk. Standing inside a tree that has been alive longer than any of us was a strange and humbling feeling.

At Alcatraz, while everyone else explored, I found a quiet place and sketched. That small, quiet moment ended up being one of my favorite parts of the trip.

These trips are exhausting and unpredictable, but they give us something we don’t get inside a classroom - time. Time to talk, to laugh, and to see each other as people, not just teachers and students.

Two weeks. One journey . So many memories.

🔥 Raku might be one of the most exciting ceramics experiences you can give your students.

This is our third year doing a Raku firing with high school ceramics students, and it has become one of the most meaningful experiences in our ceramics program. What makes the trip successful is the work students do before we ever get to the kiln - researching Raku artists, planning their forms and surface design, building their pieces, bisque firing, and glazing before the trip.

During the firing, students experience the excitement of the process, but also learn an important lesson: ceramics is not always about control - it’s about risk, problem solving, and embracing unexpected results.

I’ve shared some of the glaze combinations, finishing techniques, lesson ideas, and how we structure the field trip in this post.

If you would like the Raku lesson slides or worksheets, feel free to DM me - I’m happy to share them with other art teachers at no cost.

Some museum visits are sightseeing. Others become lesson plans.

After the conference sessions and Chicago adventures, I saved one of the most inspiring parts of the trip for last- visiting the Art Institute of Chicago.

For an art teacher, standing in front of works by Monet, Seurat, Van Gogh, Cézanne, Renoir, Caillebotte, O’Keeffe, Henri-Edmond Cross, and contemporary artist El Anatsui felt like stepping into the pages of art history.

Standing in front of A Sunday on La Grande Jatte was especially powerful. The painting is over 7 feet tall and nearly 10 feet wide, and seeing thousands of tiny dots come together at that scale makes the patience and precision of pointillism truly astonishing.

I also loved revisiting Monet’s Haystack paintings. Monet painted the same subject repeatedly at different times of day and seasons, reminding us that artists aren’t just painting objects - they’re studying light, atmosphere, patience, and observation.

Seeing Paris Street; Rainy Day in person was another highlight. The dramatic perspective and cropped figures feel surprisingly modern, almost like a photograph pulling the viewer into the scene.

The quiet storytelling of Nighthawks and the iconic presence of American Gothic continue to spark conversations about narrative, identity, and American life.

And then there was Deluge - a monumental work created from recycled aluminum cans and other found materials. From a distance it looks like a shimmering textile; up close you see thousands of repurposed fragments transformed into something entirely new. A powerful reminder that materials themselves can carry history and meaning.

Museum visits like this always feel like teacher field research - collecting ideas and observations to bring back into the classroom.

Art Teacher Observation Prompts:
Try asking students:
- What changes when you step back vs. move closer to the artwork?
- How does the artist use light and color to create atmosphere?
- What do the brushstrokes or marks reveal about the artist’s process?
- How does composition guide your eye through the painting?
- What story or mood is created through color, light and space ?

Excited to bring these to students.

Chicago adventures beyond the conference.

Between NAEA sessions, I had the chance to explore this incredible city and it turned into quite the adventure.

I even faced my fear of heights and stepped onto The Ledge at Skydeck Chicago. Terrifying for a moment, but the views were absolutely worth it.

From there the days were filled with exploring , walking along the Chicago Riverwalk, admiring the skyline from an architecture boat tour, spotting the iconic double-decker trains, and visiting amazing places like the Field Museum to see Sue, the Shedd Aquarium, and the Adler Planetarium (where I may or may not have taken a quick nap during the movie after a very long day 😅).

There were plenty of memorable little moments too- eating at a food truck in pouring rain, trying Chicago deep-dish pizza (gluten-free!), gluten free bagels, visiting the largest Starbucks, wandering through the historic Marshall Field’s building (now Macy’s), and seeing The Bean in Millennium Park.

And of course, no conference trip is complete without the people, from the meetup to a fun dance party and karaoke night with fellow art teachers.

One of the most special moments of the trip was a mini reunion with school friends after 30 years. Meeting again in Chicago and laughing like no time had passed made the trip even more meaningful.

Chicago adventure stats:
• 85,500 steps
• 38.75 miles walked
• Temperature range: 28°F - 62°F

Cold city. Warm memories. An unforgettable trip.

Would you have stepped onto The Ledge? 😅

And art teacher friends, what’s the most steps you’ve clocked at a conference?

What happens when 5,000 art educators gather in one city?

A whole lot of inspiration... and apparently a
63.5 Ib suitcase on the way home.

NAEA Chicago was an incredible reminder of the power of our art education community.

From inspiring sessions and conversations with passionate educators to learning alongside thousands of art teachers, every moment left me energized and full of ideas for my classroom.

One of the most special highlights was hearing Bisa Butler speak during the keynote. My students had just held a seminar discussing her work, so seeing her in person and hearing about her artistic journey felt incredibly meaningful. My students had even asked me to try and get a quick video message from her - that didn’t quite happen, but I did capture photos and moments from her talk that I can’t wait to share with them back in the classroom.

Throughout the conference I attended a wide range of sessions across visual arts, ceramics, AP, and contemporary practices, learning from incredible educators and artists.

Some highlights included learning quilting techniques from Piecemaker, exploring Contemporary Art Practices with Frank Juarez and James Rees, visual journaling with James Rees, diving into street photography, and attending a fantastic session on scaffolding in the choice-based art room with Melissa Purtee.

One of my favorite moments was attending the
TAB educators meetup, connecting with other choice-based art teachers, sharing ideas, and making new friends who truly understand the joys (and challenges!) of running a student-centered studio.

And sometimes conferences bring an extra magic - I even won Melissa Purtee’s book during her session and a class set of resources from the Contemporary Arts session which I can’t wait to bring to the classroom.

Grateful for the learning, the connections, and inspiration that comes from being surrounded by 5000 art educators who care deeply about creativity and students.

I can’t wait to bring these ideas, stories and inspiration back to my students and the studio.

… and yes apparently about 13.5lbs more ideas than my suitcase was supposed to carry.