As a person, I feel very motivated to share my knowledge and positive perspective of art to nurture creativity in other people. In 1999, I started teaching in the San Francisco International Children’s Art Museum. Here, I met and worked with Tim Rollins, who led me to start a program in Baja, Mexico. I taught in Mexico for free for 4 incredible years, facilitating cross border collaborations between Mexican students and American students. It was called Dot-to-Dot. This was mostly with elementary age kids. Now, I am a credentialed teacher of art & science at the secondary level in California.
I enjoy doing artist talks and public lectures on various areas of art. I am available to teach workshops that result in a show with an artist talk or lecture. I also, sometimes teach private art lessons & workshops. I have traveled as far as Michigan to teach community classes. I currently live in San Diego, have a family with 2 young sons and teach full time, so schedules or traveling must be carefully arranged.
I am an avid proponent for the S.T.E.(a) M. education movement that proposes to add Art back into the curriculum and have spoke publicly for them on several occasions, including the STEM Symposium at the San Diego Convention Center in 2015.
I taught ten years with Julian Charter School, where I was awarded Teacher of the Year in 2014. I am currently teaching a “science infused with art” class set at Patrick Henry High School. This will be my 11th year teaching art & science.
Below I have shared an ongoing record of my 2016-2017 school year. It doesn't include everything, but I hope to capture a snap shot of my school year.
Over the Summer, I planned much of our school year. This included reading "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" by Betty Edwards. It is an excellent text that will enhance this year's art classes.
We started our year in science with a study of scientific method. Students worked collaboratively on a series of activities & labs. We also learned the metric system. Our second week was capped as Glenn brought a California King Snake that he'd caught. We shared this with each class and talked about the ecology surrounding this local species.
In art, we continued with our study of right verses left brain drawing. We experimented with blind contour drawing of our faces and shoes. We were allowed to look at the actual shoe and draw with one continuous line, but not look at the drawing until we were finished...so we were doing pure looking, this is called Blind Contour Drawing.
Next, we did the sunflower dissection. I use a series of fun labs to practice the use of scientific method.
Garden & Art club is working hard to lay concrete into our pond. This will be a part of our outdoor lab area.
Now that we have a good working knowledge of scientific method, I have announced the science fair. All students are developing their experiments and a couple have already started.
This weekend, I worked with a parent volunteer to install the kiln. This is a project that has been going on for a few years. It will take a couple more steps to upgrade the electrical system of our building.
This was the perfect time to do the Bouncing Ball Lab as it was based in scientific method with a focus on the same graphing skills that my students would need for their science fair projects. But this lab also has another underlying purpose. All the middle school science teachers are doing this lab with their students so that we can collect data about our classes and compare the data. In this way, we may find trends between classes and better our teaching.
This was the perfect time to do the Bouncing Ball Lab as it was based in scientific method with a focus on the same graphing skills that my students would need for their science fair projects. But this lab also has another underlying purpose. All the middle school science teachers are doing this lab with their students so that we can collect data about our classes and compare the data. In this way, we may find trends between classes and better our teaching.
I am very interested in bringing students to the CIMI program on Catalina Island. I am working with our directer to make this happen.
We finally got to fill up the pond!
We finally got to fill up the pond!
To acknowledge Fall Equinox, I cut half my hair off. This gets the student's attention and helps them to remember the astronomy lesson. A few days later, I cut off the rest and sent it all to Locks of Love for cancer patients.
I worked with a couple students to create a Bouncing Ball Lab video that could be uploaded to YouTube and used by all the Middle School science teachers. We worked hard, but unfortunately this coincided with a second video project to document my classroom and add to the Teaching Channel. The two film projects overloaded my phone, and locked it up. With my phone camera frozen, I can't finish either project. AHHHH!
As a teacher, I don't get paid for July, this creates some financial difficulty for my family. In order to make a little Summer cash, I accepted a consignment art project. I worked on it all Summer, and during any free time after class and finally finished today. It is a rooster made entirely of different colored soils. I also glued in some semiprecious stones & wrote rooster myths from various cultures on all the edges. With this done, my back burner will open for other projects.
In Life Science, we are studying light & sight.
One of my students has an IEP, and is very motivated in art. She requested to try mural painting, so I arranged a side project for her as an alternative to the assignment that the rest of the art class is focused on.
SCIENCE FAIR is in full swing. Every student has developed a unique project. I'm guiding about 70 different experiments. It is an amazing time of year.
Over the weekend, I brought my 8 year old son to an art exhibition put on by a local painting group. We looked at all the work and then set up an area where we could collaborate. Leaves and flowers sometimes fell into our painting, and we liked that, so we left them glued where they fell. This sort of weekend activity fuels my teaching.
I also took some time to work on the kiln today. It is almost done.
A few students have asked for extra guidance with their Science Fair experiments, so we arranged an after hours lab session. I provided concepts, materials and instruction.
A few students have asked for extra guidance with their Science Fair experiments, so we arranged an after hours lab session. I provided concepts, materials and instruction.
In art, we are working on a Fall still life using water color paint & charcoal.
We have built a solar powered water filter for the pond that pumps the water to a water fall that also oxygenates the water. We've also planted pond plants in & around the pond. We laid layers of caves in the bottom for creatures to hide in and a huge pile of rocks on the land for terrestrial organisms to hide in. A couple weeks ago, we added fish and they are doing great. Today we'll release a baby turtle and a tarantula.
In art, we started "life drawing" with charcoal on newsprint. Each student took a turn as model.
Science Fair will be VERY SOON!
I continue guiding scores of experiments for the science fair. One student has connections with the Star Wars society and will invite characters to attend in costume. I have devised a scavenger hunt that will keep student more involved at the science fair. I'm also giving extra credit points for interactive projects.
The pond is looking great! We used solar powered water pumps to create a filtration system and waterfall that oxygenates the water. In addition to the turtles, we have a dozen crawdads and 3 different types of fish. We'll add frogs soon.
November 3rd the 2017 Science Fair finally happened. All my effort to make it more interactive paid off!
This was the best one yet. It was like a celebration of science.
This was the best one yet. It was like a celebration of science.
We sold pizza dinner as a fund raiser. Multiple interactive projects were happening simultaneously! One girl invited students to wrap a watermelon with rubber bands until it exploded . A different set of boys built a box that hosted magnets that floated in mid-air until touched.
Mrs. Elser focused on engineering with her STEAM class to produce a room full of kinetic sculptures! Real scientists from local labs circulated as judges.
One student was testing the strength of bike helmets, and produced this watermelon smasher that was a big hit.
In the next days, the winners were announced. We conducted a little ceremony in which they received certificates and prizes that parents had donated. Meanwhile, art class studied color theory, which worked perfectly as life science finished their study of light & sight. We looked at primary & secondary colors, as well as analogous & complementary colors. Each student created a grid in which they mixed colors to explore hue & value. Then we did a series of small paintings on wood.
In Physical Science, we are studying states of matter, so we made ice cream!
Life Science is learning the difference between convex & concave lenses, and how to correctly use a microscope. We will use these microscopes to watch or protozoans move around as we study cells.
In Earth Science, we are exploring soil formation, and uses of soil. We did a focus on "Green" architecture and drew out ideas for straw bail, cob, & adobe structures. I had a bucket of adobe clay, so we made models.
In Art & Garden Club, we tended our winter gardens a bit and then returned to the class where they asked to learn how to draw fire.
After club time, I met with a "Master Gardener" to discuss ideas for improving our school gardens.
This has been a VERY long day. I'm exhausted in the good way. My wife has recently gotten a puppy.
We named her Ink. She sleeps with us & wakes me up about five times a night.
We named her Ink. She sleeps with us & wakes me up about five times a night.
As the last official step of my artist in residency with Cabrillo, they provided me with a solo exhibition. While this is a wonderful opportunity, it is also a great deal of work. Framing all the art, writing out my Artist Talk, and installing/maintaining the show. It will happen through December, so I should make a lot of sales that will help my family.
I sold a dozen pieces or so, and had a great time. I added an installation element, and painted onsite several weekends. I had intended to write a sort of pamphlet explaining my action based work, but it turned into a simple book. Click on the file below if you'd like to explore it.
| cabrillo_story.pdf |
I ended up gifting prints & paintings to the whole Cabrillo staff.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Earth Science studied erosion using my Erosion Board experiment.
To help build community, our site is doing a project asking each family to create a butterfly. We will display these together on a wall in the office. My art & garden club has been asked to paint a flower mural there for the butterflies to live in. I came in on a Saturday to paint the wall blue, and now students are adding flowers & clouds. I taught them how to hide imagery in the clouds.
Saturday, we worked on the kiln. It feels like it is almost finished.
Life science has progressed to study cells and their cell organs, called organelles. After studying their names and functions we made edible models: The Incredible Edible Cell ...then we ate them while watching a movie about cells.
Our school directer, Christina has really been instrumental in making my Catalina idea happen. It will be for the 8th graders. We are working with parents to set-up fundraisers, and Christina has organized much of the rest.
In Physical science, we have been studying the periodic table and the characteristics of the elements. As a unit test, we do Castle Mendeleeev, during which I dress up like Dmitri Mendeleev (Creater of the periodic table) and they whisper answers to escape my castle as dry ice and a candle create a fun atmosphere. Afterwords, they enjoy lemonade and play with the gas from the dry ice.
In Physical science, we have been studying the periodic table and the characteristics of the elements. As a unit test, we do Castle Mendeleeev, during which I dress up like Dmitri Mendeleev (Creater of the periodic table) and they whisper answers to escape my castle as dry ice and a candle create a fun atmosphere. Afterwords, they enjoy lemonade and play with the gas from the dry ice.
Seventh grade students enjoyed the edible cell project so much that I decided to try it with my sixth graders to study the layers of the earth. It worked great!
With the huge pressure of the Science Fair fading away, and all the political turmoil erupting from Trump taking the presidency, I've decided to take some time with my son for a weekend road trip through Baja. Great bonding time, ate with my old friends at the communist fishing camp, scored excellent surf, and survived the storm.
Returned from Baja refreshed and revived. As the political state of our nation boils, I need to stay centered for my family and students. Taught a week and deinstalled my exhibition from Cabrillo.
In Earth science today, we did a lab looking at how magma moves in convection cycles.
My school has arranged a Google conference to teach all the teachers the latest technology. I'm very excited to attend, but the tricky part is that I need to arrive kinda early in the morning and it is quit a distance from my home. Getting there will put me in the middle of traffic. I decide to go up the prior day and camp with my math teacher friend Aaron. We prep for cold weather, but once we got to the camp, my tent pole broke. A tent is vital to survive the cold, so I splinted it. I got some good work done on a mosaic painting I've been commissioned to do. Our fire was made from my 3 dimensional poem that I conceived last summer in Baja with Aaron, and finally created at Cabrillo. We arrive to the meeting smelling of poetic smoke.
The Google conference was fantastic! We all learned useful applications. I walked away with a virtual reality app that is amazing!
Returned home and was approached by an old teacher friend, Jermey Blough about a fundraiser for his organization, San Diego Refugee Tutoring. I donated a painting of his students and suggested that he make prints to sell too.
Returned home and was approached by an old teacher friend, Jermey Blough about a fundraiser for his organization, San Diego Refugee Tutoring. I donated a painting of his students and suggested that he make prints to sell too.
Physical Science is learning how atoms bond together to make molecules.I improved an old lab activity that uses candy as models.
Our political world seems to be going a bit crazy. Our new president is making decisions that much of the country is opposed to every day. In addition, law suits are threatening charter schools...keep calm and carry on.
I decide to take my family and our new puppy hiking in the Julian mountains. Along the way, we found an amazing tree to take a photo. After the hike, we realized that my son had left his backpack there, so he & I jogged a mile back to get it. Afterwords, everyone was exhausted. I painted late into the night. My eye sight is rapidly failing. In order to see better, I wore a headlamp.
Finally, some good news. Today I was contacted by Lipson Labs. A grant that I'm part of has been accepted. I will be going to the Arctic with a team of Biologists to study how the element Chlorine cycles through the tundra. This will infuse my classes for the next year or so! ...assuming our political opposition doesn't destroy it all.
I made this website to record my experience: ARCTIC EXPEDITION
This is an La Nina year and we are getting lots of rain. It is helping alleviate California's drought. Today I saw a rainbow from our school, and I took my family to the Woman's March downtown. Thousands were in attendance. I ran into several students with their families. The consensus is that we will need to fight for what we love.
I made this website to record my experience: ARCTIC EXPEDITION
This is an La Nina year and we are getting lots of rain. It is helping alleviate California's drought. Today I saw a rainbow from our school, and I took my family to the Woman's March downtown. Thousands were in attendance. I ran into several students with their families. The consensus is that we will need to fight for what we love.
I have added a side study of the Arctic to all my classes. We will use this Arctic knowledge to create an interactive installation to share at the Festival of Science & Engineering at Petco Park. However, we continue our normal plan too, as Physical Science explores non newtonian solutions.
That night, my son was awarded his first rank in Boy Scouts. I take him every Monday evening.
We did an in-depth study of the Arctic, that included geography, climate, biodiversity, politics, art, and cultural history. Next, we learned about interactive installation art, and specifically Walk-in-Paintings. Finally, students generated ideas for our Walk-in-Painting to be focused on the Arctic. I took many of their ideas and meshed them into one cohesive concept.
Audience would start in an igloo, where they'd learn that they are going to be an Arctic Explorer, then enter through a crack in a glacier. This would bring them into an ice cave with projections of polar bears. To escape the bear, people would have to swim under ice, but be able to poke their head through the ice. Above the ice would be windy and host a fog machine with howling wolves. Below the ice would be have whale songs.
So I put together a blueprint for this. JCS bought us the space at EXPO Day, and Lipson Lab funded all the materials. I bought what we needed and we got started. We must be done by March 4th!
Audience would start in an igloo, where they'd learn that they are going to be an Arctic Explorer, then enter through a crack in a glacier. This would bring them into an ice cave with projections of polar bears. To escape the bear, people would have to swim under ice, but be able to poke their head through the ice. Above the ice would be windy and host a fog machine with howling wolves. Below the ice would be have whale songs.
So I put together a blueprint for this. JCS bought us the space at EXPO Day, and Lipson Lab funded all the materials. I bought what we needed and we got started. We must be done by March 4th!
In earth science, we are looking at earthquakes. At the end of our study, we used a game to explore how different sorts of engineering protect bridges against them. Next, we broke into teams and were challenged to build a bridge that spanned at least one meter and would hold through an earthquake. Each team got 40 sticks of spaghetti, 40 marshmallows, a meter of string and 30 minutes. They had to attach one end of their bridge to a wood panel. At the end of the period, I came around with a series of doles to put under the panels and rock them as the earthquakes increased.
February 7th- Trump has appointed Betsy DeVos as the Secretary of Education.
At the Google conference I attended earlier this year, I learned to use a virtual reality application. Today, I found a whole set of lessons on the Arctic set in VR!!! What luck! The kids go wild for it!
We got a great start on our installation, but this is a La Niña year.
A huge rain storm hit, so we had to move our whole production down into the basement.
A huge rain storm hit, so we had to move our whole production down into the basement.
The back to back storms continued. It poured all night. In the morning, trees were down and the city was drenched.
The storms had passed, and the sun was out. I came down to the basement to find it flooded.
The storms had passed, and the sun was out. I came down to the basement to find it flooded.
This made it difficult. Not only had I set-up everything for a full day of work, but several canvases were soaked. There was nothing to do, but move forward. This sort of project is more like a worksite than a class, and for that reason provides a different sort of learning.
As a team, we moved EVERYTHING back up to the top and remade our worksite. We laid out any wet canvases to dry and continued painting.
As a team, we moved EVERYTHING back up to the top and remade our worksite. We laid out any wet canvases to dry and continued painting.
After painting all day I was exhausted, but the students were eager to work in the garden!
This morning I arrived at school to find that a raccoon has raided our pond. It killed the turtles and tore up the solar powered filter. I didn't expect a raccoon in winter. I am sad, and will need to take steps to protect the pond.
The next two days, we added the finishing touches to our installation! One student suggested we add labeled constellations as a sky. One very shy student suggested quietly that we add steps so short kids could see through the ice holes. We named the steps after her.
The next two days, we added the finishing touches to our installation! One student suggested we add labeled constellations as a sky. One very shy student suggested quietly that we add steps so short kids could see through the ice holes. We named the steps after her.
The next day, Friday, Mrs. Elser and her son helped me to install at Petco Park. Our installation was pretty complex, with a maze, 3 ceilings, a hanging projector, hidden sound tracks, fog machines and a oscillating fan. It took about 8 hours.
Tomorrow is the show!
Because I missed a day of teaching to install the show, I will lose a day of pay. This doesn't seem right, so I'm working with the administration to make a new program that will allow teachers to get paid in situations like this.
Tomorrow is the show!
Because I missed a day of teaching to install the show, I will lose a day of pay. This doesn't seem right, so I'm working with the administration to make a new program that will allow teachers to get paid in situations like this.
Over the day, around two thousand people came through our "Arctic Expedition". More than a dozen JCS students arrived to run it, as well as most of our staff. The project was a huge success! For more info: Arctic Expedition
The next day at school, garden club found that all the rain had turned our garden into a veggie jungle.
With EXPO Day fading into the background, I was able to finally finish up my commission painting at a Tuesday art group I frequent. I decide to use this piece as an example and do a textured painting with my art classes.
In my art classes, we just finished a symbolic painting. As I read the symbols of my new painting, I realize that the Celtic knots are the two adopted children of the woman who commissioned the painting, and she is the heart. I decide to improve the piece by asking her to guide her kids to each pick a charity and split the price of the painting between them instead of paying me the money.
In my art classes, we just finished a symbolic painting. As I read the symbols of my new painting, I realize that the Celtic knots are the two adopted children of the woman who commissioned the painting, and she is the heart. I decide to improve the piece by asking her to guide her kids to each pick a charity and split the price of the painting between them instead of paying me the money.
I have started dieting and exercising. I eat less and more healthy. After school, I swim laps on Monday, Wednesday & Friday at the Kroc, and jog at Chollas Lake on Tuesday & Thursday. I feel very good about this.
Physical science has moved into the pH scale. Today we look at indicators that tell how acidic or basic a solution is. Red cabbage works well.
Physical science has moved into the pH scale. Today we look at indicators that tell how acidic or basic a solution is. Red cabbage works well.
Today, as I was driving my son to a birthday party, my old Ford truck died. Steam and oil smoke...bad. I had it towed to my mechanic and it has a cracked head. He put a sealant in that got it temporarily moving again, but it sounds terrible and won't last long. I need to sell it and find a new vehicle. However, I can't do that until I get my student loan fixed. They added my wife on and required a form that she doesn't have, so they raised my monthly payment from $200 to a thousand, thus I won't qualify for a car loan until my student loan gets fixed. She can't get that form until we do our tax, so it'll be a month or so.
I hope my truck holds out!
I hope my truck holds out!
Spent 6 or so hours this weekend building a temporary cage to keep out the raccoon. Over the Summer, I'll build a whole walk in aviary from chicken wire and timber bamboo with vining flowers...but this will do for now.I also rebuilt the solar powered filter.
At the end of Carbon Chemistry, I usually have the students use charcoal (carbon) on paper (carbon based) to draw the organism of their choice (carbon based life)...but this time it'll go further. I will bring their drawings to the Arctic this June. I'll weigh them and bury them in the permafrost of the Tundra at three depths. I'll dig them up next Spring when I return and we'll weigh them again to see how much the microscopic organisms ate from the various depths of soil.
I've never done textured paintings with my art classes. I did some research and found joint compound/drywall mud to use, and collected a plethora of objects, plus invited them to bring their own objects. They started with some amazing results!
Stemming from the "Gardening with Class" conference that I attended earlier this year, I've worked with students to set-up a vermiposting station in our Outdoor Lab. It uses red worms to breakdown the compost faster. Students are bringing in lots of food scrapes to add to our tubs.
Spring Break!!!
I've decided to bring my family on a road trip to San Ignacio in Mexico to see the grey whales. It is a trip I've wanted to do for over a decade.
See our trip here: Photo Album
I've decided to bring my family on a road trip to San Ignacio in Mexico to see the grey whales. It is a trip I've wanted to do for over a decade.
See our trip here: Photo Album
Spring break is over, and we are back to school. The end of the year is nearing! I told the students what we'd be studying until Summer. Physical science has made the shift from chemistry to physics. Today, we studied motion & speed
We did a field trip to the Midway Museum today. It was a great trip. I ran into the head engineer whom I'm working with to build a new clock invention.
I have volunteered to chaperone 6th grade camp...and almost simultaneously found that I will need to miss a day teaching to attend the Catalina CIMI camp, so I'll lose another day of pay. This is a problem in the system that needs to be fixed, so I've contacted the administration.
We've gone another step with the kiln. The outlet is all hooked up. We will try it in the next days and if it works, we can seal up the wall and be done!
Over the coming Summer...
I hope to have this tree removed as it is threatening the overhead wires and destroying the butterfly garden.
This will allow me to renovate both the butterfly garden and the veggie garden which are looking a bit slack.
I'm also looking forward to running through each of my courses, one at a time to review, reflect, and improve them.
This year, I've attempted to document some of my school year in a autobiographical form. This is not meant to show every single lesson, lab and art project, but rather just share a conceptual snapshot of my 2015-2016 year.
Over the 2015 Summer, I planned much of my curriculum. I decided to add choice in as a larger component. I have seen when students feel they have chose a corse of action, they do better with it.
I also was awarded an artist residency with Cabrillo National Monument. They have given me an old WW2 bunker as a workspace. I will be expected to create some outreach programs, off site exhibitions, and a couple other responsibilities. In exchange for this, I will be able to build an invention I've been wanting to create, which is a new sort of clock that is focused on natural cycles & migrations that happen at a yearly rate in a specific area. This project will infuse my curriculum over the coming year.
I also was awarded an artist residency with Cabrillo National Monument. They have given me an old WW2 bunker as a workspace. I will be expected to create some outreach programs, off site exhibitions, and a couple other responsibilities. In exchange for this, I will be able to build an invention I've been wanting to create, which is a new sort of clock that is focused on natural cycles & migrations that happen at a yearly rate in a specific area. This project will infuse my curriculum over the coming year.
I also spent untold hours remodeling my classroom into what I'm calling a "Vintage Gothic" style.
My intention is to turn my classroom into an interactive installation. Click on remodel plan below to check it out!
| remodel_plan_for_jason_rogalski’s_art.docx |
Here are some photos of the progress that I made. I will continue working on this remodel with students & community throughout the school year and far beyond.
JCS caters to homeschool families, so I teach several subjects, but students only come a couple days each week.
It looks like this year I will be teaching: 6th grade Earth Science, 7th grade Life Science, 8th grade Physical Science, 6th-8th Fine Art, 9th-12th Art Appreciation, at SDA. I will also be teaching Art for the SD Learning Center on Fridays: K-2nd, 3-5th, & 6th-8th. Also, I'll be doing a garden club and tutoring...wew. I better make a schedule to keep myself on track.
It looks like this year I will be teaching: 6th grade Earth Science, 7th grade Life Science, 8th grade Physical Science, 6th-8th Fine Art, 9th-12th Art Appreciation, at SDA. I will also be teaching Art for the SD Learning Center on Fridays: K-2nd, 3-5th, & 6th-8th. Also, I'll be doing a garden club and tutoring...wew. I better make a schedule to keep myself on track.
| 2015_schedule.docx |
A few days prior to the start of school, I received a horrible bodily injury. I'm in immense pain. It doesn't end. The first day of school comes and I must start. I hide my physical agony. I do not believe the student can tell. I'm a very good actor. After the first week of school, I slowly heal up.
In art, we started out with a shading and modeling exercises. Students learned to shade with graphite, then tried to duplicate the highly shadowed face of their choice. I offered a variety of genders, ages & races.
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In science, we learned the metric system through a classic activity called the Metric Olympics.
Meanwhile, I continued to work on my classroom after hours. I worked with my wife to use a C&C laser cutter to cut science icons out of wood, then stain, lacquer & install them into my classroom.
My good friend David Lipson is a professor of Microbiology at SDSU, and has a passion for music. He & I often collaborate together on science art projects for the students. He is going to facilitate a "Musical Greenhouse" to be built in our outdoor lab. We started construction.
As science studies "scientific method", I created a project in which they learn about the golden ratio, then dissect sunflower heads to make observations & inferences. I grew the sunflowers in my front yard as a fence/hedge. Next, we'll grow them in the outdoor lab and offer seeds to students to grow their own.
In garden club, we disassembled a wooden pyramid that was built by a prior garden club, but was leaning badly. We reengineered it and will paint it to seal & protect the wood from decay as well as beautifying it.
In science, all classes are really diving into scientific method. They are learning the steps and trying them out with labs like this.
Construction continues on the greenhouse, and I find that some surprising students are enthusiastic to participate. Some students seem to be more motivated by highly physical activities, especially of the building/engineering/constructing sort...not just boys.
I run a somewhat looser ship than the average teacher. I like the students to feel a sense of freedom. Of course, I do exercise classroom management. I tend to tell students why we have a specific rule. Occasionally, I have to have one on one discussions, or even rarer, a student parent conference. Sometimes I have to move a student, and a few times even use a seating chart.
In physical science, students learned how to calculate density, then competed in a fun team based game to practice.
My wife, two young sons and I have lived in the same small house in East San Diego for a very long time...about 7 years, near the corner of 48th & El Cajon Blvd. The neighborhood is largely Vietnamese, but extremely diverse. We love it, however the compound next door is 3 houses and has been rented by a team of drug dealers, pimps and prostitutes. After school life is getting heavier by the day, and we are getting woke up most every night. I fear for my family.
In art, we talked about Fall & why the seasons happen from a the perspective of astronomy. The Earth both rotates & revolves on a tilted axis and receives varying amounts of radiation from our star, the Sun. We then reviewed shading & composition, and began on a Fall themed still life painting.
Meanwhile, in life science, we explored how the human eye works, talked about color theory and did experiments with "light".
In my art class, a parent walked up to me with a strange snake. Everyone knows that I have a deep interest in herpetology. She had caught it with her son on a hike. I couldn't identify the snake, so did some research and learned from the Museum of Natural History that it was in fact a rare snake that was slightly venomous called a Lyre Snake. This became an opportunity to talk with students about the importance of never touching an organism that you can't identify. We later released the snake where it had been caught.
In Earth Science, we are looking at how atoms come together to make minerals, minerals and other matter come together to make rock, and how this relates to soil formation. We also created some Erosion Sculptures from clay and left them exposed to the elements in the outdoor lab...to see how they "weather".
In our butterfly garden, I have installed a sculpture that I built to home Orb Weaver Spiders. I call it The Orb Weaver Loom. It is part of a series that I created in the hopes of instilling people with more love for our local organisms. The series is called Urban Succession.
I woke up today to find a new resident had spun her web. The kids loved it.
Click here to see more on Urban Succession here.
I woke up today to find a new resident had spun her web. The kids loved it.
Click here to see more on Urban Succession here.
Now that the students all understand scientific method, we will start the science fair. Each student will develop their own unique science experiment, then do it, documenting the whole experiment and we'll share them all at the science fair. I will arrange real scientists as judges, coordinate the whole event with dinner, interactive activities, live art/science performance and procure excellent prizes for the best experiments. The students are excited and have started their process. Trouble shooting will eclipse my life for the next few weeks.
My drug dealing neighbors have got a couple pit bulls now. They let them run wild in the early mornings. They tend to bust directly through the hedge that separates our properties. Chase our cats, eat their food and defecate on our lawn before heading home. If I intercept them, they bark fiercely at me. My kids can't play in the front yard anymore. I just had an interaction with the nearly toothless dog owners at dawn. They explained that dogs kill cats.
All of my K-12 art classes will now collaborate on a float for the local Halloween parade. They decided to create a giant skull float that we can climb into and it will be a puppet theater. We'll also make puppets to do shows as we roll along.
JCS at The BOO PARADE!!!
Here is the story of our award winning float.
Come Join Us!
All of Jason Rogalski’s Art classes are collaborating to build a Halloween Float that will be in the Boo Parade!
While this is happening in-class, we will also have 2 volunteer work parties on Saturday 10/19 & Sunday 10/20 from noon to 4pm at The San Diego Academy: 6104 Adelaide Ave. San Diego 92115
Students need to have a parent or guardian accompanying them at these work optional parties.
JCS Families and any friends are invited to dress up and be in the Boo Parade with us!
We will take turns riding in the float and marching in the parade.
This will happen Saturday morning 10/24. Where: 59th Street - between Madison Ave. and El Cajon Blvd.
When: Arrive between 9:00-9:30. Parade starts at 10. (Allow ample time for parking and walking to us.)
How: Costumes are encouraged! and you may want some water as this is a good hike.
Email me with any questions: rrogalski@juliancharterschool.org
Here is the website for the Boo Parade:
http://collegeareabid.com/boo/
All of Jason Rogalski’s Art classes are collaborating to build a Halloween Float that will be in the Boo Parade!
While this is happening in-class, we will also have 2 volunteer work parties on Saturday 10/19 & Sunday 10/20 from noon to 4pm at The San Diego Academy: 6104 Adelaide Ave. San Diego 92115
Students need to have a parent or guardian accompanying them at these work optional parties.
JCS Families and any friends are invited to dress up and be in the Boo Parade with us!
We will take turns riding in the float and marching in the parade.
This will happen Saturday morning 10/24. Where: 59th Street - between Madison Ave. and El Cajon Blvd.
When: Arrive between 9:00-9:30. Parade starts at 10. (Allow ample time for parking and walking to us.)
How: Costumes are encouraged! and you may want some water as this is a good hike.
Email me with any questions: rrogalski@juliancharterschool.org
Here is the website for the Boo Parade:
http://collegeareabid.com/boo/
Students from multiple classes researched "Icons" of Halloween, then made there own for the float.
We had a work party saturday from noon to 4. Families slowly flowed in over period. I taught some how to use the drill as an electric screwdriver as we laid out the structure. Others teamed up to create a double layered fringe around the float. We made fantastic progress today on the float armature & fringe. Tomorrow will be chicken wire & decorations.! Below are some photos of Saturday's progress.
Sunday, we made mad progress! We cut & attached the chicken wire, then taped on the tissue paper. Other students hung the "Halloween Icons"!!!
The parade is coming up this Saturday. We still have a ways to go, but we will finish soon.
We worked a lot and I forgot my camera, so you'll see a jump here.
We added a lot of structure, some spray paint and made the mouth be a door.
We worked a lot and I forgot my camera, so you'll see a jump here.
We added a lot of structure, some spray paint and made the mouth be a door.
We added a chin and some trim.
Prepping to parade our puppetry.
And finally the parade started!
Several students from our JCS homeschool program showed up to participate...SUPER COOL!!!
City Farmers Nursery was generous enough to loan us three bails of hay for our students to sit on.
City Farmers has sponsored us several times in the past with other projects too.
If you've never been there, I recommend a visit. It is a beautiful space with an amazing variety of plants.
http://www.cityfarmersnursery.com/
We displayed a small sign on our float "City Farmers-Giving a Helping Hand".
City Farmers has sponsored us several times in the past with other projects too.
If you've never been there, I recommend a visit. It is a beautiful space with an amazing variety of plants.
http://www.cityfarmersnursery.com/
We displayed a small sign on our float "City Farmers-Giving a Helping Hand".
Thanks City Farmers Nursery!
We won an award!
The Spookiest Float
YAY!
The Spookiest Float
YAY!
Last night, I lay down with my wife & kids to watch a movie with some pop corn. A helicopter was circling above with a speaker blasting, which is common on weekends in our neighborhood. However, I heard noise in our front, so I looked and saw several cop cars on our street jumping fences, so I locked all doors, turned on all exterior lights and continued to watch the film in our room with the kids. Shortly thereafter, we hear all heck break loose in OUR BACKYARD. The person they were chasing was hiding there. Guns and yelling. We kept the kids calm.
However, this was obviously a person from the team next door, and it was time to move to a new house. We started looking actively.
However, this was obviously a person from the team next door, and it was time to move to a new house. We started looking actively.
Our studies with the science fair continue. Every single student is researching, experimenting and writing on their own separate topic. It is the hardest time of the year for me to keep a grasp on the chaos, but I love it.
Here is a study on how the human digestive system dissolves fast food hamburgers by Nathan.
Here is a study on how the human digestive system dissolves fast food hamburgers by Nathan.
This year is an El Nino. I've been an avid surfer since middle school. I'm excited & challenged by the nearly constant giant waves we are experiencing. A huge swell was predicted this weekend, so I decided to reward myself for finishing the halloween float with a weekend at my favorite Baja point break four hours south of the border. I arrived in the cold drizzle driving my rusty old truck. My friend Arron Labovitz came with me. We got a flat tire along the way. The surf was 12-15 foot and I was the only surfer anywhere around. I camped and surfed cold monster waves with cloud breaks exploding on the outer reefs. It rained off & on the whole time. Finally, on the 3rd day, a very large wave broke my leash and swept me into an unescapable rip current. Somehow, another set threw me bodily onto the rock beach. I feel lucky to have survived, but my right shoulder is badly injured. I return to school energized and excited to teach.
Cabrillo asked me to do an art piece for their " Convergence" exhibition. I created a life sized wooden cutout of a man sitting cross legged. I sealed it and mosaiced it with mirror. This was installed in the information center with a panel that taught the 6 most common butterflies at Cabrillo and offered a work station where people could color, cut-out and tape in their insect to the composition. I called it "Metamorphosis". However, I offered it to my LC students first. I told them that they got it started and that their butterflies would be on display.
After the Convergence exhibition, I refocused my Year-to-End plan. You may notice the "Catalina Trip" in March. I've been trying to arrange an extended field trip that would bring our students to an amazing science camp on Catalina Island as part of our study of natural cycles. However, one grant after another failed. I will need to try that again next year...
David Lipson continues to arrive here like a ghost, secretly adding to the construction of the Musical Greenhouse. Suddenly, a windmill was installed.
The ramps in the foreground are a set of erosion experiments from science class.
The ramps in the foreground are a set of erosion experiments from science class.
As we study the periodic table of elements in physical science, I share an interesting chemical property of magnesium.
In Earth Science, we did a project that I made up called The Incredible Edible Earth. I think that I invented it, but I don't remember for sure. Students are challenged to create edible models of the earth's layers with labeled parts. Fossils are extra points. They present them, then we feast on them as we watch a movie about plate tectonics.
David finished The Musical Greenhouse and even built planter boxes. Some hang from guitar strings and you have to play them to see if they need water. Fantastic!!! He filled the hanging boxes with soil samples from diverse climate regions. I procured a truckload of decent soil for the bottom boxes and the students collaborated to move it into place.
During this same time, the garden club researched how butterflies reproduced. We found our local butterfly species, & learned about their specific nectar & host plants. We painted & labeled the plants into our butterfly garden mural to teach the public.
As part of my work with Cabrillo, I decided to work with a group of refugee kids. An old friend, Jeremy Blough used to work with me at a different school in the JCS district, but now he is running a fantastic program called San Diego Refugee Tutoring in City Heights. I have arranged to do a lesson in City Heights teaching his students the organisms that live on the San Diego reefs, and then field tripping with them to Cabrillo to see the actual animals. Several of my students will be aiding this project in a number of ways. Some readied our mobil reef model for the lesson, while others aided me in City Heights as I worked with 50-60 kids, and others joined us to help on the field trip. It was a beautiful group effort.
In Physical Science, we are finishing our study of the periodic table, so I ran a lesson called Castle Mendeleev. I dress up like Dmitri Mendeleev who invented the periodic table. I ask them questions about the elements. They have to whisper the answers in order to progress to the next room and escape my castle. Super fun! I put dry ice in a pot of warm water & burn a candle.
A set of kids asked if I would sponsor their mural club, but I'm already guiding the garden club, so now I'm doing two clubs at once. Good thing I enjoy juggling...
Finally, our School Science Fair happened. It was amazing! I'm very happy with how the work turned out.
Science fair Reflections 2015.
Next year…
I don’t want people to leave, everyone stays to the end. Partner possibility. More interaction for every student presenting.
Extra points for interactive elements. Better food ran by parents as fund raiser. The whole process should take less than one month.
Lay it out in a logical order of “pieces”. Go over every piece very closely. Add games & art I want it to be faster, & funner. action packed.
Possible Solutions<
Maybe students are responsible to judge or collect info (learn) from other students. use survey monkey.
Each student will have a couple questions that they can answer at their booth.
All other students will circulate to get the questions answered.
Maybe the game/art is part of the circulation, like they get a point for it.
Share immediately what we judge on. The 4 elements. Focus on the importance of solid science & creativity.
Next year…
I don’t want people to leave, everyone stays to the end. Partner possibility. More interaction for every student presenting.
Extra points for interactive elements. Better food ran by parents as fund raiser. The whole process should take less than one month.
Lay it out in a logical order of “pieces”. Go over every piece very closely. Add games & art I want it to be faster, & funner. action packed.
Possible Solutions<
Maybe students are responsible to judge or collect info (learn) from other students. use survey monkey.
Each student will have a couple questions that they can answer at their booth.
All other students will circulate to get the questions answered.
Maybe the game/art is part of the circulation, like they get a point for it.
Share immediately what we judge on. The 4 elements. Focus on the importance of solid science & creativity.
Garden & Art Club began adding labeled species of butterflies into the day portion of the mural, and local moths into the night portion.
I post student's best work on our bulletin board. I believe this breeds both accountability & ownership of the classroom.
Demonstration: The Gummy Bear Sacrifice
Physical science is studying exothermic reactions!
Physical science is studying exothermic reactions!
Cabrillo asked if I could do something for their "Whale Watch Weekend" event. I decided to provide a workshop that would teach the public to water color paint Grey Whales. I shared my process with my students and several came to help. A teacher, Anna Gillette from the SD Learning Center also came to aid. I feel that public interactions like this are good for our students. Networking freely to create magic experiences for people that we don't know empowers our students.
Whale Watch Weekend was a solid blast of humanity. We worked with an unending flow of people for two days. Also, special thanks to artist Jason Smithson for donating time.
Right about now, Earth Science started looking at earth quakes (not earth quacks which are apparently caused by Godzilla sized ducks and not at all relevant here). We looked at the history of bridge architecture and made our own models. At the end of our activity, we created an earthquake machine that would test our bridge designs.
My family has found a nearby house to move into that we can afford. We have lived here 7 years and have a lot of stuff. Now we have to move out without getting robbed. This has to happen right in the middle of the school year...not over some vacation. Our gangster neighbors now occupy the whole compound of 3 houses, several motorhomes, and are having large scale parties. Prostitutes work in front of our house and we find crack pipes. We intend to move out fast and quite over one weekend. We put out a call to our community and a small army arrives.
At school, we are working on our interactive installation. Every student chose biotic & abiotic factors of San Diego to write a compare & contrast paper on with an illustration. I asked them to focus on cycles & migrations. They boiled their papers down to bullet points and are painting them in. This will become a Walk-in-Painting to be shown at the Festival of Science & Engineering in March, and then BioBlitz in May.
In garden club, we planted seeds in the musical greenhouse.
A El Nino rain storm hit, so we had to move our Walk-in-Painting indoors. I'm doing this with K-12 students, so projects are vastly differentiated. Cabrillo generously funded our project!
In order to extend our studies of natural cycles, we decided to do a field trip to Cabrillo. I timed this to be during an especially low tide that would expose rare reef organisms. We started with a one mile nature hike down to my art bunker. The kids had a nice lunch on the trail, then my bunker mate, Anna Chaitin gave a quick artist talk. Then she offered students to do a copper engraving art project. Her art is amazing & she is a retired teacher. Simultaneously, I ran a water coloring painting project that used only natural pigments (coffee, blackberries, turmeric). After we finished painting, we made our way to the tide pools, where we explored with a biologist guide provided by Cabrillo. It was a very successful field trip.
As part of Physical Science, we study chemistry. I do lots of demonstrations, and the students often do labs.
In garden club, we picked our first harvest! Lots of onion, lettuce, beets & carrots.
For each class, I write the learning target in the upper left corner of the board. This helps students to zero in on exactly what they need to absorb.
I came up with a fun way to make model volcanoes. We did this, then contemplated which of the 3 volcano types our model was most like.
Finally, it was time to exhibit our Walk-in-Painting at Petco Park with the San Diego Festival of Science & Engineering. Thousands of people will interact with our work. The students arrive and run the booth all day long. It is always my favorite when the students become the teachers. What an amazing day!!!
After this, we'll have a couple months to repair & improve it before our next exhibit at BioBlitz.
Click here to see the full story of our Walk-in-Painting!
Meanwhile, back at the school...our greenhouse seeds have sprouted and Lauren painted a nice "Musical Greenhouse" sign. A giant volunteer sunflower has popped up behind the greenhouse. The seed must've fallen there earlier in the year when we did our golden ratio sunflower dissection.
In physical science, we are looking at pH scale, and so are doing this lab in which we use cabbage as an indicator of acid or base in various solutions.
At home, my life is a chaos of boxes as we try to find & fit our things into this new house which is significantly smaller than our last place. To blow off steam, I went surfing during large storm surf. I had a great session, but then took off on a huge closeout wave that threw me directly into a shallow sand bar. My board shattered on impact. A worthy death for my favorite board.
Every day, we are harvesting from the garden now!
Our studies roll forward...
In Carbon Chemistry, we made models of organic molecules.
Spring Equinox is almost here now. In my art classes, we talked about seasons happening due to Earth's tilted axis, and symbols of Spring. Of course, the egg has been used commonly as a sign of fertility & birth. I taught them how to blow out eggs, and paint them with acrylic paint. I did one along with them and added a plaster experiment onto it. I think it is important to show them that I like to make art too.
For Spring Break, I decided to go surf camp in Mexico again. This El Nino is a historic event and I want to take full advantage. My friend & I scored unbelievable huge, long waves, again without another human in sight, just lots of sea lions & nesting birds. The ground is covered with multitudes of flowers. My tent broke and it was rainy, so I constructed a shelter to sleep through the storms in. I slept very well. Fires warmed us between surf sessions, I painted a lot on a humpback whale, and one morning I caught a wave just as a flock of pelicans flew past and we surfed together a few amazing moments. My friend drew a picture of it.
The students noticed a strange growth on our greenhouse eggplant. Inspired from my surf trip, I used this as an opportunity to learn how to use the imovie program on my Mac. I made a quick video, uploaded it to YouTube and will use this new skill to work with students in the near future.
Click here to see my silly one minute video!
Click here to see my silly one minute video!
There is a group of very zealous students who have laid out this pond design and are digging it with gusto. They come to check on it most mornings with avid questions. I've rarely seen kids this motivated.
Simultaneously, in the same space, we are building a shed. The first step is to lay a foundation. I loaded a truckload of stepping stones onto a cart and into my truck, which somehow made it up the hill to school without burning out the clutch. My lower back will be paying for this for a couple days. A half dozen kids unloaded the truck and piled the slabs.
Today is a big school event called Expo Day. Essentially, it is an Open House to show off student work. I redid my bulletin board, laid out a table of ceramic sculpture and set-up our Walk-in-Painting. It was a super fun evening!
In the Friday art class, we are working on a mosaic stepping stone project. I'm showing them how to mix thin-set (a sticky kind of cement). A student was very upset that a different program was closed today. She was almost in tears, but loved mosaic art, so I arranged for her to extend the project by adding to our sculpture. Several other girls joined her, which helped her to feel better.
In Life Science, we are studying anatomy. Students have each researched a specific body system; skeletal, muscular, circulatory, etc... They have done amazing work, mostly power points, and Prezis. However, this student walked in with a interactive installation on the Immune System...pretty fantastic!
In Physical Science, we've moved from Chemistry into Physics. Today we looked at Newton's 3rd Law of Motion by building balloon rockets and trying to meet challenges with it. Can you make it go across the room? Then, can you make it go across the room and come back? Fun!
Next, Physical Science will blast into astronomy. This will apply the physics that they just learned. Towards the end of our study of astronomy, students will do the project attached below.
A student family came and laid the shed foundation. It is level. However, they put a lot of soil from the pond dig under it to make it level. I'm worried that it will erode away. I guided several students to cement the edges...to my surprise, they loved it. I keep seeing this over and over. Kids love to build real things. Models are fun, but if it is real, they are unstoppable. I've got to shift my curriculum to utilize this next year.
At the beginning of the year, I gave a pre-assessment on scientific method. Over the year, we've done numerous experiments and reviewed the steps of scientific method repeatedly. Now, in the last weeks of the year, I'm happy to see that they have absorbed the information. Below is a pre-assessment & end of year test by the same student. This is reflective of what I'm seeing across my classes. Yay!
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A family came Sunday and built the shed. I helped too. It took four hours.
Monday, they brought in their physics projects. We talked about Newton's Laws of Motion and applied them to their projects.
After school, garden club added liner to the pond. We added stones around the edge to pin it in place and filled it with water.
We added a little solar powered water pump that works great. We tossed in a couple bright colored guppies. The students were very excited. Two kids brought their parents back to show them.
We added a little solar powered water pump that works great. We tossed in a couple bright colored guppies. The students were very excited. Two kids brought their parents back to show them.
Grouting Day! Elementary art finished their mosaic stepping stones.
In astronomy, we looked at the Sun, Earth, Moon system and experimented with models to understand how spheres are always half lit by the Sun, but we see them from different perspectives.
Then BioBlitz happened. We exhibited our Walk-in-Painting at Cabrillo National Monument in their event that attracted around 8,000 people. This was an honor as they put us right in front. Lots of our students arrived to run the installation.
I'm very proud of them.
I'm very proud of them.
When we returned to school, Life Science finished off their study of anatomy with a frog dissection.
Then, as quick as it started, the year was over. Teachers standing in shock. We did an ending celebration at Chollas Lake with fishing, skits, pizza lunch, water balloon fight and hiking. Beautiful ending.
Finally it was the LAST DAY. We did a commencement to honor our 8th graders that are moving on to high school, and all the students moving up a grade, and give out awards. Everyone got dressed up and a couple hundred people flocked in. Students read poetry and gave speeches. There were smiles and tears as Summer vacation beckons.
This has been another amazing year. Every year is very different...different kids with different personalities, strengths, interests & needs...different community opportunities and challenges. There is no typical year. I only captured a fraction of the magic, but this is a nice snapshot to share.
Sensational Ceramics & Sculpture Summer Camp 2012
This will be a short intensive 4 class series for kids. We will work with and learn the basics of earthenware clay. Our work will be bisque fired in a kiln, then we’ll apply colored glaze and do a final glaze firing. The results are always spectacular!
Who: 5th-8th grade-I’ll cap the class at 10 students.
When: From 2pm-4pm, Tuesdays & Thursdays (dates below) -Summer of 2012
Where:
Cost: $100 per student -covers all 5 dates (Bring to 1st class)
How: Fill in the information (below) and email it back to me.
July 19: 2pm-4pm-Bowl Making Class
Today, we’ll learn basics of clay and how to use the coil method to sculpt bowls
that we can really eat out of!
July 24: 2pm-4pm-Mug Making Class
Today, we’ll go further with the coil method to create a more complex project.
July 26: 2pm-4pm-Free form Sculpture Class
Today, we will make a small sculpture that focuses on expression & metaphor.
I will bisque fire all the sculpture before next class.
Today, we’ll learn basics of clay and how to use the coil method to sculpt bowls
that we can really eat out of!
July 24: 2pm-4pm-Mug Making Class
Today, we’ll go further with the coil method to create a more complex project.
July 26: 2pm-4pm-Free form Sculpture Class
Today, we will make a small sculpture that focuses on expression & metaphor.
I will bisque fire all the sculpture before next class.
Below is documentation of a workshop series I did for ICBC of Rosarito, Mexico. It resulted in a mosaic mural on the front of their building. It was unveiled to a live audience during which I spoke in Spanish and was televised locally.
This class was taught in Spanish over two months, twice a week, three hours per class, for twelve kids.
This class was taught in Spanish over two months, twice a week, three hours per class, for twelve kids.
Clay for Clay 2014 (Click here)
Mosaic Snake
In 2003, I ran a series of mosaic workshops for ICBC of Rosarito, Mexico. These were for kids over the summer. Together, we collaboratively created a huge snake mosaic mural that curls around the front staircase.
First, we talked about how to do a mosaic.
Then, each student drew a design for a serving platter on paper.
Then, each student drew a design for a serving platter on paper.
Next, the design was drawn onto the platter.
Then, we broke our tiles.
The pieces were then glued to the platter.
Finally, after the glue dried, we grouted them and we were done.
Now that we knew how to make a mosaic, the whole class walked around the government building
and chose a location to do a collaborative mosaic mural.
They picked this pillar in front on the art gallery.
and chose a location to do a collaborative mosaic mural.
They picked this pillar in front on the art gallery.
We designed a snake that wrapped around the pillar.
Every student designed and mosaiced in imagery.
These students wanted to work with the idea of heaven and hell.
I engraved their names into the snake’s head to give credit for all of their hard work
on what is now a permanent artwork in their community.
When it was all done, we had a great unveiling party with food and speakers.
We were even on the local TV news!
on what is now a permanent artwork in their community.
When it was all done, we had a great unveiling party with food and speakers.
We were even on the local TV news!