Part I

My management plan was formed around the idea that I would be teaching a high school
photography class with a darkroom.
Ambience:
Im my ideal classroom I would be able to paint my walls. I would want them to be a
light orange color because orange is an active color and in my art room I want students to be
actively thinking and creating. I think a lighter orange would be best because orange can
sometimes be too loud of a color so with it toned down I think it can still be effective without
being distracting. I also want to have room to hang posters of famous pieces of artwork as well
as copies of past student artwork. These can then be motivators for ideation for my students. I
think it is important to have images of famous artwork but also past student work so that current
students can see what they can accomplish and past students can still feel connected to my class
after they leave. It will also be important to me to have healthy snacks and something to warm
water up with for tea. This is important because sometimes students need a snack or tea to help
them get their mind into a thinking mode. Also some students just might not have these things at
home and I want to make sure they arent worrying about being hungry instead of creating
artwork in my classroom. What is most important to me though is that my students feel safe and
connected in my classroom. My classroom will be a place for students to feel safe to express
themselves without feeling judged. I want to make sure students feel they have to freedom to
create what they want, within school limits, and that they arent being occupied with meaningless
work.
Physical Space:
In my classroom I will set up the desks in a U or O shape because Ive had a class where
we did this and it was to be able to create a sense of community between the students and the
teacher. I think it is important that the students feel like we are in the learning together. I will
also an area in the back of my classroom that will be a critique space. This will have grey boards
that students can hang their artwork up on and a set of track lights to light the work up with. It is
important to have a professional looking space for critiques because it gives students a chance to
see their work up in a formal setting so they can envision their work in a gallery or studio space.
This then creates connections between their work and real life and the potential they have as
artists. I also plan on having a personal library with books about photography, photography
artists, and other art books. In this library area there will either be bean bags or comfy chairs
where students will be able to look at the books and use them for inspiration and research on
information they want for a project. Students will be able to look at these books anytime during
class or during the school day but they wont be available to check out. I want all the books to be
a resource for my students but if they leave the classroom and never come back then they cant
be a resource anymore. I also plan on having a darkroom and digital lab available to my students

so they can explore old and new photography technique. This will then give them the opportunity
to find the medium they want to create their artwork in so that they can express themselves fully.
Classroom Diagram:

Book Shelf

Basket
Desk
Chair

Projector
Table
File Cabinet

Critique Wall

Bean Bag
Chair

Teachers Desk

Managing Resources:
Paper: I feel the best way to organize the papers for my class will be to keep a file cabinet
that will contain copies of my work sheets and also the completed work of my students. I will
have baskets for them to turn their papers and projects into. I will also have a portfolio to bring
student work home with me so that it doesnt get damaged. I also plan on having a basket
containing papers from the previous class period so that students can go to it and find what they
missed. It will also be important that I keep the chemicals in the classroom in check. They will
be locked up in a storage closet in the dark room and I will have a binder where I can keep track
of how much is being used and then I can know when my class needs more.
Time: Time will be very important in my class because it will be critical that students get
a fair amount of studio time to work on their projects but there must also be time to go over skills
that the students will need to make the best art they can. To manage my time I plan on coming to
class prepared with a lesson for the day so that I can make sure that the students and I are getting
the most out of our time in the classroom. I will also have back-ups for my plans just in case
something doesnt work out in the way that I planned. I will also make sure that students are

aware of the time that they have to work during studio time by reminding them throughout the
period how much longer they have to work. I hope that this will help them to stay on track and
aware of what they are able to get done in the time they are given. Being flexible with time will
be the most important to me because I think it is important to be flexible so that my students
know that I am here for them and that I can adjust my schedule to fit their needs.
Routines: One routine I plan on having in my classroom is a warm up. This will be a
great time to get students centered into my classroom and give me an opportunity to check in
with them. Another routine I think is important to my classroom is studio time. This is time for
the students to work on their projects in class so that they can get help on anything and also so
they can have just specific time designated to working on their projects. If students feel they
need to still work outside of class I plan on being there for them because I know that things can
get overwhelming and if outside of class is the only time they can get it done then I want to be
able to do this for my students.

Part II:
Cover Letter
Mercedes Slack
mercedesnslack@gmail.com
Office hours: 7:15 am- 4:00 pm

Rules and Expectations:

The one rule in this classroom will be, feel free to do anything as long as it does not cause a
problem for anyone else. This rule will include the safety practices in the darkroom. Students
will be required to fallow these safety practices of the darkroom: always wear goggles, always
use tongs to transfer photo paper through chemicals, only properly washed paper can be placed
on drying racks, and carry a towel with you. If any student breaks the darkroom rules they will
be given two warnings before being banned from the darkroom and then they will have to do
alternative assignments to pass the class. If any student breaks the one rule they will also be
given two warnings before they get written up and a phone call home to their parents explaining
behavior. It will also be important that students understand the difference between studio and
creative behaviors. In my classroom I encourage creative behavior and that the students take
risks and make mistakes so they can learn from them and grow as an artist as long as these risks
are within the one rule. Even though creative behavior encourages taking risks it doesnt mean
that students should risk their safety. Having good studio behavior means that students are taking
creative risks but not risking their safety with the materials they are using.
Grading:
Projects- 40%
Participation- 20%
Homework/ Sketchbook- 20%
Test/ Quizzes- 20%
Total- 100%
A
100% - 90%

B
90% - 80%

C
80% - 70%

D
70% - 60%

Incomplete
60% >

Projects:
This class will consist of three photography projects that will be centered on three main themes.
Two of these projects will be completed using film and printing the pictures in the darkroom.
Students will get the opportunity to complete one of the projects in the digital lab if they want.
There will also be a final portfolio project that will contain the best images the student made over
the semester. When projects are turned in I will grade them and give feedback on them and then
students will have up to two weeks after the due date to improve any of the projects if they want
to.
Participation:
Classroom participation will be based on the students participating in warm-ups, critiques, and
in class studio time. It is important for students to be in class and activity participating in
classroom activities because the ideas they bring to the class help them and their class mates
grow. Tardies and absences will result in a deduction in a students participation grade. Students
will have an opportunity to earn participation back by completing small artist study assignments.
Homework/ Sketchbook:
Throughout the semester students will be required to keep a sketchbook containing ideas for their
projects, the warm-ups, and images they like or find inspiring. Students will be required to turn
their sketchbooks in three times during the semester to check that they are doing warm-ups and
including images of inspiration. For this check of the students will be assigned a number of
pages they will need to have images for inspiration on and comments with these images. This
will be the only homework students will have during the semester other than to take pictures for
the projects. If a student has an excused absence on a homework or project due date, they will be
required to turn it in the next day they are in class. Late work will be accepted but will result in a
two point deduction from the final score for every day it is late.
Test/Quizzes:
This class will consist of three quizzes based on the technical aspects of the class like darkroom
equipment. There will also be one final comprehensive test over all of the technical information
that was on the quizzes. This test will be more heavily weighted than the quizzes in the overall
20%. This means that students wont be able to retake any of the quizzes because they will have
a chance to earn back points they may have missed on a quiz when they take the final test.
Students who have excused absences will be able to come in during an open period or before or
after school to make up a quiz or the test. If a student has an unexcused absence on a quiz day
they will have a chance to come in a make up a different version of the quiz but will not be able
to make up the final test if they are absent. If a student misses the final test their test grade will
be made up of the average of their quiz scores.

Tardies:
If a student is tardy to class they need to make sure and come into class non-disruptively. If a
student comes in after the warm-up is complete then they wont have a chance to make it up but
they will just have to write in that they were tardy for that class period. If a student misses more
than the warm-up they will need to come in outside of class by the next day to receive anything
they missed. Four tardies will result in a deduction of the students participation grade.
Absences:
When a student is absent they are responsible for coming in outside of class time to receive any
make up work or notes they missed. If a student is unable to come in outside of class time they
can talk to me and only me during warm-up time to see what they missed. There will also be a
basket located in the classroom that will contain any worksheets or note sheets the students need
from the previous class period. Students will need to check this basket on the day they come
back to class after an absence. Once a student has gotten all the materials they missed then they
will have two days to complete any make up work.