Everyone at Knolls Elementary simply LOVED the draw-along school assembly I presented at their school… in fact, they’ve had me back several times!
Maggie Gallagher – The draw along assembly you directed for the Knolls students was phenomenal. The students were entertained, engaged, and learned valuable information about shapes and perspectives. They were never wiggly or distracted, which is an amazing feat for someone directing the entire K-3rd grade.
I have never in my 20 year teaching career seen children so enthralled with any assembly. I particularly enjoyed the control strategies that were employed to get the students involved while they were learning. It almost felt as if they were learning without noticing, except that everyone of my first graders could tell me step by step what they did during the assembly, and how much they enjoyed the humor and directed drawing.
Thank you so much and I would highly recommend your draw along assembly to any coordinator, principal or school PTA.
Mary Clark – Thank you, you did a fabulous job teaching our students some worthwhile art skills. There was not one child that was off task during your entire presentation. Your lessons were engaging and your management of a large group was superior. I told our PTA president to book you for our school year. Fabulous!!
Debby Tapia – PTA VP of Programs – Thanks for a wonderful assembly yesterday. My inbox is full of teacher praise asking for you back next year. I will definitely pass along your name and info to all the other elementary schools in Simi. It was amazing how all 200 kids were focused on drawing. You also incorporated fabulous math and art vocabulary. I will be in touch soon to set up a date for next year.
Vic Crane – Hi Kyle. My name is Vic Crane and I teach 1st grade at Knolls Elementary. I was the class that came late today because my class is so unruly (kidding!) and can’t stop talking to save their lives (also kidding!). Once we got into the assembly however, you had them from the beginning.
I was impressed with your ability to keep them engaged as you instructed them. I appreciated the fact that you understood that getting them all worked up works against you and ultimately . . . *us*. I was impressed with the fact that my kids were talking about what /they /had drawn and eager to take them home to show their parents. Your sense of time as far as an appropriate length of time to keep them sitting was excellent also. You had us up and moving out before they began to squirm- but not before you showed them that they could draw some pretty great pictures- pictures they were proud of. I wish you could have been a fly on the wall in our staff room (as I’m sure you do also) at recess. I heard three or four of the teachers at my break say /”WOW! What a GREAT assembly! I love that guy!” /I think they appreciated your knowledge of student behavior as well. Thank you for a terrific experience!
Melissa Patrick – I wanted to thank you for visiting Knolls today. My second graders really enjoyed the interactive art assembly. Each student was able to create their own drawings and they were very excited about them. Some choose to color them and they each choose one to display in class. They were eager to take home the other two to share with their families. Thank you for teaching art in a way that allowed students of all ages at our school be successful. I also appreciated the letter before hand that informed us what to expect and bring so our students were better prepared. Thank you for a wonderful presentation.
Kathy Kelly – Your drawing assembly was outstanding! Not only were the kids totally engaged, but you used lots of good vocabulary (symmetry, vertical, horizontal, cube, cone, etc.) You really kept the whole group focused and on task by having them respond by raising their hand, and repeating after you. Back in the classroom the kids couldn’t stop talking about what fun they had! Thanks!
Nanette Burt – I thought the draw along assembly was one of the best assemblies that I have attended in quite awhile! My first grade students were totally engaged and able to follow along. The 100% participation activity left all of the students feeling successful at drawing. Kyle was an excellent presenter with great audience control! I will be borrowing some of his management techniques to expand the techniques that I use in the classroom. Not only did the assembly include informative drawing techniques, it also included a review and/or introduction to mathematical language. I would highly recommend this assembly as a fun, entertaining, informative, and productive use of time!
Teri Landy – I can’t THANK YOU enough for the great assembly you presented. My students were so excited and engaged in the activities! ALL of my students were able to participate and follow along. They kept up with your pacing without struggling. The students were very interested in all the information you presented to them. Personally, I really appreciated the way you used so many meaningful vocabulary words throughout the assembly. I love assemblies that are meaningful and valuable, and yours was both. I will definitely let the school know that I would love to see you back again next year!!
Gail Burgoni – Today you came to our school to teach our student body how to draw using just a few shapes. Let me just say…they had a blast and I was amazed by your skills.
Our students were raving about the program when we got back to our classroom. They love the interactive aspect where they got to draw along with you. And they can’t wait to color their creations tonight.
The real key, however, was your enthusiasm. I would never have guessed that you have taught this lesson to over 115,000 elementary aged children. You really made it sound like it was a special presentation made just for them. And you held their attention for the entire duration of the program.
Thank you for coming to our school and offering us suggestions on what to bring for the assembly, so the students were ready to have lots of fun.
Norma Joyce – Thanks, Kyle, for a wonderful assembly presentation of cartooning. It was so easy to follow you that I could even do it. Everyone was successful!