I’ve visited many, many schools in Santa Clara, California through the years, presenting my drawing school assemblies at each one. Check out what our friends at Laurelwood had to say:
Katy Casellini – My kindergarten students were talking about the assembly yesterday allllllll day today! They really enjoyed it. I think what I appreciated the most about your presentation was that it was so grade level and age appropriate. I have a few students that struggle on a daily basis with what we’re doing, and they were fully engaged yesterday, and so proud of what they accomplished. It was such a nice break for them, and really put things into perspective for me. I was able to see what they succeed at, and now I feel like I have a new approach to try with them to help them succeed academically.
Most assemblies that kindergarten students attend are above their heads; I have to spend time after the assembly just retelling them what happened and what the speakers meant. With this one, the students were able to follow along each step. The pacing was perfect, and they were motivated for the entire time. I think one of our biggest jobs as teachers is to motivate students to want to learn; you were internally motivating the students, and giving them confidence from the very beginning. My mom is a teacher at Sutter Elementary, and she said you’re visiting her school tomorrow; we were talking last night about the experience that my class had, and she can’t wait for her students to try it tomorrow.
Maricris Garcia – Overall, I think you did a very nice job during the assembly today. Some strengths that I noticed was that you were very kid-friendly. You were up-beat, happy, and funny. The kids enjoyed your silly jokes! I liked the way that you used your hands to describe things and you had the students try it out with you, so that they could get a physical and visual representation of what you wanted them to do and how you wanted them to do it. It helped that you demonstrated it first; then, you asked them to try it, and you made a great example of it, all while keeping them entertained.
As I looked around, I could tell that the fish, whale, and scary deep sea creature were all age appropriate because every single kid had drawn them, and they did it well. You did a nice job with your pacing. Finally, I enjoyed the fact that you used Geometry and talked a little about shapes to engage them in some math. It’s always great to make connections with other subjects and it just so happens that we are in the middle of our geometry unit, so all of my students were able to identify those shapes rather quickly. You might want to mention that to teachers or schools you are visiting in the future. That’s always a plus!
I allowed them some time, during art today, to color it in. They were so eager to share their drawings. Also, the kids are excited to attend the Family Fun Night session after school and giving them an opportunity to win your drawings is an excellent incentive. I think you did a nice job today. We enjoyed your lesson. Thank you very much!
Vickie Wagenaar – While it’s fresh in my mind, thought I’d send an email to thank you for the amazing assembly you put on this afternoon at Laurelwood (for K-1) even with last minute time restrictions in place. I thought it was an engaging and well managed experience for kids (I would assume at all levels but definitely for our Kinders) which can be a tough task, especially in the afternoon hours. I think that the kids not only had a wonderful time, but you did a great job of maintaining standards for behavior while teaching art as well as embedded lessons of following directions, science and math vocabulary, and most importantly boosting self esteem for those reluctant artists (including myself). I drew along and was shocked at the result! You have a very natural way with children and I definitely will utilize some of your quirky little sayings.
Kourtney Dixon – This is a fantastic interactive assembly! Kyle’s directions for drawing are age-appropriate and easy for the kids to follow. Each student’s art piece ends up being unique. They were so excited and proud to share their finished products afterwards.
The best assembly we have had for a long time!
Kristin Dentone – My students and I felt very lucky to be a part of your Draw Along presentation/assembly yesterday (1/19). Here are just a few of my students reactions to your assembly:
- “Usually I don’t like to draw that much, but he made it fun for me, and I want to draw a lot more now.”
- “He made everyone laugh with his funny jokes!”
- “It was really good. I had a lot of fun! I couldn’t have drawn those things without him helping us.”
- “It was a four star assembly…I would give it 4 out of 4 stars, and recommend it to other kids!!”
As a fourth grade teacher, I personally loved the way you tied in many of our 4th grade math and art standards, and used some of our math vocabulary from our geometry unit (sphere, plane, rectangular prism, etc.). It was really nice to see the students at work, participating in a true, hands-on experience! In addition, it was great to see my students reactions as it was obvious they felt a sense of accomplishment, and pride in their work (with your instruction/guidance). Your use of humor, as well as tying in current “kids” events (i.e. Sponge Bob, Hannah Montana, etc.) went over extremely well with our group also.