14

That is the number of recommendation letters I have to write.  Oof.  I have to check my non-existent records.  That might be the most I have ever had to write.  I have four more to do and that includes the one that just came in yesterday.  Holy crap.

I went for my physical yesterday.  My doctor said I looked washed out. He assumed it was the monthly visit, but that's not it.  I am getting exhausted but I do not want to slow down.  I am having fun going out socializing.  I am meeting new people who are just plain nice.  Hubby and I are doing volunteering and socializing.  I am still coming in to work by 6.15 every morning.  The kids are great.   I do not want to slow down.

So I was purging my digital files in my folder on the network last week.  I was looking through the 2012 Photo II and III files.  Damn.  That was the last year the kids were really creative.  The work was so cerebral.  There was an immense amount of personal expression going on.  The different ways the girls found to communicate was just so refreshing.  I mean, my kids this year are great.  I like most of the kids every year.  However, I have found it is getting increasingly hard to get the kids do use the camera for anything but documenting.  In 2012, the kids used the camera to capture a story, a tableau that was created with some great effort.  They used post camera editing to enhance the message, not just make it look "cool".

So yesterday the kids in one period asked if I have a snapchat.  I do not.  I told them all I do is facebook.  They were aghast.  Apparently fb is old.  Then the usual questions:  Twitter?  Instagram?  and others....  They were shocked I do not have an Instagram, considering I teach photo.  I said I prefer creating those filter effect for real with the camera, film, and printing.  They got it, but the exchange clued me in to the issue:  They are so inundated with filter-applied photos that they think that is the accurate representation of what the camera is used for.  The images the kids are inundated with do not tell a story.  That comes with caption and all the following comments.

So the challenge is to get them to use the camera to tell a story; communicate feelings, ideas, or opinions;  use the medium with intentions other than taking a pretty picture.  I think I can get this easily with the Photo I kids.  Intellectually, I think they are there.  Photo II?  Their senses have been dulled by what they look at in their spare time.  I need to look up some stuff to let them know what can be done with the image.   I want another year like 2012.  I want to look back at the work they did and see each kid's personality and ideas in the work, not just a bunch of pretty pictures.