Blog #2- Initiative

Ever since I was little, I've always loved animation and cartoons. As I got older, I grew from just watching them to making cartoons of my own. So when my local library brought up the interest in an animation class, I jumped on the opportunity to teach my own class.

By the end of December I was teaching my first class in traditional paper/pencil animation. For this, I had to work conjointly with the library staff and on an independent level. They requested just a simple class, but I aspired to go beyond their expectations and do a really memorable experience. I had to design lesson planes, buy different supplies, and showcase animated examples to present to my students. The class was largely for a late elementary school and junior high audience and held roughly ten to fifteen students.

My first class was somewhat difficult since I didn't know exactly what to expect. I was well prepared, yet unsure of what exactly to expect. Once the students arrive, they were mostly shy and quiet so I had to find a way to get them to talk and be open in discussing animation.

For the main project on my first class, we all drew story boards and used them to make flipbooks. I went around helping each student if they needed it and offered encouragement for a job well done. Throughout the class, I gave little lessons and tidbits of animation advice- frames per second, tweens, motion blur, squashes, anticipation, etc. After the class was over, the teen coordinator asked to do a follow-up class in the summer. And thus began a whole new challenge of making a second class and trying to trump my first one.

All of this wouldn't have happened without pushing forward to make an animation class a reality. By putting in hard work, I was able to have successful classes and even for them requesting more and more of them. This winter break, I'm scheduled for two more classes and over the summer, we plan to do an entire animation class. This truly shows how the little seed of initiative can grow into a gigantic tree of opportunity.