Aspiring to be an art teacher, Jennifer Bish ’18 ventured to the beautiful west coast to begin her third co–op with Children’s After School Arts (CASA) in San Francisco, CA. The after school program has a dedication to encouraging “creativity and social justice” in an environment that is enjoyed by students. The students switch between play time outside, in class time and homework. Students are also given the opportunity to select workshops they wish to attend on various topics each week. Serving as an Art, Social Justice, and Self-Expression Teaching Assistant, Jennifer was able to help with a variety of tasks, including the filmmaking workshop. One of the themes discussed in class while Jennifer was at CASA centered around gender. As Jennifer states, “It has been interesting to teach as each grade handles conversations differently. They have been grappling with ideas of identity and expression and have debunked some social norms such as blue being a color for boys and pink for girls.” Jennifer has thus far appreciated the approach that CASA has in teaching its students and looks forward to the final weeks of her co–op!
To learn more about CASA and the work they are doing visit www.casasf.org.
*excerpts taken from Jennifer Bish’s blog assignment
