A Passion for Putting the Pieces Together

"Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you." - Oprah Winfrey

I have many passions in life.  One of them is photography.  One is teaching.  And one is working with children & adults with Special Needs.

I am lucky enough to be able to combine all three of these passions by teaching an Intro to Photography class at Oakland University's Center for Autism Research, Education and Support (OUCARES).

Tonight was our first class of the Winter session!

I had a wonderful time getting to know my new (and one former) students!  So much so, that I decided I should blog about it and share with you all the joy and knowledge I gain from such amazing individuals.

For instance:

Chelsea, a former student of mine, is unbelievably knowledgeable about World History.  She has traced her heritage back far enough to discover that she is part of 18 different nationalities, and she can name them all.

Sagar is a new student of mine.  He knows all there is to know about cars.  He can look at a car and tell you the make, model, and year instantly.

Kymberlee is also a new student.  She is an extremely talented artist!  She carries a drawing pad filled with astonishing drawings of her anime-like character, Cat, that she has created.  The drawings are so detailed, it is unbelievable.

I am also lucky enough to have a wonderful volunteer, Kelsey, help me out during class!

In todays class we started with a "getting to know you" activity.  We made collages out of magazines to express our interests and personalities.

Then we got the cameras out!

Because this was the first time some of my students had used this type of camera, we went over the main parts of the camera and then I let them loose!

Flashes all over the place!

Globes by student Kymberlee

We had a good time testing out the cameras on everyday objects in the room and beyond: chairs, windows, books, posters, and globes.

Next week I'll teach about scenic photos.  Yet, as I have learned from teaching, I know I'll learn just as much, if not more, from them next week!