Cool Guitar Purse - un No.10
A Crafty Person, Katherine Gross,
Owns a DIY Guitar Purse.
Violettes: You do incredible art projects to decorate everything and everyone in your life. Which piece caused the biggest "stir"?
Kat: Wow. That’s a hard one. For me, each of my projects is meaningful in its own way. Most recently, my favorite craft project has been a ribbon banner featuring various metallic ribbons. I haven’t worked very much with ribbon as a focal point in my crafting, but I really loved how the piece turned out.As for the piece that caused the biggest stir with others, I would have to say my
large 9 square ft. canvas of daisies that I painted for my dorm room last summer. Everyone who sees it loves the use of color and line; it really helps to create a sense of home in an otherwise drab living space.Violettes: Tell us about being on the teacher path, and how that feels.Kat: I’ve always known that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher, so it’s been really interesting to see how my perspective on teachers and education has changed, especially since coming to Vanderbilt. In many ways, the joys of being a teacher and sharing my love of learning with my students have stayed the same over the years. Thru my studies and experiences in the field, I have developed a fascination with the intuition, innate curiosity, and higher-order thinking skills that children possess but often do not get to chances to develop in classrooms. I’ve also had to come to terms with some of the harder aspects of being an aspiring teacher. The hardest, for me, has been dealing with the fact teaching at the elementary level is not held in intellectual esteem by many. Unfortunately, our craft is judged by its outermost layer of superficiality: the bright colors, games, appeals to children’s likes/dislikes, etc. Critics do not understand the level of intense cognitive study and intentional planning that goes into every instructional decision that teachers make. It can be very frustrating for me. But I am extremely thankful to be surrounded by a community of educators within Peabody College and my supportive family who remind me that at the end of the day, I do what I do not for the approval or recognition of others but for the purpose of changing the lives of my students.Violettes: I find learning skills interesting as well. And, I believe you are top of your class level bright, and you will be one of the exceptional elementary school teachers. I have run across many. However, it can be an easy field to graduate from, and a lot of people that are taking the easy road also take that path. Thank you for being in a place where you are sorely needed! Don't fret - you will stand out and be noticed and appreciated!!!Tell us about your summer overseas. Are there any funny or any entertaining stories from that?
Kat: It was incredible!! I had never been to Europe before so it was quite the experience travelling around Italy, Switzerland, and Iceland. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten so much pasta in my life! The best way to describe Iceland is “once in a lifetime”. My mom and I snorkeled in the glacier water that flows in between the North American and Eurasian tectonic plates. It was so cold!!! (36 degrees F), but the views were absolutely stunning. I also got to descend into an extinct volcano with a fully preserved magma chamber. The colors of the minerals inside the volcano were breathtaking!
As for funny stories… The man who sold me a leather jacket in Florence proposed to me. Anything to get a good deal, right? Oh! I just remembered another one. While in Iceland, I was missing my cats like crazy so we would visit this shop everyday that had a cat who slept on a chair inside. One day, as we were turning around to leave, I noticed a t-shirt that said Knoxville, TN and had a picture of a biker shop on Kingston Pike that I drive past all the time! What a small world.Violettes: Your family is so close, both physically and as a family - how cool is it that they hop over to come to celebrations and games with you?Kat: It is really wonderful. My family members are my best friends, and I don’t think I could handle not being able to see them very often. With my older brother moving to Atlanta, I’ve really gained some appreciation for having my family all together in one city for the past few years. Even though we don’t get to see each other as often this year, our family group text is also buzzing and full of goofy conversation.Violettes: You went to a concert with your brothers - how was that?Kat: It was amazing!! I had the idea to get Imagine Dragons tickets for my little brother’s birthday since he had never been to a concert before. Our seats were amazing and the lead singer even ran up our aisle during the show! My brothers got to high-five him! Concerts in Nashville are one of my favorite things to do. So far I’ve seen One Republic, Dierks Bentley, One Direction, Lorde, Ed Sheeran, Small Pools, Iggy Azalea, and Augustana. I’m seeing Taylor Swift this weekend and Of Monsters and Men and The Band Perry later in October.Violettes: Wow, nothing like Gift Ideas for Music Lovers - we hope you wear your Guitar Purse to all those concerts in Nashville!