In Part 1, I immediately addressed how much I miss the children. They miss me, too. We had started learning about France, with a big atlas and twenty wide-eyed children who were eager to ‘travel’ to a new country. Getting sidetracked along the way is the best! Children’s questions explode, and that often leads the way to deeper learning. Emergent Curriculum.
March is one of our favorite months at school, as we begin to prepare for our annual Art Show. We just began learning about famous French artists and paintings. We began focusing on Impressionism. I had the pleasure of showing different works of art, stopping suddenly, and saying to a child, “You can do that!” Seeing their faces react was priceless. Children just need to feel their teacher believes in them.
And then, two days before school closed, children started to paint in earnest, creating their own masterpieces. In order to inspire their creativity, I introduced classical music, Vivaldi to be exact, played on a real record player. This was the coolest, ‘newest technology’ children had ever seen. Did it inspire them to paint? You bet it did.
Part 2
It is important to understand the magnitude of where children were in the learning process, before school shut down. Moving forward needs a great deal of thought. How do I pick up where I left off? I’m not a rote teacher with worksheets.
Let me tell you about the Art Show in years past. I think this will give you a better understanding of what we were starting to do, and the challenges ahead. Here are a few stories you might enjoy:
Alex wasn’t a child who loved to draw or paint. He was always busy with building and blocks. He loved chapter reading and had a great curiosity for learning new things. When I introduced famous works of art, he was mesmerized. “The Scream” by Edvard Munch spoke to him.
It was a painting where we talked about the brush strokes, and how the artist painted it. As an aside I told the children the painting had been stolen, and was finally found. When Alex was ready to paint, he said he wanted to see “The Yeller Who Was Lost.” What a perfect description as he grasped for the words. I love his title! It took me a minute to understand he wanted to see “The Scream.”
And so, Alex started to paint. He hated his first painting and wanted to start over. I reminded him that a masterpiece takes many, many days. By the time he got to the second painting he was annoyed at all the noise and asked everyone to be quiet so he could concentrate. We all tip-toed for the next few hours while Alex worked on his masterpiece.
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Liam was far more interested in Legos than he was in art. For the Art Show that year we studied Italy and the works of famous artists. One day we had the children recreate Early Renaissance art. Much of that art was painted on wood with gold paint. That was something all the children wanted to do, except Liam. He told me he didn’t need any gold paint, only blue and black. He pointed to our “Starry Night” poster and said, “I want to paint that.”
Wow. Never underestimate the mind of a child. I had no idea he was drawn to that painting. And so, I gave him the paints. And he painted a masterpiece. The best is yet to come. Liam asked for red paint. Red? He told me he needed it for the little red house on the bottom. What little red house? Yes, there is one. I never noticed, but Liam did.
Look closely and you will see that tiny red house. Children see and understand far more than we give them credit for.
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Colin loved music. When I introduced music with a record player, he was in his element. After I played classical music I introduced children to showtunes. Colin wanted to hear “Oklahoma” over and over again.
He loved art. That year we introduced the art of Kandinsky, and Colin was in his element. Kandinsky’s art and colors were influenced by music. That resonated with Colin. And so, after looking at his art, he wanted to recreate one of Kandinsky’s masterpieces. Well done, Colin.
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One of children’s favorite pieces of art most years is “Large Blue Horses” by Franz Marc. Perhaps it is the color, or the large brush strokes. There is something about this painting that speaks to many children.
It spoke to Aaryan. He worked on painting this for a week. Five times he was back at his painting to get it just the way he wanted it to be. His paper was so thick with paint, but that didn’t matter. He was proud.
There are many stories every year of the Art Show. Why? I get children excited over art and then I step back and let them take over. I make sure there is great music, played on my record player to inspire their painting. One year Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons” was so popular I only had to ask each day, “Do you want to hear spring, summer, autumn or winter?” Another year it was the Beatles, and we had dance parties before we painted.
Music inspires art, and art inspires music. The two are intertwined. If I introduce children to both, creativity and imagination flows. Math and science become a stronger interest as a result. The Art Show seems to pull everything together. It showcases the best of children in many ways.
That is where I was headed with children when school closed. Now you have a broader picture and understanding. Stay tuned for Part 3 and what I did.
Jennie
A Teacher's Reflections 