Wednesday Art: These Second Graders Are Going to End Me

Dear Readers,

Hello! Are you frightened by this post's title? Worried? Intrigued? I tried to make a clever rhyme or an alliterated phrase, but nothing came to mind. With the bad weather muddling my brain, I was too frazzled to tap into my creative side and so decided to be very straightforward.

Monday was my first day in second grade. I arrived before school started so I could meet my mentor teacher and familiarize myself with the classroom. She was really nice and she even gave me a little tour of her room and the school library.

Then the students came in. Oh. My. God.

I am used to being around energetic and unruly students (kindergarten prepared me well!) but these children are playing a game I do not know.

Like this. What is this nonsense?!

I believe they were trying to test me, and I think I (barely) passed the test. A few of the questions they put to me were: Why are you so tall? (I'm really old) How old are you? (older than 10 but less than 50) Why is your hair that color? (it just grows that way) Why are you even here? (because I love working with kids like you)

Then came the big questions. I was circulating around the room during centers - because second grade has centers as well - when a few students stopped their discussion mid-sentence and called me over. There was disagreement about something and they wanted my opinion.

One of the boys at the table pointed to a girl and asked, "What color is her skin? She's a mix, but a mix of what?"

Ummmmmm...

Well then.

Not sure how to answer that!

Then I remembered a professor I have and how she is always encouraging us to engage in tricky discussions like this one. The point is to make everyone feel special and try to dispel any hurtful preconceived notions. So I thought for a moment and came back with this reply:

"Her skin is a beautiful color. And she is clearly a mix of love and happiness. Right, Yvonne*?"

Her smile told me I got an A on the hardest test of my life. A test that came in the very first week of second grade. I'm a little wary of what lies ahead, since there are five weeks to go, but I am so glad to have this experience now rather than when I have my own classroom.

Now, was that the absolute best possible response to a question like that? Nope. But I'm still pretty proud of it. Having never been in the hot seat like that before, I'm just glad I came up with any response, let alone one that was coherent and uplifting to the student.

Have you liked this update? It's just a sampling, I'm sure, of the kinds of stories I will bring from the second graders.

But where is the art?

Yes, this is indeed a Wednesday art post. Yes, you will get art. Whether or not you'll like it... This will probably the most controversial art piece I'll ever display, so be warned.

Pomme de Triomphe

It's a photograph, and photography is widely accepted as an art form. But it wasn't taken by a second grader. It's my picture, my hand, my apple. Hands and apples have appeared in art for centuries. And the photo itself, though of low resolution/quality, isn't wholly lacking in the art department.

What makes this apple special enough to have its own Wednesday art post? It's the most important apple I have ever received.

Keegan* is a boy in the class who has mild Autism. He's very sweet and loves to talk about basically anything and everything. After Monday, I felt really drained from everything. First thing Wednesday morning, Keegan* came in and handed me this apple.

I wasn't considering leaving the profession or anything, but I was pretty afraid that I would never receive any art from these second graders. That I wouldn't be recognized for my contributions. That I wouldn't make an impact on them.

Keegan* thanked me for helping him with reading on Monday when he gave me the apple. It brightened my day and gave me hope that I very well might receive art from the students over time. Just not art in the traditional sense.

That's all for today. I'd love to hear what you readers consider to be art and not-art in the comments. If need be, I can always use the kindergarteners' art for Wednesday art posts if you do seem to prefer traditional art. Until next time...
.

Ms. Fisher

Image credit: Wikipedia 

Weekly Work of Art

Dear Readers,

Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope you have had a nice morning and early afternoon. My morning, as you might have guessed, was spent in the company of my favorite kindergarteners. I would like to share with you a special heartwarming story of what happened today at school.

Before saying anything else, though, I want to clarify that all names given now and in the future are false. I would never reveal a student's name (or my own). All names you will see will have an asterisk * to remind you that they are pseudonyms.

Every morning we have the children do writing centers. They write down words and sentences that are focused on some topic we are studying in the classroom. (This week it's arctic animals.) If the children finish their writing early, they can do puzzles, brain games, or coloring pages that reflect the topic.

Well, this morning was really hectic for me. I left the house late, got stuck by a train, and just had a bad morning before I even stepped foot in the school.

My morning in a nutshell

 
While I absolutely love working with the kids, teaching is very draining - physically and emotionally. During centers, the room was really noisy and I just felt overwhelmed. I'm by no means claustrophobic, but I could feel the walls slowly closing in on me. What was I to do?

The "Purple-Winged Awesome Penguin"

Then it happened. Brynn*, came up and handed me this picture she had colored. It was so unexpected, and I was honestly speechless (for once).

In that moment I needed a reminder of why I voluntarily wake up at six in the morning and place myself in a box of noise and germs and drama.

I'm doing this for the kids. For laughter and love and huge smiles. For brighter students and a brighter future.


I'm doing this for the art.


Unfortunately, art and other extracurricular activities are often neglected in order to emphasize academic subjects that appear in standardized tests. This is a practice often called "teaching to the test."

Do the teachers agree with this? Of course not. There are many who make an effort to include art activities in the regular classroom routine to expand their students' educational experiences.

This is especially true in lower elementary grades, where art can be used to build on written words and make new ideas more understandable and enjoyable.

Since my students' artworks have such a profound effect on me, I decided I want to make this a weekly feature. Every Wednesday I will post a new piece of art and accompanying story for you to read, and for me to remember why I'm doing this. Keep an eye on the tag Wednesday art for future posts. Until next time...
 

Ms. Fisher

GIF credit: Giphy