It is an enormous privilege to spend extended periods of time with
middle school students who are growing almost as fast as an infant's brain. I can
literally see them growing, both in height and intellect. I care so
deeply about these students, it physically pulls at my heart. While I was on a run
the other day, one of the eerily warm 60 degree January days, I felt
light opening out of what some people call my heart chakra. It was an orange light. I painted a quick sketch of it (below.) I think
the weather and a hardy run helped, but I attribute it to thinking about
the enormous responsibility of being someone's teacher. I was not on
drugs, everyone, just warm weather endorphins and sensing a real
connection with my students! After the awful obligatory task of reducing a student's learning in art class to a letter grade, I set to reading my mini-surveys they filled out at the end of the semester. I realize more deeply how the smallest and biggest choices I make in the classroom can impact a student. No letter grade or scoring rubric will show that. I love these young people and I'm learning how to show that.
Another part of teaching art to middle school students is emphasizing the importance of respecting your space and the materials you use. Sometimes the emotional maturity needed to perform these tasks (i.e., participate in clean-up time) can only be described through theatrical interpretation by Paul Rudd:
