Art Club...

We've Got Skills...that's what I want our t-shirts to say! :)

Friday afternoon I had my first ever Art club meeting...where I was the sponsor and not a member! :) It was TOO much fun. Seriously. I picked up all 28 of my precious Art enthusiasts and we marched down the hall to the cafeteria where they picked up their lunches and carried them back to my room. I knew not to plan a project for this meeting because I wanted to time how long it would take to get rid of lunch...too long. I'm going to put notes in their agendas, begging parents to send them with lunch boxes on Art club days so that we don't waste all that time in the lunchroom picking up food.

Instead of starting a project, we ate lunch and chatted. I gave a little spill about how just because they ARE great at Art, I NEVER, ever want to see them being snobby or rude about their abilities and want them to always remember that everyone is good at something and somebody will always be better at something else. I told them that they should use their wonderful, artistic powers for good and ask people if they need help, instead of flaunting their paper in their face and talking about how fantastic they are every five minutes. Jesus, I felt like a flag should have been waving behind me, I could have busted a patriotic tear.

The best part was asking them what kinds of projects they would like to focus on...what kinds of things they would like to become better at and what kinds of Art supplies they would like to use more often. This was the Heavenly moment probably all Art teachers long for. The moment where a fifth grader speaks to you like the adult you want them to become. They were spouting off amazing projects...all based on things we have covered before and I was shocked, but not shocked. I should have known they were this super cool, I mean they were in this club for a reason, right? For their enhanced skills, enthusiasm, and serious love for Art. But they gained more cool points in that 45 minutes than I've probably ever owned in my entire life.

They used terms like "realistic" and "Expressionistic" and I thought I had died and gone to Art teacher Heaven. SAY WHAT?! You just used a term that I taught you this year AND in the proper context. No joke...one boy that probably won't ever amount to academic greatness in most teacher's minds, raised his hand and said, "Remember when you told us about Expressionistic Art and you said we could do artwork to show a dreary or happy day? I want to do something like that."

SAY WHAT???!!!!!!!! Praise you child. Want to come home with me? You want the keys to my car, here...and here's some cash to take with you!

They mentioned working on landscapes, shading, self portraits, graffiti lettering (can't wait to see that work on trains one day--heh...kidding), showing overlapping, a view of a room where you're looking down on it, etc...we filled up two pages. Julie's ears were smoking I was talking so excitedly about it once I got home. It reminded me of what it felt like to be excited about teaching BEFORE I was a teacher, what it's all about---not what anyone else thinks or what they want you to do, the paperwork, the complaining, the being exhausted, the sucky attitudes...the GOOD stuff. Kids excited about what you do and excited for you to show them the things you know. It rocked. It freakin' rocked. I hope to never forget what that moment felt like. I'll cherish it always.