I would like to introduce you to "Teddy."
Teddy came to art class with me last Wednesday. The idea was to set him up as a "still life" the students could sketch and shade in.
But Teddy did not co-operate very well with me and my plans. The minute he saw the kids he was secretly communicating with them. In fact he was encouraging things that everyone in an art class knows you do not do. He was enticing them to come and, of all things pick him up and hug him.
I tried to tell Teddy to just sit there and relax, to give the kids time to draw him and not to encourage disrupting the class for kids who were in the process of drawing him. I tried to explain that once he is picked up by anyone it is practically impossible to put him back exactly as he was before. That this would ruin the drawings up to that point and the student's would have to start again. Not good.
Despite my best efforts to explain this to Teddy, things would go awry. I would turn my back and next thing you know he'd persuaded one or two of the kids to grab him and just hug him constantly. He know it bothered me because then I had to try and get the them to replace him into his still life position, which I was conflicted about especially when I saw the joy he was bringing to these kids.
I somehow managed to get through the class but it made me wonder about something. What was this art class really about? Was it about art techniques or something else? Did Teddy know something I had missed?
I'm thinking I'm going to bring Teddy more often, not to be drawn but to just be there and love them in his own way. I'm not sure how that works, but I know it will make the art ting go much better if he's there doing what he dose best.
Thanks Teddy.
Teddy came to art class with me last Wednesday. The idea was to set him up as a "still life" the students could sketch and shade in.
But Teddy did not co-operate very well with me and my plans. The minute he saw the kids he was secretly communicating with them. In fact he was encouraging things that everyone in an art class knows you do not do. He was enticing them to come and, of all things pick him up and hug him.
I tried to tell Teddy to just sit there and relax, to give the kids time to draw him and not to encourage disrupting the class for kids who were in the process of drawing him. I tried to explain that once he is picked up by anyone it is practically impossible to put him back exactly as he was before. That this would ruin the drawings up to that point and the student's would have to start again. Not good.
Despite my best efforts to explain this to Teddy, things would go awry. I would turn my back and next thing you know he'd persuaded one or two of the kids to grab him and just hug him constantly. He know it bothered me because then I had to try and get the them to replace him into his still life position, which I was conflicted about especially when I saw the joy he was bringing to these kids.
I somehow managed to get through the class but it made me wonder about something. What was this art class really about? Was it about art techniques or something else? Did Teddy know something I had missed?
I'm thinking I'm going to bring Teddy more often, not to be drawn but to just be there and love them in his own way. I'm not sure how that works, but I know it will make the art ting go much better if he's there doing what he dose best.
Thanks Teddy.
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