Last night I had a project idea hit me like a lightening bolt. Lately, I have been "art journaling." It is a new craze that has hit the mainstream. Journaling is such a healthy activity, but I am not a very passionate writer. It is hard work for me to express my feelings and emotions through the written word. Hence, becoming an art teacher. Visual journals allow those of us who are intimidated by writing to journal.
I am going to have my students create a mixed media piece showcasing a quote that inspires them to become the person they want to be. I want them to REALLY think about who they are and who they want to become. Not a profession, what kind of PERSON?? How do you want people to see you? Before we can tackle this deep concept, we need to address a few things.
How do people see you now? What negativity is effecting your self-esteem? What would you change about yourself? What personality traits/morals/characteristics are important to you? What are your strengths? What are you proud of? What nice things would people say about you? They don't know it yet, but they are going to all of these things throughout this project.
Today, I had my students chose three watercolor pencils in any color combination they wanted. They sat down and looked up, waiting for instruction. I told them to spend the next 7-10 minutes writing down every nasty, unkind thing that someone had ever called them or said about them. Thirteen sets of eyes looked at me in terror. "What if it's a bad word?" "Who's going to see this?" "Do we have to write our names on it?" "Are you going to read this?" Rapid fire of questions and concerns. I told them if they had been called a bad word, write it down. They won't get in trouble. By the time we get done, no one will be able to see what they write. No, I'm not going to read what they write. At this point, they calm down a bit, but are still skeptical. I promised them that no one was going to read what they are writing, I just wanted them to write for the next 7 minutes without stopping. If they run out of words, rewrite ones they have already written. Fill the paper with the words.
Slowly, they quieted and started to write. Many were very protective of their papers. It was a little difficult for me because I normally walk around the room and check the work. But this time, they didn't want me looking. I was so shocked to see all the students completely invested in this assignment. No one was scoffing at it, trying to look at someone's paper, or fighting the assignment. It was teaching utopia! I showed them my example and shared some of the words I wrote. Did I feel vulnerable? YES! But they were very respectful. I think it helped them be more honest in their own work. The papers were filling with words. I think they would have just kept going if it wasn't the end of the hour.
I collected the papers. They were still concerned about keeping them secret. We locked them in a specific location until tomorrow's class. (I had to PROMISE not to read them.) They were so excited to come back tomorrow to work on it some more. They left my room talking about the quotes they wanted to use.
Three of the students came up to me later in the day to tell me how much they enjoyed the assignment. One told me; "I felt so good to get those words out!" Another student who is working on an independent study that hour came to me after school. She wants to join the group for this project. Sure!!!
I sat down after she left and thought "I did it. I got through. Now what?" LOL. I am so excited to see the final products of this project. I'll keep the blog updated. I'm going to leave you with a picture of my sample so far. I'll update as we go.
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