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I had gotten to know her a little by this point, and thought I could honestly discuss this with her. I said that I didn't think it looked like her very much. We both looked at the self-portrait some more. I said that I did notice something about hers, though. Her drawing had a lot of expression in it, while those around it didn't have so much. I thought the other drawings might look the way they do because the students were looking into a mirror while they made their drawings.
She really liked the idea that hers had a lot of expression, and she could see for herself that it did. She studied her drawing for a little while, and then we each went off to do whatever we needed to do next.
I think there would have been no convincing her that she should like her self-portrait - and I wouldn't have liked to dismiss her opinion. Kids' art work is so wonderful, but at some point some kids start losing their natural confidence about it.
How we look at art work with kids is important. When an adult takes time to just look at a kid's work and listen to what they say, it implies respect for the process it took for the child to get there. Talking with them like peers seems to me to suggest that we are collaborators who work, look, think, talk, and then bring our best to the process of making things.
You have brought up such a good point here! It is really important to think carefully about how we look at art with kids. I think the biggest issue we face today is there is not enough art in classrooms for the students to engage with. Now I am not saying that every teacher out there is not providing enough artistic opportunities for students, because I have seen the opposite. But I do think the curriculum in the public school system today lacks art. I don’t think enough time is given for teachers to provide engaging opportunities for students to be creative and create art work.
ReplyDeleteI am at the same school you are where these portraits were done and that school is a great example of a school that incorporates art into the classroom alongside the curriculum. The class I am interning in currently also did self-portraits in the first month of school. A lot can be said by just taking the time to look at what they have created. I think with anything a student does, whether it is a story they wrote, a picture they drew, or a math problem they finished, it is so amazing to see them through the process of completion. The appreciation they have for themselves as they are working on finishing something is amazing to watch.
I really appreciate the thoughtfulness you have in your post about what you witnessed with that student. It is clear you have taken the time to really think about what it means to sit with a student and discuss art. It is important that we keep art alive in the classrooms and allow children to have opportunities to be creative in every subject matter!
How intriguing that the students' names are not with their portraits. Because of this, I find myself studying the features; the ears, the mouths, the colors. The eyebrows or lack of eyebrows bring different stories to the eyes. Your comment is poignant regarding how we look at a kid's work and the respect for the child's process. Your response allowed more space for you both to continue seeing her work, to create alternate ways of seeing.
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