Macaroni and Paper Mache

 

 

And now introducing.......MRS. EDWARDS!  The kids go wild!  They sit on the edge of their seats, they oooooo and ahhhhhhhh whenever I show a sample of my work.  They gaze up seeing me as a rock star of the art world.  I beam, basking in their appreciation.  And then...

If it had been a concert the lighters would have started to flicker off and the sing-a-long voices would have started to fade.  Even though I had planned well for my classroom visit in Wasilla the kids were struggling. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?  I had really made sure the project would match their age group ability and yet clearly they were struggling.

Every class I adjusted and even though things improved the big 'TA-DA look what you just created!' moment was missing.  I was relieved when lunch arrived.  I needed to new plan and FAST!  While munching and pondering I started chatting with a local teacher.  I expressed my frustration.  "We have no art classes here" she said. "The simplest concept of line and shape these kids don't get, they haven't been taught." Please insert your horrified gasp here. GASP! No art classes?  Are you serious?

I was a creative kid and having a brother 2 years older than me was beneficial.  I knew what big art projects were in my future classes. I couldn't WAIT for 4th grade where we got to design with markers a real, live plastic dinner plate.  You could even put it in the dishwasher!  Or the metal project where we got to tap in a design into tin.  ( I knew for a year mine was going to be Snoopy)  There was the wood shop project where we got be make a recipe card holder.  (To this day my mom is still using the holder my brother made). I can not imagine not having art in school.  Every year I looked forward to all the little and especially the big projects.

I quickly got busy.  These kids would have their TA-DA moment.  Poor art-less babies, what has this world come to?  Imagine if I had no Mrs. Roslanic to encourage, counsel and eye roll at me through my high school years.  Would I have pursued art?

Well, I did it.  I came up with a project that the last two classes loved.  The room became filled with, "Mrs. Edwards, look at mine!"  Ahhhhh, music to my ears.

I know money is tight and there are constant budget wars and conflicts.  But a world without macaroni art?  None of us want that to happen.