The dot

When I retired from teaching, I was given two copies of the same book by friends. I kept one and donated the other to the school library. The book is called "The Dot" by Peter H. Reynolds and published by Candlewick Press (www.candlewick.com). The inscription on the inside of the one that I kept reads "Karen - You are this teacher! Don't ever forget that! love, Peter" No. it is not the Peter who wrote the book but my friend Peter whom I mentored as a new teacher and then collaborated with on a number of interdisciplinary lessons.

Yesterday when I wrote about not always being able to create just because someone says it is time to do so, I thought about this book. The basic story is about a little girl who says she cannot draw. The teacher encourages her to just make a mark and she makes a dot and says there! How the teacher uses this dot to encourage her to explore her creativity is the remainder of the story.

I always told the parents of my students that some of the hardest thinking their children would do during their school years would happen in the art room. Think how intimidating it is for someone to give you a blank piece of paper and say draw something. Most adults respond that they can't draw a straight line. I always respond, "Good! That is why they make rulers and straight edges."

Don't get me wrong. I know that doing math or writing sentences for your spelling words is not easy for children. With those subjects, however, there is a place to go to find the right answer. In art the answer lies within you. What is the story I what to tell? What color makes me feel happy, sad or excited? How does that object look to me? What shapes do I need? These are just some of the questions that the child needs to answer as they explore the visual communication process. Are there wrong answers? Some of the answers are more pleasant than others but that doesn't make them wrong. Often the picture that did not work is the one that teaches us the most. It helps us to develop aesthetic judgment or to work on creating a clearer image next time. There are incorrect ways to use the materials or tools but that is why the art teacher shows how to use the tools or materials before they start. (Modeling how to use the tools or materials is one of the important skills of teaching.)

If you get a chance, read "The Dot." Then get a piece of paper and a marker and start exploring your ideas. Remember that a line is just proof that a dot has moved around the page.
Have fun!