When was the last time you picked a dandelion and gave it to someone?
Isn't it funny how dandelions are rare and precious and perfect to children?
They blow their seeds and make wishes in the spring and then pick their
yellow faces in the fall and give them to their teachers.
When did we stop picking them to share with others?
Was it when we found out they were just weeds and got in the way of pretty lawns and perfect grass?
Children view our world so differently than we do.
They see.
They hear.
They experience.
Leaves become people
Sand makes castles.
Dirt doesn't hurt.
And blowing bubbles is beautiful.
Being an educator is a gift. It is a blessing to watch children learn and create.
And one of THE BEST parts of my job is watching children illustrate their writing.
I usually turn on music, sometimes I let them pick. And I just watch in awe as they create.
No pretenses. No perfection. No rules.
It's refreshing.
Sometimes, I myself, try to draw like a kid.
It doesn't work.
Because somewhere between being little and becoming big, I learned about perfect circles, and perfect squares. And I got caught up in making the perfect star to place on top of the perfect Christmas tree.
We pay money for fine art, for perfect lines and perfect strokes.
We graze in galleries and admire the work of the worlds finest.
But no matter what I see.
Children will always be my favorite artists.
They inspire my art.
My thinking.
And my teaching.
Until tomorrow,
Andrea
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