Art Class

As promised, i model an Art lesson for Ms Menbere following her purile attempt last week to get Art Club students to colour in a cat.

There are some 40 students aged 7 – 11. They’re somewhat surprised to see me at the front of the class, and there is quickly a real sense of expectation here. Not least because they can see i’ve brought in my Notebook.

I tell them how much i love art and i want to share one of several favourite artists. With no projector i’ve been forced to use my Notebook to show them Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers” and ask the students if they recognise the painting. About four have, but none can name the artist. So i show them some of his self portraits, and i highlight his use of line and his blends of interesting colour variants. The kids are genuinely curious and interested.

I further highlight these techniques in Van Gogh’s rural landscapes, highlighting his skies and wheatfields. I then tell them of my travels around Sheshamane (a few hours out of Addis), and how it reminded me of paintings i had seen in Europe, and i show them my photos. And there is genuine recognition on the connection. Respec’!

a rustic scene in Sheshemane 

So then i show them the oil pastels and their eyes light up – literally! I tell them they are all mine and i will only share them with students who can treat them with love and respect. Handle with care or it’s back to wax crayons! I do a model wheat-field showing stroke and colour blends and they’re itching to have a go.

Fortunately Ms Menbere’s room is one of the largest, but there are several pupils who are forced to stand around the four tables. Each table has A5 size paper and i ask them to explore blending and line. They are careful with our new resources, but quite a few just draw rainbows and birds. I go round the room holding up some of the better ones and this spurs others on. They want more time, but i’m hoping i’m only gonna have to do this once, so i have to move them on.

I call them all around to “share.” And they’re proud to share their variable efforts. There are three or four really good ones which we give critical acclaim. We review the wheatfields and a selection of skies and its out with the A4 to at least make a start at a rustic landscape. It’s gotta be said a few are pure shite, but many have made a fair stab at it, and again i get a few impressive compositions in the making. 

But it’s time to pack up, and apart from 1 pastel in one of the four boxes of 36 the rest have survived. Again i feel so proud of the way they show respect to “my” things. Ms Menbere comes over to thank me for the lesson.

“I hope you have at least learnt something from the experience.” And i mean it too. She has to finish off the compositions next week.

The teachers have been too scared and lacking in confidence to have included Art in the curriculum before. Many international schools do have dedicated Art Teachers, but certainly not here. It hurts that students have missed out on such a valuable expressive curricular area and i won’t tolerate its continued absents in my school. Yes it is still mine for now anyway.  

Post Script: I wonder if i am the first Primary Art teacher not to mention Van Gogh’s  ear or suicidal tendencies?