The same.... but different.....

Yesterday we were at a rural school and worked with the entire student body, Grade 3 through 12, all 17 of them. It was a wonderful day. We were there last year and again this year with basically the same workshop….. do what you like.  It is both fun and challenging to direct 17 people in 17 different directions all at the same time.  We all started with a pinch pot and went from there. I will have pictures Friday or Saturday to show you just how well they did. We are firing their work and the projects are in the basement drying.  There was a boy in Grade 3 that made a beaver using a method we usually only teach to student Grade 7 and up.  We didn’t tell him it was an advanced project, and he did just fine. It is a private, religious school and the children lead sheltered lives, but what a great bunch of kids.  Nice, polite, fun to joke with, they worked very hard and did great work. We don’t make a lot of money doing one workshop a day for 17 students, but what we don’t make in profit, we make up for in the sharing our art with the kids.  It feels like we really give them something, they really enjoy it.  

Today was a great day as well, but with a much different energy. The morning started the same as most, two workshops of 20 students back to back. They were Grade 1 and we made The Madonna and Child for Mother’s Day.  We didn’t get any pictures, it was busy and sometimes we just don’t. When we do Air Dry, if the workshops are busy and pictures are not taken, the projects stay at the school and the opportunity is lost.  The afternoon however, was a little different than most. We did two Grade 2’s at the same time, forty very excited children in one classroom all making Light Houses. Again, they were a great bunch of kids but with a very different energy than yesterday afternoon with 17 quiet older and self directed students from the private school. These guys today were a little on the wild side, but in a great play with the clay kinda way. It was very flattering. We worked with them last year and made same Madonna and Child and they all remembered us and many remembered our names, Mr. and Mrs. Clay.  Some remembered our silly jokes and rhymes we use to teach the lesson. These kids saw us for 90 minutes a year ago and they knew us, we got hugs and smiles it was great.  How many things in the past year have they been told and forgotten?  Sometimes, either a large class or small, we feel like we are making a difference, these kids really had a blast with the clay. We didn’t get pictures of the Light Houses either because they were Air Dry as well and with about 50 people in the classroom all working and talking at once, it was a little intense.

Tomorrow, two classes of picture frames for Mother’s Day. Again….. pictures to follow on the weekend.

Cheers,

Cindy Clarke

The Clay Teacher