I wondered how to make this milestone episode special. When I thought back to all the episodes, there is one thread that runs through them. And that is that no matter where you teach art, how you teach art or what stage you are at in your teaching journey…you are not alone.
We’re here for you.
When I began teaching art in 2004 and had no idea how to teach kids, there was someone there for me, too. An hour after I was offer the job, I went to borders and bought Drawing with Children by Mona Brooke’s. I knew I struck gold. I flipped through the pages and chapter headings caught my eye…
Giving the artist the permission to unfold Creating a Supportive Climate Talk like an adult, with non judgment How we see….
The book didn’t focus on standards or academic tie-ins, it shared a strong philosophy on how to teach children to draw.
It was about what was possible.
I read the book in a few nights and felt so confident about teaching that I literally didn’t plan any lessons other than drawing with the kids for the first few weeks.
That was then, and I still refer to Mona’s instructions every now and again.
When we finally secured an interview time, I was giddy with excitement. I wasn’t sure how the interview would go.
We talked about the evolution of the book, Drawing with Children, and how it was created…the publicity, the backlash, and how it ended up a franchise.
It’s a fascinating story of how one idea channels into so many directions until in the end, it circles back to the origins. I hope it inspires you to push, dream and circle back.
