Dann's Portait of His Mother

After a lesson explaining the use of contour lines, I was so impressed by Dann’s understanding of this lesson and his ability to break down a portrait into simple shapes. We spent the next lesson learning about color blocking and he did a beautiful job abstracting his portrait of his mother. There is a strong balance between abstraction and representational aspects of this piece.

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Student Work

When I taught Kindergarten in South Korea, my first 6 months felt like absolute chaos. I wanted to establish a learning environment that was safe, welcoming and conducive for learning but without using tactics of fear, negative feedback, or by dominating the space. I knew as the teacher, it was my responsibility to create an environment of order and structure, but I also felt that the classroom was our shared space and learning was our shared goal. I knew my students wanted to learn and were capable of recognizing their own needs and desires. I had to find a way where we could all work together to create a community that supported each other and worked together. This was as important to me as the curriculum. I also knew that if we were able to create this community, we would have the support to work through the curriculum with less of a struggle. But how could I make this happen?

I began with a foundation of mutual respect. All questions were always answered. If I wanted to be listened to, I needed to listen. All rules were explained, when students understood why we needed certain rules, they struggled less with them. We all wanted to create an enjoyable environment, they just needed to know how. I used the 3 to 1 ratio of positive to negative feedback. I invited them to tell me when certain rules, activities or lessons were not working. They learned to express their needs and we would problem solve the situation together. Students that excelled would work as my helper in explaining concepts and lessons to students that struggled. This way we never moved on from a subject without everyone understanding it, advanced students were able to solidify the information by teaching and the environment was encouraging rather than competitive. I used activities that moved the students around the classroom and engaged different parts of their brains. I sat with them at lunch or playtime and listened to them talk about their lives and interests. When I treated them as equals and with respect, I didn’t need to discipline. I love this picture of Dann. He looks content, engaged, comfortable and self-possessed. This environment was one of my greatest achievements, and I deeply cherish the community we created together.

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Channeling Frida

I love Frida Kahlo. I love Frida Kahlo. I love Frida Kahlo. I don’t really care if thats a cliche or unoriginal. I need her. I need proof that someone can live so vivaciously and passionately while facing down death on a daily basis. I’m tired of stories of people with illnesses suffering like heroic angels, never asking for anything or showing any emotion but peace.

I love Frida. I love that she got angry and broke things and locked Diego Rivera (her husband) out of the house. I love that she painted things no one wanted to see. I love that she tried to make sure everyone fell in love with her, because you know what thought plagues me all the time- “Do I let someone love me or not, because I’m sick?” I know it sounds like there’s an obvious answer, but not so much. Because loving someone who is fighting to get their life back is exhausting. Loving someone with so many needs is draining. I hate asking one person for so much. And sick people need so much. Guys I need so much love it’s exhausting.

I’m tired of asking my parents for money. I’m tired of falling in love with work and not being able to go because I’m too sick. I’m tired of dating someone and having to drag my illness along like this skeleton I can’t keep in the closet. I’m tired and angry and sad and want to just be depressed, but also know that physically I demand so much support I can’t imagine asking someone to support me emotionally as well. Thats why I love Frida. She unapologetically asked for everything, experienced sadness, and believed she deserved that.

I guess I’m writing this because I need support. Financially, I haven’t been able to work for a month. I thought maybe it could be fun to have a place where you could donate to my art (like a patron) and if the donation was above $25 I could mail you a collection of prints and sketches from each month, as a sort of thank you.

If you can’t support me financially that’s totally fine. I would just love to hear from you. Any book, music, movie, or podcast suggestion is always appreciated. I love you all so much!