#66Challenge
One thing about teaching the week before break: a teacher can either drive themselves and students crazy cracking down on work, or they can relax a little into the holiday spirit and use the available energy in a different way. This has been my mode of operation for years, and this year was no exception.
This year we took a day to create our own Coat of Arms. In the early days of my teaching, kids could dive right into art activities with joy. But with the loss of creative endeavors in grade school because of standardized testing pressures, I’ve watched a slow decline in my students’ ability to embrace art.
And I feel complicit as well, since this is probably the first art activity we have done since August. All I can say is the pressure on teachers and students is real and oppressive.
Still, many dove in and, using the suggested ideas (most from the Middle Ages) proceeded in creating their own “shield” which represents who they are through color, animals, and symbols. The variety I have here is a good representation of the diversity of young people I teach: each a unique individual with their own story to tell.
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