Elementary School Art Class

I had such an amazing time at Sackett Elementary School and William D'Abate Elementary School that I forgot the two weeks were for a school project. Nina and I spent each day shadowing the art teacher through her K-5 classes. The children were so excited to have us there and we were showered with hugs daily from the little ones. Ms. Meyers, the art teacher, taught her older classes about the color wheel and mixing colors, while she taught her younger kids about drawing family and self portraits. For each class we walked around and helped with any questions the kids might have. This is easier said than done when some classes spoke entirely in spanish. I have to say my knowledge of spanish colors is getting much better though. In the bilingual classes, I was amazed at how much the kids who understood us would help the ones who had trouble understanding english.
For the most part all of the kids we met were amazing and so eager to learn, but there were a few who were known as the "troubled" kids and were very ill-behaved. I tried to talk to them a few times but often they would just completely ignore me, and most times the teachers, and I would have to give up. Disrespecting the teachers was something that really shocked me at these school. At Lincoln, I could never imagine anyone acting in the way that these kids would react to some teachers. Although I believe that both of these schools are amazing and are filled with wonderful teachers, I realized how lucky I was to have the education at Lincoln that most kids are not fortunate enough to have. I really was blessed to grow up with two families, one at Lincoln and one at home.
I learned so much from our time at these schools. The children that we met taught me about the appreciation they have for little things. They are easily excited by the small things, whether it be receiving a pencil from a teacher, or having me graffiti their name on a scrap paper (not very well). I learned that I really loved being with and teaching these young children.This project gave me a look at the different types of school systems in Providence, and their pros and cons. I hope that I will have an opportunity like this again soon.
-----Stacy