The one where: The teacher told me to do less art.
I still get surprised by the gulf between students abilities to carry out the same task!
We made cardboard models of school in Malawi today. Not as random as it sounds because this school is twinned with a school in Malawi and our project I think may be called ‘Discovering Malawi’. The working title currently is ‘a project with maths and architecture’?
I was also a little surprised when the teacher said could we do a little less art and keep it more like a normal lesson………….. Its sounds a little odd put like that, but that was the request.
So next week then, literary research, followed by engaging and responding to texts, we might develop and refine ideas in writing using planning and problem solving stratergies. And then do some art.
This poor school has such little space I have brought the childrens work home with me, as there is no room to store A1 size sheets of card.
The one where: We made the tallest snowman in Kent.
Cos of about 6 inches of snow ‘the people’ reclaimed the streets today. Everyone was walking across the road, along the road, around the roads and in the roads, with total abandonment of any fear or thought for traffic.
A kind of good natured anarchy reigned all day.
We built a feckoff snownman. 2.95m high, thats just under 10 feet in old money.
Tommorrow ……….an igloo!
post script: Our snowman was on the front page of the local paper.
St. Georges.
Both my school projects are either called St. Georges or St. George plays a large roll in school life! bizare!
I was suposed to have an interview today near Worcester, but it has now been rescheduled till the new year. This means I will go to Canturbury instead to buy some materials for my medium sized school project.
My medium sized school project is actually in a very very small school, I understand it was built in 1861 in the ‘Kentish Vernacular’ style and is the oldest purpose built school in the country? I played ‘iter’ (I called it ‘had’ but that was all wrong) with the children at play time. The playground was considerably smaller than my father’s back garden in a greater london 3 bedroom semi. This size issue reflects through all aspects of school life and must be a challenge for all who work there.
I went to Assembly where the year 6 pupils presented information to the whole school about their trip to the houses of Parliament.
What was unusuall about this assembly was that it was in St. Georges Church which is next door to the school. Vivaldi music was played while we waited for all the classes to arrive and I felt the whole church experience envelop me?
Afterwards I watched the children being collected in Porche Cayen’s, Range Rover Vouges and other 4×4’s, most cars were 3 years old or newer. I dont remember seeing any kids from ethnic backgrounds, only white UK, but I did see many aspirational parents. Anne Widicome is the local MP. These are what some may describe as privileged children. Compare these children to my large school project, where the children in ‘the transition group’ have left violent places in Brazil and Eastern Europe. English is not the first language, and other pupils with irregular home life and learning and behavioural problems.
‘The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side’.
The final piece of feed back on my last post is rather idealistic, the reality is a little more complex than that. I do have the best job ever, but like most jobs it has parts less glamourus that get passed over unseen.
That particular job had me forking out well over £300 for materials from my own money just before xmas. Invoice and reimbursement totals are posted, but payment next year probably. Now I am fortunate in that I have saved enough capital to cover these things, but that is not the point, the client does not know that and should they expect the artist to cover such costs? If I were a builder carrying out a small job, or a plummer I would undoubtedly be treated in the same way.
Anyway, I do have a fantastic job, but moaning is something we all do from time to time. Its lonley in the workshop day after day and often things occupy the mind in an unhealthy way. I envy people who have their workshops and studios in a complex with other artists in the same building, this must have an atmoshere like the one I remember at collage. My situation is lonely, but I dont have a lease or rental payments as I work from home. So; the grass is always greener on the other side.
My Small School Project.
This is finished now. A school with special arts status asked me to work with them to contruct a mosaic.
To cut a long storey short, it was very intense, ofstead praised it, the students enjoyed it, the loutish 6th formers said it was amazing, the deputy head was very impressed.
Writen comments from the pupils;
‘It was a brilliant two day workshop’
‘we learned about materials and tools’
‘Really fun couple of days, loved every second of it’.
‘I loved it yesterday and today it was so fun. The best part was having my friends around and working as a team’.
‘The best thing was seeing the end product’
‘We thought it was going really badly, but it turned out really well in the end’.
‘Rob has the best job ever’
