Interpretive Dance

In the art room, more often than not, the function is more therapeutic than instructional. This is ok with me. I don't get very much time with most of my students. Only a small percentage stay with us for more than a month.

So I have to often evaluate, what's the most important thing I do with them? Is it more important that they learn how the color wheel works or is it more important that they feel a little self worth and accomplishment? Of course I strive for both, but when push comes to shove, I'll go after the latter.

The therapeutic function is, again, more often than not, a temporary relief. I can't fix those kids, gosh darn it! Say it like Sarah Palin. But I am fairly good at getting them into the aesthetic moment. Read more about the aesthetic moment here.

This is a very different objective from art making and any standards the state and school district might want me to teach.

Frankly, my dear...

Some of kids that are with me longer develop a deeper trust with me and reach out for a deeper aesthetic moment. I use everything at my disposal to bring them along.

Today, with my girls, out of the six in class (yes, I'm extremely spoiled with small classes) two were on zero status (loss of privileges due to bad behavior), one was crying over an incident that occurred last week, two were getting ready to leave the facility and had short-timers disease and the last was pining away for someone she couldn't have contact with. Oy.

The short-timers and zero status are easy. Get to work!

The crier...I gave her some lavender lotion, a tissue and when the Isley Brothers came up on my famous r&b playlist, she busted right out in song to "That Lady".

The piner, she's taken a while to warm up to me, but every day she initiates a conversation with me about being an art teacher then proceeds to ask about this, that or the other thing. Today's problem was "What do you do when you when you want to tell someone you have feelings for them but can't tell them and all you want to do is scream?" After a few questions about the specific situation...she can't have any contact with who ever this person is while she's locked up...I gave her some options. I told her she could write letters to the person and send them when she gets out. I told her she could journal. And, of course, do her art. Then to lighten the tone of her teen angst, I told her she could do interpretive dance.

Um...yea...she got out of her seat and actually did some. It was very dramatic, very romantic and very teen angst.

And she felt better afterwards.