2nd Grade Art Student Leads the Way

It was very rewarding to see our kindergarden through second grade leaders address their parents and relatives last night at Open House. Its hard enough for us adults to talk to a large crowd, but to see our youngest students do it so well made the evening a huge success. As parents and students were leaving to say goodnight, a new second grade student came up to me and asked if she could show her parents the art room. As we walked down the hall, she chatted away about how much she loves art, and her parents told me that she couldn't wait to show them the art room. When we walked inside she immediately started to explain how the tables are divided by color, and she demonstrated to her parents in detail EXACTLY how to use the drying rack, pretending to put a wet painting inside the correct slot. Then she directed them to the sink where she showed them how to scrub quickly while singing the art clean-up song "One, two, three, A, B, C, drop the scrubbie!" Then she told her mom "You have to carefully hold the counter top with one hand, while stepping down to take only one paper towel to dry your hands". I was truly amazed at how I didn't have to say a word while my young art student continued with her tour of the art room. She asked if I could show her parents what she is currently working on, and of course I couldn't wait to show them her beautiful drawing. She beamed with pride as she explained the "Reflections" project and theme, telling her parents how she completed the "Together We Can..." statement. Her idea is "Together We Can Change the Planet" and she explained how she first had to think of pictures that go along with her idea, and use those pictures to create a composition. As I watched and listened to this amazing girl, I realized just how much we really do influence our students everyday. She reminded me of a gallery docent, repeating everything I have taught my students in class to perfection. Unfortunatley, we can never truly know the impact that we have on our students, but it was amazing for me to witness my second grade art student lead a thorough tour of the art room for her proud parents.