I love a good surprise especially when it comes from a student. I have taught this student since she was in the first grade. She has always been sweet. She has always been shy. She has always done okay in class. She never seemed too interested but would complete the assignments. Then this year when she started the fifth grade, her last year with us, she just blossomed. She has done some incredible work in my class this year. The fifth grade art club also wanted to draw roses but I wanted them to have more of a challenge. We painted them with watercolor and practiced making value using washes.
Most of the students did not get to finish or took them home to add their final touches because we had to wrap up art club a little early this year. However, this student was determined and asked to come back even after everyone else was gone.
Most of the other students never saw her work on it and the students who were not in art club had no idea we even did the project until I passed them out to go home. Her peers were floored. They all kept praising her and telling her how much they loved it. She kept her head down, slightly embarrassed the whole time, but I could see it. While she was trying to keep working and trying to make it look like she wasn’t listening it was there. That ear to ear smile we all hope to see our students achieve.
