Little by little...

Thank goodness for Friday! Classes went so much better on Friday, thanks to Magda's wonderful advice. I started the class out making nametags - a good task since it kept most of them in their seats and busy for a time. Then, when they were done with that, I took Magda's idea and had each of them draw me a picture- of themselves inside their house, and whoever else lived in their house with them, including their pets. I was curious to see what kind of backgrounds and who my students live with. This turned out to be a perfect assignment and both of the classes got really into it with a little encouragement!

There are some lovely artists and really creative young people!

Magda was telling me how you could learn so much from drawings, and people of all ages express themselves and it comes out in their art- how they are feeling, what experiences they've had, etc. She heard from Marilou- a psychologist that comes to this house once a week to give free sessions to the community here- that sharp lines show an aggression inside the person, as well as really dark coloring. She was also telling me how hands that are drawn really boldly also show an aggression. Psychology is such an interesting thing.

I was surprised to get back some of the drawings and definitely could see there was a lot to learn about my students. There was one student who drew people with body parts separated; there was a space in between the head and the torso, the torso and the legs. Magda told me how the disconnection of body parts represented a disconnection in their lives. Some of my students only wanted to draw in grays and blacks, instead of using their colors.