There were many joy moments in my travels to Jamaica this year. Teaching art with Lisa Perry at Broughton Primary the first week came with a number of joy moments. Lisa and I have taught art together for three years. We met in Jamaica on a SuperKids volunteer project in Ocho Rios three years ago, when we were roommates. Lisa and I complement each other well in our creative minds and practical teaching of the art projects. This year Lisa brought materials for a large variety of projects, one of which was for the sixth graders at Broughton Primary to paint their own wood pictures frame. This was a two day project with the first day the students painted the base coat. The children were natural artists, designing a variety of patterns and utilizing many different colors. We had a parent volunteer who joined the class and produced a lovely frame. This class had many students with just a chalkboard separating it from the 5th grade class. There was a moment of intent silence as the students were designing their frames. Lisa and I were able to walk around and support the students in their art projects.
On the second day of the project the students added beads and jewels to the front of their frames. They placed them in different designs and glued them on. With some of the students finishing quickly, we had them write down what they had each learned through the art projects that week. One student wrote, “I learnt that if some thing did not turn out like how you planned in art class it is still perfect. I learnt about myself that I could design.” Another student wrote, “I love art because it is very fun and skillful and art cannot be mest up.”
-Jen