And NOT so open ended art
Speaking of open ended art, I’ve been pretty frustrated at the complete lack of open endedness or ANY artisitc self expression at Kidlet’s school. At least in my son’s class. I’m not sure if that’s standard, or just his teacher. She’s been teaching 20 some odd years, but she taught second grade until last year.  Last year she did a couple hours in the K classrooms a day. This year is the first that she has been a full time K teacher. So I wonder if she is pushing them because she doesn’t have realistic expectations of what 5 and 6 year olds can produce or if she is just that rigid.Â
I’ve seen my son’s K teacher correct kids even during simple art projects, encouraging them to do it “right”. It’s been a real struggle for me to watch, as (especially in art) I’ve always encouraged him to express it as he sees it, that things don’t have to look a certain way, etc.Â
For instance, they were making pumpkins, cutting features from pages with multiple choices of eyes, nose, etc to glue down on thier pumpkin bases, and she was really riding them to cut out the pieces so no white would show on the edges, because the white was “wrong”. It was “wrong” if the nose ended up any place except centered under the eyes, etc. When she was asking them to write thier names on it, she says “what would happen if you wrote your name in big letters across the top? that’s right, it would ruin it. So write your name in small letters at the very bottom,” and so on. Heck, kidlet might actually carve his name across a real pumpkin (assuming he could carve at all); what’s so bad about putting it across his pumpkins forehead?
I can understand wanting kids to get letters/numbers/other academic things “correct” but in art?
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mean to rag on her, because in so many other ways, she is a terrific teacher. She’s been just wonderful working with us, helping kidlet overcome his behavioral challenges (he is high energy, and struggles with transition times, and has had a few major meltdowns). She does seem to have high expectations for the kids, and I actually think that’s been good for the most part. The kids are stepping up to meet those expectations; thier work really has improved dramatically for as little time as she has had with them so far.
I just wonder if I am being oversensitive, and if the push to do things correctly even in art is something they need at this age, or if she is stifling thier creativity and if I should speak to her or not about it.
In my oppinion I agree with you 100%. After all art is a reflection of how we see things. Especially in children, this is how they develop their imaginagions. If we corrected everybody’s art, we would never have the greatest artests and pieces of art work that we have.
I had a teacher one time tell me that my children were not suppose to have an imagination….I guess now you know why I homeschool!
I don’t think you’re being oversensitive. I think kids today are being pushed in all areas way too much. There are some things they should be allowed to do their own way, like art. If the want their name covering their pumpkins and it’s nose on it’s side then who is it hurting? Kindergartners should not be so worried about being perfect.
Maybe you could mention this to her. You can always bring out how her method is also good because it does teach them how to use materials the correct way. Then mention how you feel about adding one or two projects where they can take what they have learned from her teaching and make whatever they want.
Thanks for the feedback! DH thought that maybe I was overreacting. I think I will bring it up to her. Zonnah, that’s a very diplomatic way to approach it! I was trying to figure out how I could even say anything without putting her on the defensive. But I think pointing out the positive side of her approach will really diffuse that. I just didn’t think of a positive aspect, so thanks!
@debbie: Not supposed to have an imagination? Eeeks! I don’t know what I would do if that were what I heard from the teacher. I have considered homeschooling, debated it back and forth. But I don’t have much of a social life, and we don’t have friends with kids and such. I’m afraid he would end up feeling as isolated as *I* often do, because I would struggle to find him play dates and get enough out of the house activities and social interaction. He *loves* other children so much. Not a loner in any sense. Even when other kids his age were still only into parallel play, he wanted to play WITH other children. I tried to find local homeschooling support / play groups or something like that, but didn’t have much luck there =(