When I initially began volunteering to facilitate the Meet the Masters program, I had no idea how fascinating interpreting children’s artwork would be. The number of secrets that could be discovered inside the children’s drawings was startling to a layperson as myself.
The Meet the Masters Program
If you are unfamiliar with it, Meet The Masters was an art program at the public elementary school that all three of my children attended. I consider myself blessed to be chosen as a volunteer. It is a terrific art curriculum that can be used in the classroom or through homeschooling.
At their particular school, the program was funded by the PTA/PTO and run entirely by a volunteer staff. Each grade received several sets of large art prints showcasing the work of the Great Masters. On the back, we could find information about the artist along with project suggestions. Parents like myself would go into the classroom once a month with two of these reproduction works to show the children.
Personally, I would read the pre-printed information from the backs, which gave us information regarding when and where the artist lived, where they attended school, usually an interesting tidbit about their life, and then the facts about that particular piece.
After going over both works, there were question suggestions to help the children discuss everything more in-depth and assist them in learning how to compare and contrast works of art. To ensure participation, I brought little treats to hand out encouraging more thoughtful answers and discussions.
Time To Draw (Opportunities for Interpreting Children’s Artwork)
Once the informational section was finished, it was time to hand out drawing supplies for the craft/artwork we would do that day. There were times I used the suggested project, but most other times, I would use my own ideas, as I did with the Artist Trading Cards (known as ATCs). I was inspired after picking up Bernie Berlin’s book “Artist Trading Card Workshop: Create, Collect, Swap“.
If you have never heard of ATCs, think about a baseball card or a Pokemon card but each one is original and handmade by an artist. The intent behind a true Artist Trading Card is that they are meant to be traded (hence the name) and never sold. I loved the idea of children creating and trading their own mini-masterpieces, so each year that I participated in that volunteer program, I found an artist’s work that would suit this project.
The night before, I used my trusty Fiskars Paper Cutter to cut out 2 1/2″ by 3 1/2″ rectangles out of heavy white card stock. Depending on my mood, the class could use crayons, colored pencils, markers, or paints. I would also consider the lesson’s topic and the teacher’s preference.
I did this project in one particular school year, with two 2nd-grade classes and one 5th-grade class. I instructed them to create a self-portrait on one side of the card using colored pencils. For the 5th graders, I added that they needed to draw themselves doing the job they wanted to have as an adults. On the back of the card, they were to write their name, date of portrait, birth date, and one fun fact about themselves.
Revealing Truths and Interpreting Children’s Artwork
The secrets revealed in the children’s drawings never failed to leave me in awe of their creativity and the glimpses I got into how their minds worked regarding their sense of self-worth.
I am thrilled to share that the second-grade classes were all wonderfully positive when it came to the “fun fact” they wrote about themselves. From the simple “I am nice.” to the proud “I am the fastest runner.” and “I am a great friend.”.
Each one of those 40 or so students wrote something nice about themselves.
When it came to the 5th graders, it wasn’t quite the same, though.
Unfortunately, only one boy wrote, “I am a good football player.” Almost all the other children either wrote about things they liked outside of themselves or turned their writing into a joke.
There was a piece that caused me to take a moment and admire his bravery and, I guess, his self-awareness. It read: “Most of the time, I am shy, so I don’t deal well with most strangers.” He drew himself to be a doctor, and I think he will be a wonderful one.
The one that broke my heart read,
“I am stupid and that is why I am funny.”
I waited until the teacher had the class all focused on something and took the opportunity to pull this girl aside privately. She confirmed that she meant what she wrote and I was surprised that the entire class didn’t hear my heart shatter into pieces for this beautiful soul.
I explained to her that it wasn’t acceptable to be mean to herself like that. In a strong voice, I told her I didn’t care about what kind of grades she got because everyone is smart in different ways. I made sure she understood that she was to never think of herself as not smart again. But I knew telling her would not be enough. She wouldn’t believe me; I knew that from experience.
So, I asked her what she was good at. It was thrilling that she was able to list a few things (I wish I could remember, but it was beautiful). That allowed me to point out that all of those things needed intelligence. I also shared that having a great sense of humor required its brand of braininess. I wish I had words to describe the look on her face, as it was visible that what I said had sunk in. She readily agreed to change the back of her card to read:
“I am smart and that is why I am funny.”
I hope she heard my voice echo louder than hers the next time she was mean to herself.
As someone who deals with ADHD, depression, and low self-esteem, I think I drew my approach to the situation from something I learned from Bryon Katie and her book, “Loving What Is.” I consider myself very lucky to have stumbled on a video clip of one of her talks, which she was discussing with someone who had very similar issues to mine. The woman made a self-deprecating remark about being useless or worthless, and Bryon Katie turned to her and asked, “Is that true?”. This, of course, threw the woman off-guard. So it was repeated — You said that you were worthless. Is it true?
That was one of those personal lightbulb moments, and I remember bursting into tears as the woman responded, “I guess not.”. Bryon Katie worked with her for a while because the moment the woman said anything remotely kind about herself, it was followed with a *BUT*, and again the question would be posed, “Is that true? It is really true?”. And they would break down the little parts of it until she could get to the core … that she wasn’t useless — she wasn’t unworthy.
When I agreed to volunteer, it did not occur to me that interpreting children’s artwork would be part of the agenda. The insight I gained into the self-esteem of those children through their drawings was a true gift. I loved how art allowed them this almost secret ability to open up about themselves on so many levels.
What also occurred to me was the incredible difference in how children see themselves as they age. I want to know what happens to them between the 2nd and 5th grades that causes them to lose self-confidence. More importantly, how can we help them rediscover it? What other hidden secrets are in children’s artwork if we take the time to look and talk about it?
In addition to being a Meet the Masters volunteer, I often tried to be a room mom for each child every year. For more classroom art and craft ideas, check out my Spring Fling Party or End of Year Party posts.
P.S. For the record, none of the examples shown belonged to the girl in the story.
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