Teeter-totter
Teeter-totter
This is my "Playmate" for the past 49 years, 9 months and 14 days.
This week I want to say something else about teachers. Let me begin by relating an experience that I had a great number of years ago.
As Recreation Supervisor of Special activities I was very anxious to try and include art and related activities into my area of responsibilities. One idea was to have a Santa Barbara County portrait artist show sponsored by the Recreation Department. I sought for approval to have the show at the popular Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Public Library. It was approved and I went forward, seeking to notify all County artists of the opportunity. In publicizing the event, I took the occasion to visit several Adult Education Classes and made announcements there.
At one class, after I made the announcement, the woman teacher said, “You have a great head. You would make a great model.” I said, “No thanks, I am studying art myself.”
“Oh, with whom do you study?”
“Claude Buck,” was my proud reply. I HEARD SNICKERS IN THE ROOM! I was so upset, I wanted to slug someone! I knew that Claude Buck’s name had not been revered in that class.
Let me make a point. When our children were small I would take them to a playground where they enjoyed many different apparatuses. One we particularly enjoyed was the teeter-totter.
What made the teeter totter special was that I could teeter with one child or several of the children at the same time. All I had to do was to move forward or backward on my side of the teeter and it balanced the other side.
But one truth remained in effect. One side had to go down in order for the other side to rise, and so forth.
Consider how this teeter-totter principle should not apply to art teachers. Students need never pull another teacher down, in order for his/her teacher to look better. And art teachers--you do not pull another artist or teacher down in order to advance your own art importance.
This week I want to say something else about teachers. Let me begin by relating an experience that I had a great number of years ago.
As Recreation Supervisor of Special activities I was very anxious to try and include art and related activities into my area of responsibilities. One idea was to have a Santa Barbara County portrait artist show sponsored by the Recreation Department. I sought for approval to have the show at the popular Faulkner Gallery of the Santa Barbara Public Library. It was approved and I went forward, seeking to notify all County artists of the opportunity. In publicizing the event, I took the occasion to visit several Adult Education Classes and made announcements there.
At one class, after I made the announcement, the woman teacher said, “You have a great head. You would make a great model.” I said, “No thanks, I am studying art myself.”
“Oh, with whom do you study?”
“Claude Buck,” was my proud reply. I HEARD SNICKERS IN THE ROOM! I was so upset, I wanted to slug someone! I knew that Claude Buck’s name had not been revered in that class.
Let me make a point. When our children were small I would take them to a playground where they enjoyed many different apparatuses. One we particularly enjoyed was the teeter-totter.
What made the teeter totter special was that I could teeter with one child or several of the children at the same time. All I had to do was to move forward or backward on my side of the teeter and it balanced the other side.
But one truth remained in effect. One side had to go down in order for the other side to rise, and so forth.
Consider how this teeter-totter principle should not apply to art teachers. Students need never pull another teacher down, in order for his/her teacher to look better. And art teachers--you do not pull another artist or teacher down in order to advance your own art importance.
Let's all enjoy the "Art" playground together!
posted by Buck Paulson @ 6:53 AM
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