Jian Zhi 剪纸

When I was in elementary school, my mother took art classes in the community to learn scherenschnitte. I've never tried it myself, but paper snowflakes are a family legacy, passed down to me from an aunt who has done snowflakes to represent the different twelve days of Christmas.

Now I live in China, and the art of the paper cut is still deeply tied to culture.

I would love to do a unit on the paper cut, making connections across time and throughout cultures to the designs, techniques, and cultural significance of the paper cut. Just a dream. You could easily use the medium to explore symmetrical and asymmetrical designs or positive and negative space, but symbolism, patterning, decoration, line, shape, emphasis, movement, and a host of others could apply. The image on the right is a paper cut that I designed, then digitally manipulated as part of a master's assignment during Chinese New Year last year.

Back in November, I passed on the paper cut unit that only exists in my head to my new TA. I was going to a curriculum meeting in another city and China and would be gone Monday-Wednesday. I only have elementary art Monday-Thursday, so I decided my TA would have a special week, teaching all the elementary classes with an isolated lesson of Chinese art. I had suggested calligraphy, but he preferred paper cutting. I tried to explain the big ideas, enduring understandings, and interdisciplinary connections. How I wanted them to learn the significance in the Chinese culture and relate the designs to concepts they'd been learning with me. Ultimately, it was more of a follow-the-directions lesson emphasizing fine motor skills than a cultural exploration of a medium and its use of symmetrical and asymmetrical designs. But it was a start. I don't think he was comfortable with spending large amounts of time in discussion during the lesson. Presenting images, directing conversation, and educating on the history of the paper cut in China using English. Instead, he preferred to spend the hour on art production.

The results were mixed. Many students were not able to complete the designs he prepared in the class period. And as he is new to teaching at our school, and he hasn't worked with my students, classroom management was difficult on both ends. Still it was a learning experience, especially for him.

To celebrate for Chinese New Year, I asked him to create a display of some of the work, finished or unfinished, on the two bulletin boards in our hallway. The words were a struggle, as I insisted he cut them out of paper, not print them from a computer and staple the copy paper onto the white background. It's a board on paper cuts, so paper cut words further illustrate the concept. The English is literal translations of common Chinese New Year sayings. I wish all the paper cuts were done on the bright paper, not the pastel used in the bottom left of one board.

Otherwise, I think the boards are a festive way to display this one day venture into a traditional Chinese art form and decorate the school for Chinese New Year.

The Class Pet

After our 5 week hiatus from school, I came back to a classroom with a new resident: Mr. Moth.

At least I'm guessing he's a moth. He's got wings but a very large body, like that of a carpenter bee. I call him a moth because it's less scary than the alternatives.

He first came out to play during a prep period. His buzzing wings startled me, but I decided to leave him alone.

          He'd find his way out eventually.

One day, he came out in front of the students. Fourth graders, to be exact. They weren't so fond of him. Screaming, hiding under the table, refusing to do work. I wanted them to ignore him, as I'd done earlier, but it quickly became clear that other actions were necessary. Since he was drawn to the light, we turned out all the lights and shut the blinds, save one open window. It was cold, but we suffered the drop in temperature, in hopes he would fly out. Nope. I even trapped him under the blinds and tried to push him towards the window, but he managed to get free. Eventually, he settled down and went back to hiding from the students.

          Until today.

In the middle of third grade art, he decided to stretch his wings. Not willing to sacrifice work time again, I quickly announced "That's the class pet." What? "Yeah. He's a moth and he's the class pet. He's been living here since Christmas break. I promise he won't hurt anyone."

Well not only did we avoid the complete chaos of the fourth grade freak out session, we made a friend. By the end of the period, third grade had developed a list of names and voted on their favorites. I approve of all the top-rated names. Mothy, Dumpling, Arty, Fly Guy, and Junior M. You can see them listed on the board below, along with some less popular options. Mothy is my least favorite. Dumpling is just funny because we live in China. Arty--perfect for the art room! Fly Guy has a great rhyme for a flying creature. And Junior M, well that's in honor of me, Miss M.

I'm thinking if Mr. Moth makes an appearance in any more classes, I'll let them vote on this list of five.

Five weeks is a long break!

We were back to school today and it's been lovely. Cold. Very cold. But lovely. And I don't just mean the snow flurries outside my classroom window.

I was feeling guilty this morning when a friend said "I'm excited to see the students but I'm not excited for the work."

     Oh yeah, the students.

Somehow, in this five-plus week long vacation combining Christmas, New Year, and Chinese New Year, I'd forgotten about the students. Only once in my escapades through North America (ok, really just the greater Philadelphia area) did I think about those fabulous 150 kids waiting for me when I came back to 中国. And this morning, when the alarm went off, they were the farthest from my mind. I could only think of the work awaiting in my frozen classroom---a bitter 5 degrees Celsius. But today was the first day of the Renaissance in AP Art History, and two lovely classes of fifth graders and third graders spent their lessons peacefully drawing. We learned to grid cartoons and to draw 3D solids (the cake lesson), going step-by-step on the whiteboard and in their sketchbooks. 5th grade enjoyed some Mat Kearney tunes as they drew. And we chatted about break and how I colored my hair and how I sound like one student's mom (note to self: tame down the sarcasm with this sassy but sweet third grader) and how their sister painted cakes when she was in 3rd grade.

Tomorrow includes new lessons. Not the comfort of today's lessons, but the excitement of clay looms for radial weavings and all the kinks we are sure to hit along the way.

And my TA is updating the bulletin boards. I took down this year's illuminated manuscripts and he's putting up paper cuts in honor of Chinese New Year (created with 1st through 5th grade when he subbed for me back in November, while I was at a curriculum meeting in another city).

But tonight, I am just glad to be able to say, in all sincerity, my first day back was lovely. It's good to be back.

Mumtaz Memorial

I was getting bored with the board, so I changed out the Sydney Opera house for this memorial to Mumtaz Mahal. (It has been almost a month for the first display.) This board will take us through December, being on display for just about30 days by the time we break for the holidays.

I was excited to feature the Taj Mahal because it represents a different nationality in our student body (India was the country of study for our middle school students during Global Village Day) and because I just taught the structure to my AP Art History students. Lastly, it was extra cool because I rediscovered these famous landmarks cards, cut from a poster purchased this summer at my trusty standby, French Wal-mart. Less than a dollar for the poster--I love that store!

Gorilla, what?

You know that moment, when the students aren't working on their projects. There's even a group clumped together, out of their seats, and they're all off-task.

Kids, get back to work.

But Miss M, Joey drew a gorilla!

Umm what? How did he manage to draw a gorilla? He should be drawing his Modigliani self-portrait...

And then I went to check it out, and, well, he had drawn a gorilla! I mean, in the same way that people find a potato chip shaped like the Virgin Mary or a grilled cheese with the face of Jesus, yes, Joey had in fact managed to accidentally draw a gorilla as he was coloring his neck.

At which point in time, I became the off-task teacher who went to get the camera and document this masterpiece.