Tuesday, October 26, 2010

"Here teacher. I made this for you!"

I often get students that want me to have the art work they have finished. In fact, over the past few years, I've collected hundreds of such art work and I've tried many ways to encourage the kids to take their work home. I guess I'm just a softy and I couldn't find a comfortable way to refuse artwork.

But this year I've been trying something new (new to me) and it's actually working. I told the kids at the beginning of the year that any and all art work made at school must go home to parents. And any art work they want to give to me, must be made at home. :)

I've actually had many students make me things at home and bring them to school. More importantly, those little art work treasures are going home to parents who can rightfully put them on refrigerators instead of putting them in a collection drawer (which is where those given to me ended up).

And what do I do with those pieces of artwork that are made at home and given to me? I have a special board where they are displayed. It's almost full. Then I'll start putting things up on the walls.

I'd love to hear how others handle the issue of kids wanting to give their work to teachers instead of taking them home.

3 comments:

  1. That's a great way to get kids to take their work home and also it gives them something creative to do at home that they know will be appreciated at school.

    When I was a first grade teacher children were always giving me artsy offerings. I did not know what to do with all of them, so I created a class scrapbook. I just used an old binder I had on hand, and let the class take charge of inserting new goodies into the book. We kept it in the book nook and it was in hot demand!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Awesome to discover you site. As a fellow art educator, advocate, and conspirer. Art is the most important tool a child can take with them on their journey.
    Thanks for what you do. Art and its process make kids transcendent!
    Namaste, Lisa
    http://artismoving.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  3. I tell my students to take it home FIRST and then after parents see it if they want to bring it back then I will gladly take it. I never see it again. I do get lots of art work made at home and I have a box hanging on my door for them to drop it in for me. I hang their precious work here and there and eventually place it in my file:-) Of course there is no file really, but that seems to make the student feel their work is kept safely for years. Sometimes students I run into years later will ask me if I remember the picture they gave me when they were in second grade. I just say it's still in my file. They always smile. You want to, but you just can't keep everything. However, you do want to keep making them feel important...this works for me. I teach K-2 art.
    I love you GOOSe paper idea...I do this, but I like the name you've come up with. We have RAMP each Friday...Rockin' Art Music and PE. I use lots of GOOSe paper on that day! Fun site you have here!

    ReplyDelete