inspiration

I had been expressing my emotions and thoughts through photography for since I was 16 and now I was 19. Soon to be on my own, I wanted to enter the field of education and signed up to be an assistant teacher.

On the day my co-teacher was absent, she left a lesson for us and we proceeded to have our Friday lesson without her, and what a lesson! We discussed Vincent Van Gogh and his life, all about his life, his feelings, and challenges he faced. Along with displaying his images and then playing song on the classroom tape recorder :"Starry Starry Night". We shared the lyrics with the students, making copies so that they could read along as it played. I noticed one of my students; TJ...(a sensitive boy who I bonded with; spending a great deal of time with him and his mom, helping him to build his self confidence in his work, and his own art work), read the words as he heard the song and at the end, kissed the words on the paper and looked to see if anyone saw him. We continued this lesson on Monday too. As the 3rdraders (emotional behavior disorders was the category of these 9 boys and 2 girls in this special education classroom) picked their favorite piece and making their version of it and listened to the song and discuss further, all about Vincent.

During that week the kids were talking about Van Gogh as if he was a friend, they all cared for him, the person and yes they loved the art too but it was when I discovered their connection was to a man expressing his feelings through his artwork. I knew I was onto something! TJ was calling him Vinnie.

Later that year I had an end of school year moment, do we love those?

It was with TJ - he was going to be moving to another country and when he did, he and his family wrote to me for years.

Back to teaching moment; I had walked him to the classroom on that Friday afternoon this was his last day, and he said as he rummaged through his desk; "look I left so many things in my desk I will clean it " I said; "That isn't necessary T...he insisted. There it was, his version of Starry Starry Night from the lesson of 4 months ago! He said he saved it there because he loved it...then looked at it and said to me; "I would like you to have this... I thanked him and then he asked me if I would hang it in my home to remember him and to remember the artist Vinne. That was the moment, the art/emotion connect that showed me what I ultimately wanted to do show children and adults to find emotions/connection in other artists, artworks and materials as well helping others find a way to express, relate feel compassion, empathy for an artist for people.