Say Hello to My Little Logo!
Updated: Feb 22, 2019
Frequent readers of this blog may have noticed that there's a bit of artwork sprucing up the joint. I couldn't be prouder to feature the outstanding artwork of a phenomenal student from my 8th grade English class. Karen is definitely one of those kids that make all the struggles of teaching worthwhile. The fact that she's a super-talented artist is just icing on the incredible cake.
And yes, I paid her for it! She totally earned it, and even made the changes I asked for to make it blend in better with the white background. As much as this post is just about thanking a great artist for helping with my blog, there are two larger points here as well.
1. Support your students
This is a super effective way to get students to live up to their potential and work super hard for you. When I worked at my first proper International School, I was often the only teacher, or adult (besides the coaches) to show up to athletic games after school. One of the consequences of this was that my classroom management was exponentially easier than other teachers, because the kids believed I cared (which I did, they weren't wrong). Kids opened up to me and helped make my class a better, happier place, while they tortured other teachers who didn't have the same relationship with them. Go to their games, go to their shows, buy at the bake sale. These are the times and bonds that you will cherish, and will pay major dividends in fewer classroom hassles.
2. Support Local Artists!
Who would you rather have decorate your house, someone you know personally and have seen grow and change, or some random person making mass produced, less personal stuff? As an artist myself, I definitely know that local artists REALLY appreciate when you buy their album, their painting, or their cookies. In our overly corporate world, it's so easy to buy the latest Beyonce album or another Salvador Dali print, but they REALLY don't need the money. Local artists do. Do the right thing! Also, if you get them early enough in their career, you may get gorgeous art for a fraction of what it would cost to get something of similar quality from a more "established" artist. When I bought this Logo, I also got a beautiful oil painting featured below from Karen, and it's one of my most cherished possessions.
So thanks Karen!! It's been a joy teaching you this year, and I love the art! Keep it up!
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