Last week at orientation at Escuela Vieau, I signed up to volunteer on Thursdays from 4:30-6:00 in the arts and crafts program. Today was my first day, and after getting lost a few times, I was finally able to meet up with my group of students. Ms. Rodriguez and her assistant, Jasmine, were in charge of the first and second graders for the first part of the program. The students had drawn pictures of what/who they admire earlier in the week. We worked with the students to copy the pictures onto pieces of felt by using glitter paint. The idea is that Ms. Rodriguez will sew together all of the pieces to make one giant quilt. Getting the students to quiet down and actually work was no easy task. The kids I met were very polite and tried to speak to me in English, but I had five years of Spanish, so I understand some of what they were saying to each other. I helped a little girl draw a pink and yellow flower on a piece of green felt. Then, I helped a boy named Daniel write his name and draw a ladybug on a white T-shirt he was working on.
After forty-five minutes of working and painting, we moved on to the third graders to help them with the same project. The third graders were calmer and more articulate in what they wanted to do. One boy told me about how he won the spelling bee that day, as he was drawing a blue tulip. Another boy and girl wouldn’t stop teasing each other and eventually squirted glitter paint all over them. Students would get upset if their picture didn’t turn out perfectly, but it’s important to encourage them to keep trying and that it’s their unique picture.
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