Sometimes, I am reminded that my students are still sometimes little kids, even if they’re in middle school. I got a panicked email from a student at 9:30 PM because she had just realized that she left something in my classroom. Of course, I was not in my classroom at 9:30 PM, so I couldn’t look, but her email was written in such a way that it was clear that she expected me to be there. It made me think of a favorite movie I had as a kid, The Electric Grandmother. In the film, Maureen Stapleton’s character, a robot grandmother, plugs herself into the wall when the kids go to bed so she can recharge at night. I wonder if my students think I do the same? Also, I wish I could pour paint and glue out of my finger like the Grandmother could with juice. That would be an awesome feature for an art teacher to have. I was happy to find that this film is available on YouTube. The film is based on a short story by Ray Bradbury from the book, I Sing the Body Electric.
I am on a committee for the Oakland Museum of California to put on the Dia de los Muertos celebration each year. Though I am not of Latinx heritage, this holiday speaks to me. I have always felt very connected to my ancestors, but American culture really doesn’t prioritize this connection. The closest thing we have is Memorial Day, which is celebrated with White Sales and displays of our military power. I kind of love the idea of spending a day with our ancestors and celebrating all the ways that they paved the way for us and continue to enrich our lives. One of my favorite practices is creating paper marigolds, or cempasúchil, for celebrations. These are so easy to make and so satisfying for kids and adults alike. Here is a video I made for my students to help them make some for our ofrenda this year.
I recently got to hang out with Oakland artist and activist Kin Folkz, and we had a conversation that I keep returning to in my mind. We were talking about the fact that whenever creative people go into a new place, we always find other creatives. Creative people create communities everywhere they go. One of these days, I will write a whole post about my move from West Virginia to the Bay Area, and to Oakland, in particular (bonus — it was el Dia de los Muertos that brought me here).
Artistically, I’ve been kind of stuck in the mud. I have a few creative projects lined up to pull me out. I also have a creativity class led by Amy Williams that I need to actually complete, because it’s soooo good! It’s very difficult to teach art all day and then try to switch gears and make art. When I leave school, it’s like the art-making part of my brain has to recharge and won’t click back on until the next morning. I have tried doing morning pages and that is helpful, but the morning time is also kind of my planning time (the only kind that doesn’t get eaten up by other tasks), so that doesn’t work. I will keep looking until I find a better system to make this work. Isaac says I just need to prioritize creative time, and so I am trying to at least make time for some creative activity each day. If nothing else, it’s helping me to feel more human.
Speaking of art, doesn’t this recipe look like a work of art? It’s just so beautiful! And it’s only a tiny bit more complicated than ordering Doordash. You just sprinkle all these good things on the cookie sheet, bake until the veggies are cooked and the cheese is melty, then mix it all into a pot of hot orzo. So delicious! And then I get to feel like a champion at adulting because I made something healthy and delicious that looks like art.
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