Square One Art

Every year in art class, the kids create a specific special piece of artwork.

This piece is sent into Square One Art for parents to peruse and purchase different household items with their child’s special artwork on it. The purchases are a fundraiser for the school, so we have always participated.

Since I like to put pictures on my refrigerator of the kids and their special memories, I always get the magnets. The Square One magnets I have on the fridge now look something like this:

Today was art class. THE class that the students were going to begin working on their Square One Art project. I have sat with Declan for all of his classes – was this really one I needed to sit through too? The older kids had fallen into their own academic traps: failure to complete asynchronous work, or completed it poorly, and needed some help. Couldn’t I skip art to work with one of them for the forty-five minutes I would otherwise be sitting and watching Declan draw?

I signed Declan on to his art class zoom. I gathered the items he would need to complete what was requested of him. Then I left to sit in the other room to help Catelyn learn and complete an assignment about mercantilism.

I had an ear in Declan’s room. I peeked to see him sitting and listening to the teacher and the videos she provided. I saw the border she wanted each student to put on their piece of artwork.

But it wasn’t until Declan had waved goodbye when class was over, jumped off of Zoom, and ran outside to play that I saw what he created.

It took me a second to laugh. I call it “Online learning during COVID-19.” I think it is perfect:

Square One Art will have another purchase from this house on the way. I will be buying this piece of artwork in magnets, for sure. Declan’s art fits my online learning mood, and I think of everyone else in this house, to a T. 😊