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Saturday, 12 October 2013 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
A wonderful outlet
Most people don’t seem to see the extent of the benefit this activity offers children. It is not really taken very seriously; in fact, there are sadly quite a few schools that don’t even have arts and crafts as part of their school curriculum. The children go through their school years without ever having been given at least some basic training on drawing.
Some schools that do have art as a subject do not employ qualified art teachers but simply assign the class teacher or other available teachers who hardly know anything about art themselves, to teach it. Since they don’t have much knowledge or interest in the subject, they write a topic on the board and tell the children to draw, while they continue their own work at the teacher’s table. Handwork of course they never bother with as it is too ‘troublesome’.
The children are made to sit for art and craft as one of the subjects for exams at the end of each term and not surprisingly don’t score much. I wonder how they expect the children to be tested on something without being taught it. The saddest part of this is the children are actually excited to be able to draw and colour something and give their best shot but since their work is understandably not up to standards, find themselves being given really low grades. They are then disappointed and eventually lose interest as they think they are not good at it; on the contrary, some of these children actually have some talent but without the guidance and encouragement, never find out.
Ultimately, the children are no better off than those whose schools don’t offer art classes. These children have to rely on either their parents or private art classes that are offered outside. But what about children whose parents don’t know much about drawing or handwork; or those who don’t have time to teach this; or those who can’t afford to send their children to private art classes? Incorporating art and craft as a subject in all schools and providing dedicated teachers to guide them would be the best solution. Until then what do we do?
Fortunately there are a few really good art schools, that aren’t too costly, with qualified, talented and dedicated art teachers who provide this activity that children essentially need. The Weekend FT visited one such school to get a clearer view of what goes on in these schools and what they are all about and found it to be a very delightful experience.
Creative Station
Situated in Nugegoda, Creative Station was opened on Children’s Day four years ago, offering afternoon art classes on weekdays as well as fun-filled holiday programs. I walked into the classroom, which is a large room, painted in ‘happy,’ bright colours and decorated with handwork and drawings by the children themselves offering a very cheerful and welcoming environment. The children were very busy drawing when I entered. They took a glance at me and then just went right back to what they were doing. It was like they were in their own little world.
Creative Station Directress Shehara Muthuwady was delighted to talk about the kind of work that they do in their school and told us about her passion for creativity and how she helps children express themselves through their artwork. “I never plan anything except for the craftwork; I don’t tell them what to draw; I ask them what ‘they’ like to draw and leave it to them,” she said and went on to explain that they have different moods and she lets them draw what they are in the mood to draw. Sometimes she gives suggestions while they are drawing but keeps it minimal.
When asked about children who come without any basic knowledge about art, she said, “As they come in for the first lesson, I sit and observe. If I find that there are areas that need to be polished, I step in; I start with dots and train them to draw animals and trees. With children who can draw, I suggest the colours they can use and just guide because I don’t want it to be a copy of my work. It has to be the children’s work.”
She pointed out the methods used by some schools, where they give a printed colouring worksheet and get the children to colour or paste by looking at the sample picture that’s next to it. They follow every colour and pattern that is there and don’t use their own ideas. Even without these worksheets, in art and craft lessons, there is too much guidance and pressure for perfection. “Even if it’s a collage, sometimes it’s more ‘adult-looking’ than childish. For a child, it’s more beautiful when it’s messy. I just like them to do what they can,” she says.
Special needs
She also conducts individual classes for children with special needs. They can’t be taught in a group because they need special attention. These classes don’t last too long because their concentration span is limited, so she starts with a 10-20 minute lesson and gradually increases the time. “It’s always a matter of organising something that will hold their interest,” she said. “For example, they like to work with clay.”
After working as an art teacher in Colombo International School for five years, she left for Germany to obtain her AMI diploma. During her stay in Germany she attended many art exhibitions and picked up numerous ideas from there. She came back to Sri Lanka packed with many creative ideas and all set to start her own school. When asked where she learnt art she said she never attended any art or craft class, whatever she knows she only learnt in school. “When we were children, there are so many things that we did. But these days, with kids, it’s all academic. Even after school, if they go for any after school activities, it will still be academic – it would be tuition in one form or other and it’s still all about writing and working.”
Holiday programs
Shortly after opening her school, she started organising holiday programs during the school holidays. In addition to the work that she normally gives, she adds clay work, pottery painting, fabric painting and glass painting. Apart from that she also organises theme based art camps; she does art camps for Vesak, Christmas and even Halloween. She gets down material from Germany for the children to make Halloween ‘candy bags’ and they also carve their own pumpkins and costumes that they then take home.
While chatting with Shehara, I glanced every now and then to see what the children were doing. After they were done drawing and colouring, they moved on to craft work. Each child was given a wreath and they decorated the wreath with flowers and leaves. After that it was time for painting. Slippers out of bristle board were prepared prior to the session and the teacher placed a few cups of different paint colours on the tables.
The children then chose the colours and each painted to his or her taste. Most of them painted the base one colour and the straps a different colour but I noticed one particular girl who painted stripes on the slippers very carefully, creating a completely different look from the others. Throughout this time I didn’t once see the teacher criticise or tell them how to do the work. The children painted as they wished and I found every child’s work to be magnificent.
Attractive option
The smiles and peace that I saw on the faces of these children that I met at Creative Station today as they sat blissfully painting, drawing and pasting, is proof enough of how much joy this brings them as it would for any child. With this in mind, it would be great to find a way to provide this for all children. My preference as would be the preference of most busy working parents is that all schools incorporate art and craft into their curriculum with qualified art teachers. Until then, art schools are an attractive option.
Although sending children for extra activities after school may be a bit bothersome, an initiative should be taken to provide this for them. Parents spend considerable sums of money in tuition but don’t consider art classes as important enough. Instilling creativity in children and providing outlets of expression for them should be given the prominence deserved and a healthy balance should be there between the rigidity of school work and the bliss of art and craft.
Pix by Lasantha Kumara
