Reub's journey

16 May 2012

The thoughts of kids

One of the things I'll miss after retiring from my middle school art job: the thoughts of kids.  Funny thing is, that between the ages of 11-14, kids don't always readily reveal their thoughts to adults. By accident I discovered that one way to gain access to their thoughts is through the very old-school craft of calligraphy, which I teach to eighth graders.

Calligraphy is rule-bound, requires the use of guidelines, and the mastery of a finicky old pen dipped into a glass jar of black ink. 




This is a disciplined activity done in a quiet room.




 It is low-tech, yet it is one of the single most important things that Steve Jobs ever studied.





I teach them just two alphabets. The first is Johnston Foundational.




And the second is Chancery Cursive, an italicized font.




The quality of the text was so good that I nearly forgave the lower case  letters.
Fourteen-year-olds are so into texting that they sometimes forget about capital letters.




I ask them to bring in a 30-50 word piece of their own choosing.




And here is where it gets interesting.




I love what they bring in. I love it.





It's where I get to see who they are. Their thoughts.




Usually they bring in song lyrics.





But often they use their own writing.




What they choose is astonishing.





I have done this for years, and it still blows me away every time.




It is one of the many things I know I will miss come September.


18 comments:

  1. I love caligraphy but I had no idea that it was taught in schools. How wonderful that you get to see all this creativity come through and savor it and share it with others. I would love this too. So what is this about September- you are retiring, THIS YEAR? Well congratulations and good luck but you know, if you decide you don't like it you could always teach these classes on your own. Just a thought if you get bored with travelling or whatever it is you plan to do when not working at the school anymore.

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  2. wow. really moving. you have a unique in with these kids, kerry.

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  3. wow, these kids have some deep thoughts going around their heads. what a great exercise.

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  4. wow, very cool. kids can be quite deep. I learned calligraphy in my art class in high school. I used it to get out of many boring classes as I was appointed to letter all the certificates for all the awards at the end of the year.

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  5. Jarie Lyn: Yeah I love my job, but it's time to move on. I don't know what I'll do in retirement, but maybe it would be good to do something different from what I have been. I dunno, we'll see.

    Laoch: It is one of my favorite things about what I teach.

    Slim: The writing that they choose is always so amazing. I think it is not so much me as it is the activity of calligraphy itself that brings out the best.

    twg: Half of what they bring in I have never heard of, and it's always illuminating.

    Ellen:I learned it in college, but I wish they had taught it in high school. Lucky you to get out of class for this! Do you still use this skill once in awhile?

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  6. How lovely. Kids sure can be deep and profound. I'm glad you are accepting of the lack of punctuation. That kind of expression should never be squelched. I suspect that you will be missed at least as much as you'll be missing them.

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  7. it´s so nice to write with ink. looks beautiful :)

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  8. How can you bear to leave them? Not to be in their world any longer, see them come to life and stretch into their skins?

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  9. Hilary: I do dock them, a little, when they stray from the script. But mostly what I reward is a good, honest effort. And I am a slave to the awesome words they deliver at my feet.

    Tina: Thanks!

    Friko: It is hard to leave them. So far, though, I have not shed a tear...how odd. I am convinced that it is time to move on. Another person will replace me, and it will be the right thing.

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  10. Absolutely fabulous. I love the art of handwriting and the art of caligraphy. It's great for the brain, too. Delicious!

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  11. Never heard of calligraphy being taught in schools in India. Is it a common in all US schools or only selectively in some schools. I know very little about this subject and looked up the wiki and found this here :http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calligraphy
    I am amazed by the vastness of the subject and the great and long history behind this. Wow !

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  12. Sad to think that these kids will soon be old enough to die in America's endless wars. I too miss kids, only the ones I taught were between the ages of eight and eleven.

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  13. Reya: Thank you. I bet this is good for the brain. It requires real concentration.

    RR: It isn't usually taught in schools here either, although I'm sure I'm not the only one doing it. I bet there are places in India where you could learn traditional calligraphy; you are right about it having a long history.

    Snow: If only the wars would end.

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  14. I would have loved doing this as a kid!

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  15. You can do it now! I bet you'd be good at it.

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  16. I really like this post.

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