I am competitive.

I like the idea that my students can become professional artists – by selling their artwork, yes, but also by winning poster contests.  So when my friend Michael Moody sent me the link to a contest last June, I immediately set about using it as an extra credit assignment during the last week of school.

Students had to design their dream education or school.

The deadline for the contest was June 26, 2015.  On the last day of school, I mailed about 70 entries to Albany, NY.

Zoe S. won the contest.  She and her family are invited to attend a gala fundraiser in New York City on November 5th where she will be awarded a check for $100.

http://www.aqeny.org/champions-of-education-celebration/

This is just so cool!  I am sooooo excited for her.  It’s one of those moments in a child’s life that she most certainly won’t ever forget.

As a teacher, you don’t always know if you’ve affected a student’s life.  You want to think you have, but then you kind of go on with your life, you know?  They depart to the high school and you just end up with faded memories.

But Zoe….  She is very talented, of course, but still, I did try to push her out of her comfort zone, like help her improve her compositional skills and give her advice once and a while instead of saying – oh, that is so good (because, let’s face it – her work is that good).

At the end of the year, she told me that she loved the class and loved how she learned more about art from me.  Her mother later reiterated the same sentiment to me.  They’d spoken about the art class at home.  This is such a special gift.  To really know that I mattered to her.  To know that I have a true purpose in life.  So Zoe won this New York State contest and is going to the ball, but I feel like the bigger winner.