This has been an especially challenging school year as we've been working to adopt many new initiatives, which require data collection and lots and lots of paperwork. The faculty and staff have been stressed out more than usual, trying to fit more work into the already jam-packed days we all keep. Ben is new this year along with many other new staff and we thought it would be great to host an evening where teachers and staff could just hang out, get to know each other better and make some art. No competition, no forms to fill out, just the camaraderie of colleagues, some good food and ART.
It appears this was a winning formula as everybody enjoyed some aspect of the evening. There were snacks including, cheese, crackers, sausage, cupcakes, cookies and hot spicy cider. There were art projects to try including collage cards, watercolors and clay wheel throwing. Some staff expressed anxiety and discomfort with making art, saying they had bad memories of their childhood. We encouraged them to hang out, have some snacks and not worry. Participation in making art was optional, but most gave it a try. There were a couple of wheel-thrown pots that turned out, too.
For Ben and I it was a chance to mingle and enjoy seeing so many people feel joy and calm in our classroom. We will definitely host another get together soon.