#284 - the Maps of Mesopotamia

Four years ago, I started watercolour class. I kept it up intermittently and now I am ok with watercolours. Especially since coming back from Singapore. I did watercolour because the school uses so much watercolour. Watercolour is good for the child's etheric. The moving colours are therapeutic and very satisfying. It also dries so forgivingly.

So, that chicken has come home to roost. I am now doing watercolour maps with the class. And they look stunning.

This is how we rock in a Steiner School
Detailed map making from scratch

I was able to use the blackboard to write the names of
geographical features... honestly how is a computer better than this?

Just delighted with the maps this week

My map

After that we singed the maps so that they
had some burned edges and smoke damage
A student said, I really like it the parts where they don't burn

Each map, no matter how accurate or inaccurate
was just stunning
The combination of colours and the layers in which they dried were
a testament to the beauty of art

They would not look too shabby in an art exhibition

The effect I hoped that would be caught
was the movement of colour through the watercolour paints
overlaid with shades

I used the same paper we used to draw to outline the area we were
drawing. It looked so cute on the huge area of the map
I love being a Steiner teacher

This is such an amazing region of the world. And I was delighted to be able to give the children the opportunity to be here through the beauty of art.

I find that this time round as a class teacher I am a lot less anxious. I don't know why. Possibly because I feel more confident about my abilities. The two girls who have been in my class since Class One told me that the maths this year was a lot easier than the maths last year. I said to them, I'm so glad to hear that. In my head I did a little WHOOP!!!! I prepared them as best I could. Even the students who struggled so hard all until last year, I struggled with them and yes, here we are. WHOOP!!! That they say that maths is now easy is everything I wanted to hear. Maybe I was a crap maths teacher so maths was hard, but I'd like to think it was because I challenged and pushed them.

That is the beauty of Steiner education, the kids can DO difficult things from time to time, not succeed, but not have their efforts tied to a tangible outcome (ie a grade) because it DOESN'T MATTER. And when they are able to stretch themselves, they are doing great.

My class is now the only class in the school to have had one teacher through the entire time. Every class now has had a disrupted career. Some classes with more than one teacher. To me this is an absolute personal victory. To me, the only Singapore who has completed the seven years of a Steiner teacher this is an absolute moral and career victory. Yes, there were some days I had no idea what I was doing, but now I do.

It feels good to be able to do something.

Tomorrow is Michaelmas. It feels like I have passed my first challenge for the school year. So many things which I wanted to do I have done. I am so delighted by this. Tomorrow I will make butter chicken.

It is odd how angels speak to you. The burning of the papers came to me right at the end. And the kids loved it. To a person they were so delighted that we could make it into an ancient map. It was like it was at this moment they understood what they were doing. They were MAKING A MAP. Like maps of old. Like maps they saw in movies. Oh we get it now.... MAP.

It wasn't a sterile classroom exercise. It was wonderful.

And the singeing and burning smell was also exciting and dangerous. 

I didn't get the children to trace the map either. I have never done that. They have either draw it with their eye or using squares. Especially using squares, since that is how people used to do it. I also love telling them stories. Like, we will now trace the course of the rivers from their mouths because if you are an explorer - I hope one day someone in this class will become an explorer - you trace the river's source by going UP it from the mouth. It was so exciting making that journey up the river. You are able to talk about the many things which you see as you do that. Also the features stay there for the kids as we do that. Here is Baghdad. Have you ever watched Alladin? This is where he came from. Damascus - the oldest city in the world. Babylon - the place we have been learning about. The Zagros mountains - even the NAME is so cool. Mt Ararat - where the Ark came to rest.

I am actually ENJOYING this second time round, even though I feared it so much and teaching till 1.30 means that I have time to prep.

But this afternoon I was so tired. After organising my things and getting financial things sorted all afternoon, I just came home and collapsed. It was pizza day but Peter had made stuff already. 

That was an afternoon of good teaching.

Right. I have the rest of today and then it is the weekend. This week went by REALLY fast. I honestly can't believe it is Friday.

I was told on two separate occasions that I look great too.  How chilled I am now shows on my face. Actually three times this week that I was looking great.

Well, that is a plus right? Also My running is back on track. It feels awful and heavy because... well... anyway, I really cannot buy cheese. Buying cheese is not good. I will no buy cheese anymore... well, maybe once a month. But I am eating a lot less thanks to the budget I have, which is only a good thing. Also I'm wasting less food. I said to the boys one of my joys in life is to see the fridge and food snack area empty of food at the end of the week. It means that we wasted nothing. 

Right, I think I'm heading back to bed. I'll do lesson prep - but because I overprepared... oh I also rearranged the room and I think it works a lot better now.