School Supplies....New Undies!

Back to school.

This had a whole new meaning to me 8 years ago.

I had just been hired to teach art at a Lutheran school in town.

I was nervous…..I make art…..Teach?

"My princess has laser eyes!"

I wasn’t nervous about the techniques or WHAT I was going to teach.  It was the classroom management part of it.  I had those pictures in my head of kindergarten students running around with scissors….paint flying through the air….what was I thinking?

Things went smoothly the first couple of weeks.  It was all the rules and process of how we will make our art….the basics.

….and then….

I had the most excited kindergarten walk in and exclaim, “We are painting today!”

The joy in their brush strokes, the smiles on their faces…..

…..ahhhhh, watercolor…..

We painted color. 

We painted motion. 

We started clean-up. 

Directions were given and the excitement was still there. All the kids were so thrilled to share their paintings with me as they neared the drying rack.  “Look at mine! Look at mine!!”

I was carefully, but quickly, trying to load that rack with those wet, soggy papers, when the last couple of tables got up and set off in my direction.  Little did I know they had decided to add some more color to their paintings while I was loading the first groups.  They jumped up from their seats with their papers….dripping a rainbow on the way.

I am not quite sure how they managed to keep the lake of water on top of their papers, but I could feel that lake begin to drip….down my backside….. as I continued loading other papers in that drying rack.

I was soaked….down my backside.

I could feel the cold water running down the back of my legs.

Thank you GOD that this was my last class of the day!

I drove home, feeling a little damp and embarrassed, and only then did I realize the full impact of the class project……

As I peeled off my black pants to change, I saw my beautiful……

           ... newly designed...

                     …rainbow underwear!

With that memory in my mind last evening, I went school supply shopping to purchase my new canvas for the school year…..

……..my new pack of undies!  Clean, bright, and white…..ready for a new year of watercolor students.