On 10/25/12, I was invited to present my first Support Perspective Educate Create Simplicity Connection Respect Empower Words Educates program at Burr School in Hartford, CT. This was a great day to empower the 6th-8th graders about their dreams, how their thoughts create their realities and the power of their own innate creative abilities.
In the morning, from 9 am-12 pm, Art Teacher Sharon Bailey,accompanied me to over 15 classrooms. She introducing Specs Crew as a creative movement and informed the students that they will be able to be apart of it by having their very own Specs Crew member photo. The children were very excited to know that they were going to be apart of something special. I was able to briefly speak to them about my dream on 9.1.12, about the eye and how I discovered that I could paint.
The students were very interested in what they could discover about themselves. Many asked how the camera was used so I allowed them to take the pictures themselves in order for them to see and feel how the camera works. The hands on approaches to learning will allow the students to become active rather then passive participants in the learning process (Jones and Barlett, Active Teaching Strategies and Learning Activities). This site is a useful site for more information on this approach: http://www.goshen.edu/art/ed/art-ed-links.html. This approach will be one of the core teaching methods for Specs Crew Educates. There were over 175 students that participated in the morning session and I took close to 500 pictures of students, teachers and the principle.
During the afternoon session 30 students were chosen to be apart of the larger conversation about their dreams, thoughts and their own creative abilities. They were able to see over 30 Specs Crew paintings that I hung around the classroom. After about 45 minutes of classroom conversation I demonstrated how to begin the process in order for them make their own Specs Crew character. They also assisted me in naming some of the Specs Crew characters that I did not have names for. We began the demonstration with a 20×20-pre-painted canvas on an easel in the front of the class. My original Specs Crew paintings were done on 16×20. With a ruler I measured 3 inches from the side of the canvas and 2 inches from the bottom and made a 14×5 inch rectangle, which would act as the outline for the Specs. I then measured 3 inches above the ends of the rectangle and connected the points with arch to act as the hairline. The school provided the paint and 16×20 canvas paper for the students (This can also be done with pencil or marker).
Myself along with the Art Teacher, Mrs. Bailey assisted students that needed help. Some students were much more advanced than others when it came to sketching or drawing. I encouraged the students to go with the feeling when it came time to create their Specs Crew character and not to put much thought into the process.
After over an hour of painting with the students I observed that they were all able to create some very cool Specs Crew Characters themselves. There were some that were able to complete their paintings and others that would have to return the next day to put the finishing strokes on canvas. Many students asked during the day when I would return to their school or where my program was in the community. This showed me that there was interest in a developed program around Specs Crew Educates.
During the day Dream Chaser #1 Abdul R. Muhammad of The Dream Support Network visited me. He was the one that introduced me to Mrs. Bailey and suggested my service to Principle Pierre-Maxwell. The importance of The Dream Support Network is having people that can help and support your dreams.
This day was very exciting for me as I was no longer talking about what I was going to do rather I was just doing it. So many of us do a good job talking to other’s and sometimes ourselves about what we want to do or what we are going to do when this or that thing is done first. What I was able to learn for my self is that the feeling you get when you just do it is great. You don’t have to say what you are about to do rather you can say what you did. To think that 6 week prior I would have never picked up a paint brush or pencil. Through a dream I was driven to paint an eye and through the new connection I made to my ability I was able develop the Specs Crew. The movement has begun.
If you have any interest in Specs Crew Educates please send me a message through the contact page.