Talent

In my Thursday art class, I have a student who shows exceptional talent. Not that I'm any judge, but she is above and beyond any other student I've met, even those older than she is.

I really wish I could convince her to talk to her parents about attending art school. I understand the town she lives in is small, and doesn't have any sort of thing like that. But I'm sure there is some one willing to offer private art lessons to a promising 5th grader. She really does the coolest things I've ever seen, making near perfect-to-perfect symmetrical shapes from free hand drawing alone.

She doesn't think she is as good as I think she is. She doesn't think she is as good as the other students think she is too. I'm the type of teacher that tries to see success in every student, and I try to rotate around through all the students when I recognize their work (it has to be good work though, I'm not going to give praise where it isn't due). Nearly every week, I see something worthy of pointing out in this kid's work. And the other students don't contest it.

If she isn't going to talk to her parents about it, I think I might. Which means I'll probably lose a student in the YR program, but she deserves to see and do more art than the simple illustration skills I teach.