Sit Stay Read Guest Reader

Sit Stay Read invited me to reprise my role as a guest reader/artist at Faraday today. The book I read was Badly Drawn Dog by Emma Thompson.

The themes of this wonderful book are self-acceptance and embracing one’s own unique style. Mr. Grove’s alarmingly insightful students taught me as this as they sat on top of their desks answering my questions. Mr. Grove explained as I entered the classroom that, “We move around a lot.” He lets his students decide if they will sit in their chairs, on their desks or stand by their desks. That’s one small sign of a GREAT teacher.

After we finished reading and discussing Badly Drawn Dog, we began to compose a comic as we discussed the elements of narrative construction. I said, “Narrative is just a fancy word for story.” They said, “We know” and pointed to the lesson notes on the board, detailing the elements of narrative. My lesson plan serendipitously was tying perfectly into what they have been studying. The students were charged with finishing the comic on their own as part of their book reports.

The best part of reading to second and fourth grade students is that they still understand that we are all artists. If only we didn’t lose that perspective.

I’m very grateful that Sit Stay Read gives me the opportunity to be a guest reader and to discuss with the students how I make comics. The honest and insightful perspective of the students keeps me grounded in what it means to be an artist. I strive to be more like them.