Designated Doodler

There's a hitch in my breathing, just knowing that you're standing like a pillar at the end of the corridor. My mind reconstructs your face, my heart skips, and makes it harder to traverse the distance between us. As one foot steps in front of the other, I feel a spike of adrenaline pulse into my stomach and consider each location in my body that emotion is housed.  Anxiety lives in my legs, making them feel like cold jello, useless beneath me. Joy dwells in my mouth and delights in every scoop of Ben & Jerry's. Anticipation builds in my stomach,just below where my ribcage joins together. Stress accumulates at the base of my skull and delivers painful pulses down the highway of my spine to my knotted back. Sadness balls itself up in my throat and burns in my red eyes. Whereas happiness spreads like fire in the smile on my face and impatience is encapsulated in perpetually tapping toes. Creativity starts in my brain but is housed in my hands that live to create.

With the passing of the summer solstice I've come to accept the end of summer, which most teachers would be sad about. But having worked six days a week all summer long, I don't feel as though I'm losing a break at all, but gaining one. And oh what a summer it's been. I found the love of my life, moved into a great place, got a new vehicle, thrown several parties, created curriculum, positively impacted the lives of high school students, made new friends, and finally got into the school district that I've been trying to get into for years. I'm thrilled to finally be able to teach art, although I've noticed an absurd bias in that some apparently believe that art "isn't important." But you can't be mad at ignorance. To that I would reply that it teaches cooperation, nurtures creativity, provides an outlet for stress and frustration, teaches fine motor skills, connects to the content in the classroom and opens worlds of possibilities.