I’ve just completed an artist residency at Constable Finney school through the Artists in the Schools program. My time didn’t just fly by – it zoomed! It got me thinking over the weekend that time may fly when you’re having fun, but it zooms when you’re inspired. I definitely left the school last Friday afternoon feeling refreshed and inspired as an artist, and I will tell you why.
In all ten classes that I visited, I asked: Who enjoys reading? Who enjoys writing? What about writing outside of school, just for yourself? The number of hands waving in the air amazed me every time. Certainly, these students had other talents and interests, too – like science, sports, music, acting, dancing, languages, and much more – and these were quite fascinating to hear about. But there seemed to be a place in everyone’s heart at this school for a good book or a good story. That’s incredibly inspiring to a writer like me!
But of course, the great advantage of doing a residency is that I didn’t just see the hands waving in the air. I saw writers writing. Whether we were building characters, exploring our characters’ storyworlds, or crafting vivid descriptive language in our memoirs, writers were busy at work all around me. I heard writing being read out loud with dramatic flourishes. I was asked wonderful questions about the writing craft, and how to make good writing even better. I saw students take their notebooks home so that they could continue to write, and others come to class with burgeoning books they had been working on at home. Some young writers imagined stories that took place on the fringes of imaginary worlds, while others grasped a special moment from their own experience that only they could describe. Feeling a room buzzing with ideas and unfolding stories is something else that inspires writers.
The teachers at Constable Finney work hard to create classrooms where every student has a voice, and everyone listens to each other. (I was really impressed at how often students spoke proudly of their fellow classmates’ achievements, as in “You’ve got to see what she wrote – it’s great!” or “He’s already written twenty pages, and he draws, too!”). I especially enjoyed collaborating with teachers as we figured out how to best present a writing exercise – sometimes right on the spot – to bring out maximum creativity. I love it when that happens! I’ve left this residency with new ideas to try and new methods and approaches to draw from as I visit other schools- so I want to thank the teachers for being such wonderful creative partners!
Last of all, my time at Constable Finney was warm, welcoming, and fun. I was greeted in the hallways by enthusiastic students, helped by students and teachers when I got lost on my way to various classrooms which happened more than once(!), and shared a fit of giggles with a class who thought my version of “Mark” from No TV? No Fair! was hilarious (ha! ha! thanks for that -Mark’s one of my favourite characters, too!). I even got to read later chapters of No TV? No Fair! to students, in one case the very last chapter (a first for me since I usually only get to read chapters one and two in public!). I was also honoured to attend a special Remembrance Day service with student-led poetry readings and very moving choral music. Thank you!
Thank you for a wonderful artist residency. I start this new week with a bounty of fresh ideas and inspiration from my time with young, creative writers. I am more excited than ever to plunge into my writing projects. I hope that the students of Constable Finney feel the same way!
Till we meet again…