Art Class at Convent Green Lane

Two days ago i was invited to give a class on "The importance of Art Classes in schools at the Convent Green Lane Secondary School: again it was fun to be teaching teenage kids with their over eagerness or lack of interest as the case may be.;one student sat stubbornly doing her science homework while i was teaching. There were about twenty five to thirty students and a mixed group of Chinese Malay and Indians girls. That in itself was a sight to behold and when asked who has done any art or interest in art not even one hand was raised.

Most students were naturally shy of felt self conscious about  doing a drawing especially when there is  a stranger in their midst overlooking their shoulders.

It was not too difficult to get them motivated for as soon as they got started , there was no stopping them even the most shy became a Picasso .

There were a few serious ones who got more involved into what they were drawing without much coaxing; these showed some promise and they seemed like the cream of the crop for the class as well.

In the Malaysian system of education  Fine Arts has taken the back sit and not until  their college years are student encouraged to embark upon their artistic venture and most were through lack of choices in the sciences.  

I gave them my spill on how and why art is important in the school curiculmn eeventhough at the back of my mind I felt no more convinced that what i was selling was worth the price I am paying right then; dont think of becoming a full time artist get a regular job! But I tried my best to make them see the importance of what it is to be creatively original in whatever that they were doing. Creativity means to be able to think not only outside of the box but under it and somewhere in between in and out; seeing tha thinking outside has slowly become the norm. They at least laughed a lot at my sense of humor.