Grade 8 certainly isn’t what it was when I was in Grade 8. When I was in Grade 8, we all seemed to have shit for hair and were at the bottom of the totem pole in the school and therefore felt as small as we were. Physically, I looked as though I was suppose to be in Grade 6 and thankfully that really horrid perm I got came after the Grade 8 photos so there is no photo of it in the school year book. Our classes were called normal things like Social Studies, Math and Science. A French teacher taught our French class and an Art teacher taught the Art class. Art wasn’t mandatory so I didn’t take it because I avoided art at all costs because I never thought I was any good at it and took typing instead because that was a good solid skill to have; this remains very true because now I am super quick texter on my phone as well as my lap top!
Times have changed. With government cut backs that I never really paid too much attention to, a French teacher isn’t teaching French anymore unless of course you are in French Immersion and they no longer have designated Art teachers. In fact, the art supplies are old and dried up and what hasn’t dried up is begging to be used by mass amounts of kids in a really messy way!
My best friend Leah is teaching Grade 8 at a Middle School in Coquitlam. Middle school is Grades 6-8. These kids aren’t at the bottom of the totem pole as I was in Grade 8, these kids are at the top and getting ready to head out to High School. Leah has to teach Art for her class and was looking for ideas and I suggested a little graffiti art on a paper bag. The kids could relate to it, the paper bags are cheap and every kid can do it. She loved the idea and told me she wanted me to teach it. I did what I normally do when Leah makes a statement like that which I find absurd – I rolled my eyes and brushed it off. 
Turned out Leah was serious about me teaching the class so I agreed to teach. Leah’s class soon became three classes which was the entire group of Grade 8s. I have one more class to teach but I have to say, Grade 8 has come along way. The kids were so great, so creative and so welcoming of me. They loved the idea of getting messy, being expressive and most of all that they couldn’t make a mistake as there really was no right or wrong way to do this project provided they didn’t start a paint fight. I encouraged them all to create art just for themselves as it didn’t matter if the person sitting next to them liked it or not. What mattered most of all was how the process was for them in creating their art and if they liked it.
Today I received Thank you cards from the first two classes. The comments were overwhelming:
Thanks soooo much! That was the best art class ever! Christine
Thank you for the fun and memorable art class. Bobby
THANK YOU! I’ve always wanted to do graffiti and now you taught us how to do it without the trouble! Chris K.
Thank you so much. The graffiti art was so cool and it was the most fun all year. Chris W
Thank you so much for the amazing art class. I learned so much. Teanne
Your an amazing artist and helped me a lot. Marko
Thank you so much for showing us how to do this amazing art! Andrea
Your work is amazing and I think you would make an excellent art teacher or mentor. Thank you. Sophia
You are an amazing, talented, creative individual; you rock! Thanks for everything! Audrey
Thank you for bringing art projects to a whole new level! Aida
Thanks for telling me not to smell paint! Alvin
I can only say that ALL the comments on the cards were overwhelming to me. For me, it was two days of playing with paint with a bunch of teenagers without telling them they had to draw in a certain way, for a certain amount of time and create a specific picture. I simp
ly told them to create what they felt and use words to express themselves and paint to express themselves further.
Created from a paper bag Graffiti Peace is new in my Etsy shop.
