After some rough days, I just had one of the best lessons I conducted today at Wolf Meadow. This was with a group of kids whose lesson last week was a complete wash, mostly due to some miscalculations on my and my partner teacher's part. Well, we tried again this week, and it went so… Continue reading Quiet pause in the class
Tag: concord
What the kids call me
I used to always just have all the kids call me 'Mejs', when I visit schools for 'Animations with Kids'. But then, the teacher I first worked with in the fall insisted on the kids calling me 'Dr. Hasan', plus she would always introduce me to the kids, or refer to me, as "my doctor… Continue reading What the kids call me
Animations with kids – paid in hugs
I get lots of hugs from second-graders these days. It's pretty nice. Sometimes when I show up in the class or the library, I get four or five little pairs of arms coming around my waist. Rarely, it's a bit of a manipulative gesture! It means, can you please pick me to animate with right… Continue reading Animations with kids – paid in hugs
Groups hugs, nose-pickers, and racism – the highs and lows of Animations with Kids
I've been teaching animation basics to the three classes at McAllister Elementary. I'm able to walk to the school - 30 minutes, each way, it's really nice. There's an ice cream shop on the way. And a new shop that sells baked goods and chips and sandwiches and stuff. When the last class came in… Continue reading Groups hugs, nose-pickers, and racism – the highs and lows of Animations with Kids
The Concord, NC buses are not always 10 minutes late
The last time I rode the Orange bus on a Saturday - same bus stop, same time - it was 15 minutes late. So I thought there was no harm in now showing up 10 minutes late and still catching it, but it would appear that I missed it. Shucks. And one time, I was… Continue reading The Concord, NC buses are not always 10 minutes late
How to gently give kids feedback
Over at McAllister, we have already made the drawings for their animation project. That means we have about 45 illustrations floating around, from 3 second grade classes. We're doing the preliminaries before winter break, and then we'll do the animating afterwards.They're going to make two different stories in between them. On the first day of… Continue reading How to gently give kids feedback
Animations with kids – pond algae
Animations with kids is going really well! The "Butterfly Story" is on hold for the moment, because due to scheduling, I've over at McAllister Elementary for the time being. But the last time I was with the butterfly kids, in a new classroom, we at least came up with the title for that story. It's… Continue reading Animations with kids – pond algae
Animations With Kids – Butterflies
After a slow start getting in touch with teachers, my Animations With Kids project is on a roll. I think. It needs a better title, though. I almost have finished up with the first classroom at Irvin Elementary, and am already started with the second. Next week, I'm going to begin with 3 new classrooms… Continue reading Animations With Kids – Butterflies
Lessons from the election
This was the first election where I knocked on people's doors, called people, wrote postcards to people, and stood outside the polls handing out sample ballots. I also made campaign videos specific to North Carolina. So my top take-aways (for helping out with local races) are: 1. Human contact trumps social media. At least, I think.… Continue reading Lessons from the election
Animations with kids
Yesterday and today, I visited a classroom at a local school. It was really great. We haven't started animating yet or anything, or even illustrating. But we read our story (about butterflies) and talked about life cycles. One kid got carried away and after we talked about caterpillars morphing into butterflies, said something like, "and… Continue reading Animations with kids
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