Respecting Children's Art

A mom I know has a very creative young teen, who she sends to private art classes. She told me how her daughter proudly showed her latest drawing - a self-portrait - to her teacher, who promptly proceeded to make alterations, explaining how it 'ought to be'. Understandably, the girl was horrified - she felt the drawing was ruined, no longer her own work. The teacher breached one of the cardinal rules of art instruction: never touch the student's work.

It is important to teach correct skills, and not allow poor technique to hide under the camoflage of self-expression. However, when a student has invested time and effort in a piece, even an exercise, it represents an artistic achievement, large or small. Having the teacher meddle with it dilutes that achievement, that sense of ownership. For you, as an experienced artist, it might seem preferable to 'fix' mistakes - but remember, children are essentially powerless, and their art is one small area where they can feel some autonomy. Don't mess with it.

If you need to correct a piece, use a separate sheet of paper to demonstrate what is required, then allow the student to make corrections if they wish. Alternatively, they may choose to apply the corrected technique to a new piece of work, perhaps in the next exercise, or to copy small areas showing the corrections, indicating that they understand the concept.