Dear Halloween
DEAR Halloween https://scribblesbysergi.blogspot.com/2017/10/dear-halloween.html
It was the last class of the day and it was also Halloween. My students were naturally excited as they had finished their work and I had decided to allow everyone to free draw on the extensive marker-board that covered my front wall. Even though it was only for the last five minutes before dismissal the free draw offer evoked cheers. Some students were content looking on while others raced to the marker-board. A faction of girls grabbed colored dry erase markers and eloquently sketched pumpkins, black cats and cute witches in tall pointy hats. The boys were morbidly expressive as they scribbled large grotesque zombies and an expansive grave yard that included headstones and the undead climbing from their graves. A few boys collaborated and covered a large portion of the board with an enormous graffiti style banner. Their message, "PEOPLE ARE DEAD". I saw that only one minute remained before the bell so I didn't object to their vision and I was pleased they politely avoided the girls adorable, Pinterest worthy drawings. The boys made me smile adding sounds to their monster drawings (to me it seems like just yesterday I was one of them). The girls were indifferent to the zombie growls and concentrated on taking several group selfies with their own seasonal backdrop. The girls politely made sure their entire group approved of a photo, collectively decided which filter was most flattering and then air dropped the moment to those not so lucky to be in the moment. The entire scene was very normal, if you are an American in October.
Before the bell rang I gave a very teacherly speech about being safe on the spooky Holiday and I shared it has always been my long time favorite. The dismissal bell rang and I wished them all a Happy Halloween. The class filed into the hallway and I heard lockers opening and closing.
I went into the art storage room and began unloading the drying rack full of paintings but noticed a student had come back. I peeked out the storage room door to see if I could be of help and saw it was a little girl from the class that had just left. She was a new student from China. She was very shy, polite, eloquent and a wonderful artist. She seemed to enjoy Art class very much and that made me happy, especially since she was an ENL student adjusting to her new school and home. She was fastidious so I didn't imagine her forgetting anything. I watched her hurry to the large marker board filled with pictures. Maybe she wanted to add a quick sketch to the haunted mural? She scanned the room but didn't notice me looking on. She selected a marker and eraser from the ledge. She positioned and climbed onto a chair near the board and while standing on her tippy toes she began erasing the letter "D" in the word Dead. She replaced enormous letter "D" with an "R". She climbed down, replaced the eraser, marker and chair, then scurried out of the Art room, her pink backpack bouncing with each of her hurried steps. I came out into full view and took a long look at the board full of Halloween images. My new student who could not be more shy was compelled to come back to class before going to her bus and edit the boy's "PEOPLE ARE DEAD" banner. The new banner read "PEOPLE ARE DEAR."
The next day in class I sprinkled in Halloween history into regular conversations about costumes and candy. I included the Roman and Celtic lore and I added in the history of the Jack-o-lantern. The class was none the wiser as I discussed costume evolution including All Saints Day, masquerades and the most current frightening mask. I punctuated that Halloween is unrelated to The Day of the dead celebration that may look spooky but is actually very warm and about family. I orchestrated the historical conversation while sitting at a large table that included my new student from China. She was riveted by the chat and politely asked questions to fully grasp the surreal celebration. We exchanged several nods and smiles and she was interested in learning how to draw American versions of ghost and witches. She learned very quickly and added in a much needed evil dragon to the haunted mix.
I still enjoy the horror genre with it's spooky, eerie and many times grotesque depictions, but have not had a Halloween since without feeling an underlying warmth. When seeing the frequently used word DEAD it does not make me shirk or cringe, but instead makes me smile. A ten year old girl from China forever reprogrammed that chilling word into something as dear as herself.
My name is Franco Sergi, I'm an Artist, Author and Educator. I've written a trilogy, "Frankie and Taylor - The ZOMBIE SWEATER"- book 1 "Apocalypse" will be available on Amazon this Halloween. It's a dystopian, coming of age, teen romance set in a zombie apocalypse. As I wrote the three books, even in the scariest parts I made sure there was a endearing thread of warmth from a family member, friend, school crush or the love of a pet.
It was the last class of the day and it was also Halloween. My students were naturally excited as they had finished their work and I had decided to allow everyone to free draw on the extensive marker-board that covered my front wall. Even though it was only for the last five minutes before dismissal the free draw offer evoked cheers. Some students were content looking on while others raced to the marker-board. A faction of girls grabbed colored dry erase markers and eloquently sketched pumpkins, black cats and cute witches in tall pointy hats. The boys were morbidly expressive as they scribbled large grotesque zombies and an expansive grave yard that included headstones and the undead climbing from their graves. A few boys collaborated and covered a large portion of the board with an enormous graffiti style banner. Their message, "PEOPLE ARE DEAD". I saw that only one minute remained before the bell so I didn't object to their vision and I was pleased they politely avoided the girls adorable, Pinterest worthy drawings. The boys made me smile adding sounds to their monster drawings (to me it seems like just yesterday I was one of them). The girls were indifferent to the zombie growls and concentrated on taking several group selfies with their own seasonal backdrop. The girls politely made sure their entire group approved of a photo, collectively decided which filter was most flattering and then air dropped the moment to those not so lucky to be in the moment. The entire scene was very normal, if you are an American in October.
Before the bell rang I gave a very teacherly speech about being safe on the spooky Holiday and I shared it has always been my long time favorite. The dismissal bell rang and I wished them all a Happy Halloween. The class filed into the hallway and I heard lockers opening and closing.
I went into the art storage room and began unloading the drying rack full of paintings but noticed a student had come back. I peeked out the storage room door to see if I could be of help and saw it was a little girl from the class that had just left. She was a new student from China. She was very shy, polite, eloquent and a wonderful artist. She seemed to enjoy Art class very much and that made me happy, especially since she was an ENL student adjusting to her new school and home. She was fastidious so I didn't imagine her forgetting anything. I watched her hurry to the large marker board filled with pictures. Maybe she wanted to add a quick sketch to the haunted mural? She scanned the room but didn't notice me looking on. She selected a marker and eraser from the ledge. She positioned and climbed onto a chair near the board and while standing on her tippy toes she began erasing the letter "D" in the word Dead. She replaced enormous letter "D" with an "R". She climbed down, replaced the eraser, marker and chair, then scurried out of the Art room, her pink backpack bouncing with each of her hurried steps. I came out into full view and took a long look at the board full of Halloween images. My new student who could not be more shy was compelled to come back to class before going to her bus and edit the boy's "PEOPLE ARE DEAD" banner. The new banner read "PEOPLE ARE DEAR."
The next day in class I sprinkled in Halloween history into regular conversations about costumes and candy. I included the Roman and Celtic lore and I added in the history of the Jack-o-lantern. The class was none the wiser as I discussed costume evolution including All Saints Day, masquerades and the most current frightening mask. I punctuated that Halloween is unrelated to The Day of the dead celebration that may look spooky but is actually very warm and about family. I orchestrated the historical conversation while sitting at a large table that included my new student from China. She was riveted by the chat and politely asked questions to fully grasp the surreal celebration. We exchanged several nods and smiles and she was interested in learning how to draw American versions of ghost and witches. She learned very quickly and added in a much needed evil dragon to the haunted mix.
I still enjoy the horror genre with it's spooky, eerie and many times grotesque depictions, but have not had a Halloween since without feeling an underlying warmth. When seeing the frequently used word DEAD it does not make me shirk or cringe, but instead makes me smile. A ten year old girl from China forever reprogrammed that chilling word into something as dear as herself.
My name is Franco Sergi, I'm an Artist, Author and Educator. I've written a trilogy, "Frankie and Taylor - The ZOMBIE SWEATER"- book 1 "Apocalypse" will be available on Amazon this Halloween. It's a dystopian, coming of age, teen romance set in a zombie apocalypse. As I wrote the three books, even in the scariest parts I made sure there was a endearing thread of warmth from a family member, friend, school crush or the love of a pet.
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