Teaching in Summer

Summer is a frustrating time to be a private art teacher. My students either disappear for vacation or their minds vacate their bodies though they are sitting right in front of me! Today was one of those days: a student left after arriving too early with no one at the school, another has been on vacation for weeks, and another will come on Friday instead.  So there was just me and Angela.  She colored her picture and I helped her where help was needed. While we talked, I tried to draw a picture of her from the moments she kept semi-still.

I noticed one thing about Angela from our conversation today.  She is in a new phase of question-asking.  When I say something is small, she would ask "How small is it?" When I say something is funny, she would ask "How funny is it?" She reminded me how often we take other people's descriptions or assertions for granted without pursuing it further. Though she wasn't really looking for answers as much as learning how to ask questions, she taught me a lesson.