The Happiness Of It All

There are some really special moments in life and a baby shower for a much-loved teacher is surely one of those moments.

Fifteen years ago a freshly credentialed young woman arrives at a middle school and takes over a position mid year. With the help of her fellow teachers and through her own persistence she makes it through that first tumultuous semester, doubting herself every day but intently aware that teaching is her calling. Figuring out how to teach so children learn is so engrossing that it dominates her every waking moment for several years. She gains confidence, relaxes, follows the progress of her students as they move through middle and high school, and shares her thinking with her colleagues. In the process she becomes one of those kind, wise teachers who first welcomed her to her school and who make all the difference to every child they teach.

With this sketch I wanted to show the delight and excitement of the teacher and her colleagues so I used a group photo from the shower that has everyone beaming. I also wanted to show the age range of the teachers, from those who first welcomed her to the younger teachers who she in turn welcomed. I made two sketches but did not manage to achieve both goals in both sketches. This is a sketch I will keep working on.

This is a pen and watercolor sketch on multimedia paper.