My first two classes are a joy most of the time - my Advanced Art class is, of course, full of students who are artistically talented and who love the subject. They are also from the accelerated learner team (we call it pre-advanced placement) or are at least the right age for the grade - meaning they have not been held back or retained, they care about school, they come from families where school is a priority. My second class is comprised of similar students, although it's a mix of Basic and Advanced students, and most of them are also in music classes - so it's a different dynamic, but still students interested in the world around them.

Every other Friday I like to use the computer and projector to show artwork - we've been focusing on murals and mosaics, but today I asked if they'd prefer to see travel pictures. The vote was a unanimous yes. They had a choice of Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, or South America - the only digital travel pictures I have. (And I probably should scan in the rest of my travels, so I can share that with the students.)

They voted for Italy. Perfect. So we looked at pictures, they asked questions, I explained about medieval art and architecture, the rise of the Renaissance and how it changed not only our thinking but how that was portrayed in the art and architecture, why the Renaissance artists celebrated the human form (nude sculpture) and why the women look like men (male models), we talked about the medieval hill towns and how that impacts urban planning today, on and on. And after the explanation of why there were so many nude sculptures, the giggling stopped and the understanding of art and culture began.

It was great! It was effortless! It was a travelogue and art history lesson combined. Students learned about buttressing as an architectural necessity, while learning a new vocabulary word. They marvelled over the cathedrals of central Italy, oohed over the pictures of food, laughed at pictures of me posing with a stuffed wild boar, asked tons of questions about life in Italy. (I spent a month travelling and attending an art class with a friend; we also spent a week with her family.)

It was everything learning should be. Fun for the students, fun for me, and just one of those days when I remember exactly why I love my job.