All it takes is one negative comment to ruin something you once loved.
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6-year-old Edie loves making art, spending hours at her drawing table to express herself creatively. One day at an afterschool art club, her teacher admonished her colorful landscape painting and said she’d done the assignment wrong. Annoyed, her mother took to Twitter to ask for support.
“My 6-year-old daughter painted this amazing scene at an after school art club,” Gemma Leighton wrote. “Her art teacher told her she had done it wrong?! You can’t do art wrong! She was so upset as art is her favourite thing to do. Can you please show Edie some support and like her painting?”
The image of a colorful landscape with broad brush strokes and bold color choices accompanied the tweet. It didn’t take long before people chimed in with their thoughts, and they were not complimentary to the overly-critical teacher.
“I’m a professional artist and I love Edie’s painting,” replied artist Jonathan Small. “Very expressive! If her teacher knew anything about art he or she would have noticed that Edie included perspective in the painting, something most 6 year olds haven’t learned yet.”
“This is a brilliant piece of work, full of life and energy,” agreed screenwriter Simon Blackwell. “It’s really beautiful and Edie should be very proud of it.”
Gemma’s tweet received so much support, she decided to start a Twitter page just for Edie’s Art. She has showed the little girl the positive reviews of her painting and is working to undo the damage done by the thoughtless comment. The tweet also opened up a line of discussion about encouragement verses discouragement in a young creative mind.
“I am hearing from quite a lot of people with similar stories that a mean art teacher put out their creative fire,” Gemma wrote in a follow-up tweet. “It’s so sad. I am so thankful for everyone’s comments because it’s given my little girl such a boost in confidence with her art.”
This story is a good reminder that our words carry weight and power. Teachers touch lives positively every day, but all it takes is a word to leave a lasting negative imprint on a sensitive child. It’s so important to support those around us, especially those who enrich the world with art!
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