Hello,

Overdue for an update over here.

These are uncertain times even for those leaders making the decisions about slowly ending the lock down.

My personal guess is public school wont be back until September though as of today the minister of Education didn’t rule out returning by June. ( I have decided to fallow the lead of schools as to whether to open or close.)

I am not even sure where art lessons such as myself fit into the stages re-opening and what kind of social distancing measures will be required of me.

I can imagine some common sense changes that I will have to make. Such as each student will have to have their own personal art supplies. Everything from paint brushes to pencils. The waiting room can’t be used as such , only a place for quick drop offs of younger students. I will need about 15 minutes between class times to wipe down desks with disinfectant and also to prevent crowding as students and parents both leave and arrive. Desk and chairs will have to be spread apart at a 2 meter distance. I may have to shrink class sizes. And of course as we were doing before the lock down washing hands before and after class, including myself. Face masks may be a wise requirement.

The truth is just because I can open, doesn’t mean that parents and students will feel the confidence to risk return until there is a vaccine or treatment. And I can’t blame anyone for that. What can I do in the mean time? I will come back to this.

Summer camp?

I don’t even know if this is possible and if it is what kind of form it would be allowed to take, or should take.

I am not ruling it out yet. I imagine that it would be indoors. Maybe some time to play in the local park? or not. Kids do need to move around and get fresh air. Smaller group size? Maybe trips to open outdoor areas could be possible if we arranged for a ride? I would get rides from my husband to and from the studio to further limit the risk, rather then public transit as I used to.

But I don’t know about summer camp, but I do hope. We are living this thing week to week.

What has been going on now , currently a small number of my students are doing online art lessons. It’s a new format for me and I am getting the feel for it. It has some major limitations, but it also has some interesting advantages that I am enjoying taking advantage of. I can see myself integrating some new formats even after things have gotten back to normal.

I don’t want to turn this post into a longer essay then it is, but if anyone is interested I can talk your ear off about what I am finding about teaching online classes. Feel free to contact me about the pros and and cons.

Online, for most students can be effective but different. But I don’t want to have online classes larger then 5 students. Some classes are one-on-one and need to stay that way. Students right now need more attention, not less. Many have been left on there own with little to no direction in their education in the last few months and I don’t get the feeling that’s working so well for kids.

About when to return to the taking art classes? It might also be a question of, how?

It is my hope that for those who may not wish to return to the physical studio will sign up for online classes. That the majority of students would be online. That in person classes would be reserved for those students who do not thrive at all outside of being in a room with a teacher. I am talking about a NEED not a want. I want everybody able to be back in the studio. A few individuals need it.

One idea that I have is doing a rotation. Say for every 3 classes taken online the forth could be in studio. That in person classes could even be limited to those who attend the same school.

These are all just ideas. It’s hard to make plans. If you have any ideas thoughts or feed back please contact me!

But I do hope students can return in one way or another by the fall or before. Frankly the survival of my art school wont be possible if more students don’t return. Which I know is a similar situation that many other business face, which may just be the fact of these new times.

Sincerely

-Katherine