By Geraldine Rauscher
A teacher instructed her classroom to all color a circle drawn on a sheet of paper she’d pass out.
She gave specific directions. Color within the lines and only use a green crayon she provided.
After the class was done, the teacher began collecting each piece. There were a wide variety of ways each child colored the circle. Some were colored darker, some lighter. Some were colored with horizontal strokes, some with vertical and some with both. Some were colored at a diagonal slants. Some were colored in any and every direction.
The teacher was getting ready to collect the last piece, when she noticed the child had not finished coloring.
“Do you need more time,” she asked the child?
“No, I’m done,” said the child.
“But, you have not finished coloring,” said the teacher.
“Yes, I have. I drew a smaller circle in the middle and colored that circle. I’m done,” said the child.
The teacher stared at the picture not quite understanding.
“My hands shake,” said the child. “I didn’t want to mess up and go outside the line. I made my own circle within the circle, so I would have space for my shaking. See here and here,” the child pointed to areas she went outside her drawn circle.
“It’s ok?” asked the child.
The Bird With No Wings 