Anirudh

Dear Lakshmi Ma’am,

Hello Ma’am. I am Anirudh Krishna Gopinath. I study in the 10th Grade in Gems New Millenium School, Dubai. I have been in the art class since the 4th grade, and this is my feedback on my wonderful experience in the art class.

I originally joined the art class since my older brother had already been a part of it for a year, I was very skeptical because I thought that the class would be boring, and I wouldn’t have fun. But I am extremely glad that I was proved wrong. When I joined the art class, mam was taking classes offline. During these classes we would have many discussions, where everyone would participate. It felt extremely inclusive because even if the discussions at hand were much above my level, I was still allowed to give my input whether I was right or not. This method of teaching was probably the most helpful thing in my growth, because no matter what I said, I was always encouraged and was never put down. This also allowed me to learn about concepts much easier, because the concepts that were constantly being taught to the older students were already in my mind when I had to implement them into my own work. On the other hand, Ma’am would also ask the older students to comment on my work, even if what I was doing wasn’t technically complex. This was also instrumental in my growth in the class because none of the students would put me or any of the other students down. Instead, they would encourage us with affirmations and positive criticism and allow us to grow.

The art class has helped me in many of the things I do in my daily life. Before joining the art class, I was an extremely hyperactive child who couldn’t sit in the same place doing work for more than 10 minutes. But the art class made me sit in the same place for 2 hours working on something without making me feel bored or uninterested. It also helped me in my schoolwork, as I was able to focus in my classes and perform better in academics. The discussions we would have in the classes were also extremely helpful, as it allowed me to
articulate myself better and describe things I visualized in words and helped form answers in school.

One of the amazing things about the art class is its practice of making classes up. Since everyone’s lives are not always going to be routine and follow the same path every single week. So, it is very possible that you may miss a class from time to time, whether it be due to exams or other requirements. In most other classes, if you missed a class, that class was missed and the progress you would have gained from that class would be gone. But this art class ensures that if you missed a class, you would make that class up some other
day of the week so that you wouldn’t lose progress. This practice has helped so many students to grow and not slow their progress.

Something that surprised me about the art class was the fluid transition from the offline classes to online classes. In the start of the online classes, there was a small struggle in the adjusting towards the newer flow of class. But using the help of the students, mam and we were able to adjust quite easily. Something that was always enjoyable in the art class was the interaction between students. But sometimes the intermingling would distract us from our work and slow us down. This was a minor issue I had during the offline classes. But in the online classes, we were able to maintain the interaction in the form of in-depth discussions of other students’ pieces. This discussion allowed the classes to be interactive and enjoyable and not be stale.

Working online in the comfort of our own homes was very enjoyable and also encouraged attending classes more regularly as sometimes we would feel it to be a drag to travel for the offline classes. Every week we would be doing our work and if someone had a doubt, or made an error in their piece, the entire class would be included into the discussion and figure out the mistake together. Instead of mam just outright telling you where you went wrong, she allowed us to figure the answer on our own by discussions and subtly pushing us into the right direction. This helped the class stay enjoyable as it added a sort of puzzle solving aspect to each class, while also giving the students an opportunity to learn. This allowed my theoretical knowledge on art to grow rapidly and made me one of the best students in term of discussions.

The biggest lesson I learnt from the art class is the power of consistency. I will be the first one to admit that for the majority of my time in the art class, the work I did, did not match the time I spent in the art class. But even if sometimes I lost hope or felt sad about my work, I put my best foot forward and moved onto the next picture using my previous mistakes as a learning experience. At times I would feel disappointed that students who joined after me were making progress much faster than I did, but all it did was help me do
better. Also, the practice of framing our pictures acted as a checkpoint and gave us a sense of progress. Every time I did a frame, it felt that I had made progress and that I was getting better. I would say that after my fifth year in the art class, my work started to grow rapidly, my sketches got much better, I was able to implement my theoretical knowledge into my practical work, and my painting skill got much better as well.

Ma’am has been one of the biggest helps in my life and has taught me many lessons whether it be intentional or unintentional. Every class I attend I look forward to, which I cannot say for many other classes. The art classes have been one of the most enjoyable times in any class I have been. Art has acted as a sort of therapy, not in the sense that it has helped me get over mental issues, but rather acted as a stress reliever. If I ever feel something is bothering me, all I have to do is just put my attention to doing some art, whether it be a 2-month work piece for the wall, or a simple sketch of a fictional character, once I start working on something, I forget about my stress and only care about the work I am doing.

All in all, the art class is amazing, and mam has helped me and so many other students in their lives, by giving them a hobby to work on, or something they could use to make a career out of. Thank you, mam, for taking these classes, I don’t know how I can express my gratitude to you, but thank you mam.

-Anirudh Krishna Gopinath