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Nancy Larner |
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A Mouse in the Rabbi's Study
by Nancy Larner |
I have been an
early-childhood educator for most of my
professional life, teaching young children
in public and private schools, special ed,
and later in our local religious school.
What I came to realize is that teaching
through art is a stimulating and rewarding
avenue in which to motivate young children
to learn about other scholastic areas.
During an art lesson, there is never a right
or wrong; consequently children feel good
about what they are creating.
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It’s an easy jump to get them
to write or dictate a story about their
piece. As far back
as I can remember, scrounging has been a way
of life for me. I delight in discovering the
potential a found object has within it. The
prospect that the "find" can be an entirely
new and unpredicted outcome is thrilling to
me. I believe this is a big reason that I so
much love teaching. Youngsters are largely
unhampered in their thinking. They see what
grown-ups ignore as mundane with fresh eyes.
Therefore we can share equally the
excitement of a discovery that is both
timeless and ageless.
Throughout my teaching years, I designed
jewelry, created a multitude of needlework
crafts, and, to this day, paint on
garage-sale furniture -- reviving a discard
and elevating it to a piece of art. Some of
these reincarnations have found new life in
art galleries. |
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Less than ten years ago,
I took my first writing class and realized that memories
and experiences can be placed on paper in such a way as
to be useful, entertaining, nostalgic, and poignant. Of
course this new (for me) art form was exciting; it
smacked of scavenging through my own personal brain
"dump," retrieving an item and creating an artful story
around it. I learned, and am still learning, how to use
the skills of writing to express myself. Luckily,
several editors understood that expression and have
published some of my poems. I was pleased to have been
selected as March, 2008, Poet of the Month, by Poetica
Magazine, Reflections of Jewish Thought,
www.freewebs.com/poeticamagazine.
I have been dedicated to keeping Jewish history alive
through prose, poetry, and art works. My latest effort,
"A Mouse in the Rabbi’s Study," was simply fun to write. |
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