These art works dated 1980-81 by my 7th grade students in Taiwan. It was my second year of teaching after graduating from National Taiwan Normal University. I had been hired as a special education teacher for one year. Then I received the teaching position from a retiring art teacher, who along with other art teachers were graduated from the prestigious National  Hangzhou Academy of Fine Arts in China. How cool is that!

7th grade, at my school, was a mixture of everyone. After the 8th grade, entrance examination students would be placed from top all the way down. To enter the class ranked 18, or 19 out of 20 classes you better be prepared to fight to survive your class. What about number 1 girls and number 1 boys classes? Yes, segregated by genders. Usually the Math and English teachers would borrow art and music classes to let the students study more. However, I had a vivid memory from these top-tier students begging me to not to let go of my art class. I made a rule: nobody allowed to read or study material of any kind. So what did we do? we were creative and I had my Sound of Music moments that students and I sat down outside looking at the clouds.As far as my from the bottom boys, I had to win many many basketball free throws for their kindness in class.

I was a part of a group of the BEST teachers graduated from the BEST teachers university. Members we were sent all over the island like missionaries. We were young and feisty. Man, I love those feelings!