Dear Diary,
Some time my best intentions get me into doing things I'd rather not do. Like teach a class on self esteem to 30 fourth through 6th graders. It seems that at our neighborhood elementary school we have children who are actually suffering from low self esteem. I don't recall suffering from low self esteem until I was in the 8th grade. If I had not been so immature I might have suffered earlier in life because looking back at the family pictures you could open a soda bottle with my front teeth and my momma pulled my hair back so tight my eyes slanted and my nostrils flared. But back then models and beautiful young actresses where not on the covers of every magazine and on TV. The models I remember seeing where in the Sears or Penny's catalog and they were really nothing to aspire to.
My good friend that is the social worker/councilor got a grant for this 6 week after school girls' club. One of the planned activities is a collage. That's where I come in. I thought it would be fun and oh so symbolic to make a collage similar to the one below but with more one sentence journaling. I'm still working on the idea but the collage will fold in like a book and will be tied together by ribbon. The outside theme will be the beauty around us and the inside theme is the beauty within us. As for our little "talk" with the girls - What do I say? I ran a few things by my friend but I couldn't recite them with out pursing my lips while I talked in a high pitched womanly tone. She didn't think many of my ideas were appropriate for the age group and decided that she would do the talking if I would lead the craft.
When I was in college there were a group of girls on campus that were on the "Modeling Squad". These girls always looked so nice! Their hair, make up and outfits were always perfect. The modeling squad where never seen without pantyhose, heels and matching assessories. You would never see one alone. They traveled in a pack. I think because they made a bigger impression that way. A couple of other things set them apart from the rest of us girls - they never wore their pajamas in public and never rolled into class smelling like stale beer and cigarettes. Their teacher was tall, thin and dressed elegantly. Her hair, a perfect shade of red, looked as if she went to the beauty shop every day instead of once a week. She greeted the public with a parade wave and a huge smile. Thinking about it now, I kind of recall that years after I graduated she was involved in some sort of shop lifting scandal. I'll have to find out more about that.
5 comments:
I think that your self esteem journal for young girls is terrific. I saw an Allison Strine Designs greeting card that was a play on the words to the song, "You Light Up My Life." The card says, "She Lights Up Her Own Damn Life." That's a lesson I wish I had learned as a young girl!
I also remember the "Modeling Squad." And they did travel in a pack. As an art major, I was a member of the anti-Modeling Squad. We "serious artists" had no use for the likes of them! We wore jeans.
Glad you're back to blogging! I've missed your insights and your art!
Right on sista!
What a wonderful thing to get involved with! The journal looks perfect and meaningful and lovely! I love your post pic too - it reminds me of a Picasso lesson I wrote for my students and they all made Picasso style self portraits. You know, his faces and body parts were mixed up looking because he was trying to communicate someone in motion, always moving. That helped the kids understand Picasso a bit better. But I digress, the Modeling Squad reminds me of the movie Mean Girls a bit - have you seen it? My daughter introduced me to it - pretty good movie. I was such a conundrum (however that's spelled). I was an art major but I was also the president of my sorority - I was the non-conformist in the art school because everyone was grunge-ing and punk-ing and I was preppy-ing. It worked out well for me actually. It was the 80's.
I've missed you lately!
marsha
Good blog today! Loved it! Gave me an idea for my newly created journal!
Judy
Found these self-esteem quotes for your girl group :) ----->
Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~Eleanor Roosevelt
People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within. ~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
I am not a has-been. I am a will be. ~Lauren Bacall
If you really put a small value upon yourself, rest assured that the world will not raise your price. ~Author Unknown
Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong. ~Peter T. Mcintyre
When the grass looks greener on the other side of the fence, it may be that they take better care of it there. ~Cecil Selig
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the girl who'll decide where to go.
~Dr. Seuss
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I've spent most of my life walking under that hovering cloud, jealousy, whose acid raindrops blurred my vision and burned holes in my heart. Once I learned to use the umbrella of confidence, the skies cleared up for me and the sunshine called joy became my faithful companion. ~Astrid Alauda
Don't let anyone steal your dream. It's your dream, not theirs. ~Dan Zadra
Plant your own garden and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers. ~Veronica A. Shoffstall, "After a While," 1971
Only as high as I reach can I grow,
Only as far as I seek can I go,
Only as deep as I look can I see,
Only as much as I dream can I be.
~Karen Ravn
hope these might work for you.
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