Curt is Chicago native – but don’t hold that against him. After stops in Madison and California, he and his wife moved to Waukesha in 2004 to open their own downtown business.
If you don’t know it by now, my wife and I own and operate an art school in Downtown Waukesha.
We teach art to all ages; however, most of our students are between the ages of 6 and 12.
In a week’s time, we teach a variety of kids of this age. They never cease to amaze us, and I’m not just talking about their artistic skill. I’m talking about some of the incredible questions the kids will ask.
In the two years I have operated this school, I have heard some good ones, and this week was no exception.
The following question comes from one of our students- a boy, age 11 (he was painting a picture of a woodpecker at the time):
“Did Noah have woodpeckers on the Ark? He should have, right? And if he did, how did he keep them from pecking holes in the boat?”
And I thought teaching art was a challenge.
After racking my brain, I told him Noah must have put corks on their beaks. We had a good chuckle about the idea and I smiled to myself smugly, thinking I had successfully dodged another inquisition.
“What about lions? He had to have lions, too. How did he keep them away from the antelopes? And the dogs away from the cats? And where do you think he kept the skunks?”
My answer- on the deck, I guess. That’s where I would keep skunks. Or tow them behind the ark in a dingy. I really don’t know. However, kids expect adults to have all the answers because- we’re adults and we should know this stuff.
The only way out of this paradox is to remind the kids that they need to concentrate on their art; and back to work they will go- for a little while- until the questions start again.
This goes on every week. Some of the questions are cute, some are funny, and some provoke intelligent conversation. Overall, it’s always entertaining.
In the end, working with these kids has meant more to my life than I ever could have imagined and I am truly fortunate to have the opportunity. Kids aren’t always easy; as I am sure those of you with kids can contest to. But the good times always seem to outweigh the bad.
On that note, I leave you with this, a question from a six-year old student:
“When we get to heaven, will we be able to see our backs?”
I welcome some suggestions on that one.
