Teacher lets students draw ‘anything that makes them happy’ on her dress

In today’s most heartwarming news: an elementary school teacher in the US encouraged her young pupils to draw “anything that makes them feel happy” onto a dress for her to wear.

Fed up with the fact her school does not offer an art class, second-grade teacher Haley Curfman decided to take matters into her own hands two years ago.

She began thinking up ideas for projects her class could work on to spread happiness and allow their creativity to blossom.

Last week (for the second year in a row), Curfman took a plain white dress into school and told her students to draw anything that made them feel happy on it in coloured marker.

Teacher encourages students to draw ‘anything that makes them happy’ on her dress: "We don't have art at our school, so I try to do little projects here and there. I think it's a great creative outlet for students." https://t.co/hlAkcjEfC2 #LoveWhatMatters pic.twitter.com/VGkMUW4NaZ

— Love What Matters (@LoveMattersMore) February 20, 2018

The only rule? No crossing out. Students have an awful habit of drawing a great big cross over their work when they decide they don’t like it, Curfman told Babble.

Instead, she encouraged her students to “turn their mistake into something beautiful.”

Curfman said doing “hands-on” artwork helps students absorb academic teaching more effectively as well as boosting happiness levels in the classroom.

Just had to share this warm and fuzzy piece about a teacher who helps her kids understand kindness and love of… https://t.co/FPAwyTPRTC

— Heather Taylor (@htaylor68) February 20, 2018

And what happens to the dress? The past two years Curfman has worn the dress at a school party – last year the Christmas party, this year, the Valentine’s Day party – then it’s hers to take home as a keepsake.

Last year, before smuggling the dress away, she decided to enter it into the County Fair’s “student” category in which it won first prize.

“My students were able to go look at their artwork and blue ribbon all week,” she told Love What Matters. “They loved it and were so proud.”

Curfman claimed she is only just getting started:

“I hope to make one every year. Who knows, maybe I’ll wear it at their high school graduation one day!”

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