The students in Mrs. Dougherty’s fifth grade class were recently inspired by a unit of their bible curriculum to create artwork that incorporated the words of John the Baptist. During their classroom discussion, the students spoke in depth about his appearance. Because he was a Nazarene, he would have taken an oath to never cut his hair. The students’ discussion conjured up a vivid picture of an Old Testament-like prophet with the wind whipping his hair while he was preaching in the rocky, dry land.

“The children learned to love this person,” said Mrs. Dougherty. “They loved his bravery, his passion, his humility. And so I decided to take the opportunity to let the students create artwork that might capture our discussions.” Using chalk pastels, watercolors, and ink, the students created beautiful renderings of the man they were learning to admire. Mrs. Dougherty pointed out that the chalk pastels were the perfect medium because they were dry, gritty and sandy, much like the land where John the Baptist preached. Socratic discussions, art and the Bible…what a great example of classical education in action!