Tags: Children, Art, Cultural Sensitivity, Intercultural dialogue, Team work,
The Palm Wish – Tree
The Autonomous Province of Vojvodina in Serbia is the home of many cultures and nations. It is inhabited with more than26ethnic group and has 6 official languages. Therefore, teaching cultural tolerance is the foundation for a successful educational system.
Children of different ethnic groups attend school together, so an art teacher should be oriented to encourage development of understanding of different cultural backgrounds.
I work as an art teacher in the elementary school in Sombor, Vojvodina, named “Bratstvo-jedinstvo” (Fraternity and unity) which realizes its educational program in 3 languages- Hungarian, Serbian and Croatian, according to its ethnical structure of students. The children are in the same building and interfere during their school time schedule and are engaged in many team activities. Nowadays, as there are many mixed marriages among different ethnical groups, some parents decide to send their children to the Serbian groups. Therefore, almost in every group there are students from different ethnical origin.
It is more than important to develop intercultural and ethnical tolerance. One of many ways to do so is through art. Art is a bridge to overcome intercultural differences . Through art children can learn to express their feelings, work in team and develop creative thinking.
The first week of October is in Serbia celebrated as the “Children’s week”. It is a week with activities promoting children’s rights and tolerance. Schools make their own plan of activities they realize with their students.
In 2010. my idea for the Children’s week was promoting cultural sensitivity and tolerance through interdisciplinary and multimedia art expression. I realized that idea with students from the fifth to eighth grade elementary school with several art activities.
Part one: The Tolerance Wall
The children did together a drawing on a 70x50 cm paper. One class started and other classes finished. They depicted a wall with a cat sitting on it. The children signed their names on the wall in graffiti style. The wall on the drawing was a symbol for hindrance. Decorated by children’s names the wall turned into a peace of art.
Part two: The Palm Wish – Tree
I have brought a small palm tree to the class. A palm has a symbolic meaning for good and peace. The children were asked to write a wish on a peace of paper and roll it. Then we bended the wishes with a cord to the little palm tree. The palm tree with all our wishes is on the window Sims and we water it together for the wishes to come true. It is the keeper of our wishes.
