Teacher shares how he encouraged a student to get out of her 'comfort zone' while creating art
A teacher shares how he uses money creatively as an incentive for his students to discover their artistic talents.
Being a teacher requires a certain skill set to impart valuable lessons to children without exhausting them. The process needs a delicate balance that very few teachers are actually able to execute skillfully. But those do end up making quite an impression on children for their whole life. Mr. L–who goes by @ManMythDaLegend on X (previously Twitter)–happened to be one of those teachers and shared an intriguing post about how he used his money to unleash a student's creativity.
So a student in another 8th grade class showed me her artwork that she sketches and colors with pencils. It was really good. She usually charges the students $5-$10 to draw things for them. So I told her I wanted her to draw something for me, I’d pay her.
— Mr. L (@ManMythDaLegend) February 7, 2024
The post has gone viral with over 11.4 million views, 11K retweets and 140K likes on the platform. He revealed how he knew a student in 8th grade who was quite talented at making artwork with pencils. The little girl used her talents to make some pocket money and would charge her classmates $5 or $10 to do artwork for them. He writes, "So I told her I wanted her to draw something for me, I'd pay her."
One thing about me is when I see kids who have potential or express interest in something I try to encourage them or help them to better their craft. I told her I wanted her to do something on a canvas and asked her had she painted one before. She said no but uses color pencils
— Mr. L (@ManMythDaLegend) February 7, 2024
The teacher continued his thread by mentioning how he liked encouraging kids with talent to improve. Once he saw what the little girl was capable of, he knew that commissioning a painting from her would allow him to push her a bit. So, he asked that the girl make the painting on canvas and enquired if she had used one before. The girl had not and stated that she did use colored pencils sometimes.
So I told her I wanted her to step outside of her comfort zone and try painting on a canvas instead of color pencils. She was nervous but said she’d think about it and try. She didn’t have a canvas or paint at home.
— Mr. L (@ManMythDaLegend) February 7, 2024
He writes, "So, I told her I wanted her to step outside of her comfort zone and try painting on canvas instead of colored pencils." The girl was nervous to do so but agreed and decided to give it a try since she was being paid for it. Unfortunately, the girl did not have a canvas or paint, so the teacher wholesomely agreed to bring one from his own house for her. He bought her a canvas and told her that she could let her "creativity take over" when it came to the painting.
Today I brought her one of the canvases I have at home and told her I’d bring the paint I have later, she asked what I wanted. I told her let her creativity take over, whatever she wants to make. Literally 3hrs later…she comes to me in the hallway and shows me this pic.twitter.com/1n0DdFtxJg
— Mr. L (@ManMythDaLegend) February 7, 2024
A few hours later, she showed up with the most amazing painting on canvas of a man playing a violin. It is amazing and looks very professional, with attractive colors and sketchwork. Seeing how the final product came about, the little girl was quite proud of her work and was conflicted about giving it away for money. She finally decided to keep it while the teacher said he would get her another canvas the next day to see what else she could paint. The teacher concluded the viral post by imploring people to invest in young talent.
She was proud of it so I asked her if she wanted to keep it instead of selling it. She be said she likes money but really wanted to keep it. So I’m getting her another canvas and letting her do what she’d like to with it. Long story short, if you can…invest in the youth
— Mr. L (@ManMythDaLegend) February 7, 2024
This thread restored some of my hope for humanity.
— Super Saiyan Godzilla (@zalesone) February 7, 2024
People commended the teacher for his gesture and shared their opinions in the comments. @BeatandBougie said, "That painting is absolutely beautiful! She is very talented. You're amazing for challenging her and helping cultivate that talent." @Mildred_preen, commented, "That painting is absolutely beautiful, and thank you for being such a wonderful person." @SodaPop19000 expressed, "My entrepreneurial eyes are bulging! Such talent. Tell her to take her God-given gift and run with it. And thank you for being such a positive influence on her!"
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