ABSTRACT
As teachers, we can easily become over-obsessed with aims and purposes so that everything children do in school must in an educational sense, lead somewhere. I sometimes think it is a good thing to throw off this straight-jacket and to allow children the joy of pursuing a seemingly ‘purposeless’ activity for a short while. Why must there always be a reason for drawing lines and shapes, making a pattern, or producing a model? Surely a pure experience in art-or in dance or music-is enough in itself and should be encouraged? What do you do if a small boy wishes to paint blue spots all over a sheet of paper-stop him from doing so or encourage the child? If you attempt to stop the child, he might retort by saying that the day before you, the teacher, asked him to paint red lines within a circle. Answer that-or think about it.
