Well, it's that time of year again, when we scrape the last paint from the jars, try a new squeeze on the Elmer's, and run by Dollar Tree on our own nickel for pencils, in hopes of finding just enough to finish out the year in Art. We all know that we must begin the summer packing a little sooner than most, since we have more stuff than most that needs packing away before the summer elves arrive to wax our floors and paint our walls. So while we are dismantling our visual displays, bulletin boards and posters like every year, we hopelessly never seem to learn that what goes up in August, must come down in May. In any event, during these days of sorting and purging, packing and tossing, we don't want to forget that we are still in the business of sowing visions and building dreams in the lives of those young people who walk into our classrooms every day. True, we'd really like for them to finish that painting..shade that drawing and glaze that pinch pot..but we also have an assignment to finish well. What will we give them to stash in their backpack of memories about Art? What will our students take with them beyond the canvas and portfolio of art? What kind of "exiting ticket" will we give them in these last days of school? What can we prompt them to think about over the summer or over their journey of life? What kind of positive praise can we share with them? We truly may not have the time to write a personal message to each student, but we could give them each a word on a piece of paper that best describes them in a positive way. I researched a list of positive traits and found one at http://ideonomy.mit.edu/essays/traits.html . Although there are some traits on this list of over 200 words that we should refrain from using with students, this list might help us get started in the right direction. Or maybe we could share Howard Gardner's list of multiple intelligences with the class and help students in the quest to discover their gifts http://multipleintelligencesoasis.org/about/the-components-of-mi/. Maya Angelou said it best, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How will we make them feel as they exit the art room for summer break?