While You Were Resting

Art wise it has a been a gloriously long summer for me.  Admittedly the weather has been a bit uninspiring from time to time but I was lucky enough to be permitted practically unlimited use of a studio and electric kiln for about six weeks and have had a wonderful time experimenting with porcelain.  Just HOW thin can you get it and still have something to show for your efforts?  OK I admit that there have been failures but there have also been tremendous successes.  I have largely been focusing on the idea of the container again - thinking still about the concept of containers for peoples emotions.  These containers have become thinner and thinner and gradually more brittle over the summer until I am left with structures that are so thin you can see through them.  I am almost afraid to pick them up to get them out of the kiln!  The works are, of course, completely useless but that is slightly the point: if the container becomes too stretched, what use is it to anyone?  I shall be adding some pictures soon so that all can see my attempts.
Another exciting development is the fact that through the use of the studio I struck up a connection between the education department and the psychology department of Roehampton University.  I find this very exciting.  Having recently completed my first youe placement for my MA in Art Psychotherapy in an Academy within a large city and given my background as a teacher of children with special educational needs I found my placement very difficult.  There seemed to be such a huge disconnect between the young teachers and the students.  It appeared that all that mattered was results.  NO-one had time to consider whether there was a link between a child's failure to thrive in the classroom and their emotional state because of what was going on in the rest of their live.  I have always believed that children cannot learn until certain basic needs have been satisfied,  Maslow's hierachy of needs, and it positively grieved me to know that children who I was working with on an emotional level and who were going through Hell at home were almost being punished for being unable to achieve satisfactory results in class and no-one was putting two and two together.  Basic maths, people, basic maths!  So I am wondering if I can foster the link between the two departments and maybe, just maybe the teachers who are currently in training at the University of Roehampton will graduate with at least some thoughts on the importance of emotional well being.