Satisfaction . . .

in my job today.  The first class of the day were nine year olds and they were drawing walnuts as their warm up.  The teacher told me J her autistic pupil had had a shocking day yesterday and if he was disruptive I could send for her and she would remove him.  I didn't have to do that because he could make a connection between the walnuts and science.  He is currently obsessed with anything he sees as science.  Everyone drew one walnut in the time allowed.  He drew three.  The entire nut with the outside shell, the nut with a see-through shell and the nut inside and the nut split open with both halves of the nut shown.  Sort of like a botanical drawing.  The other exception was a little girl who turned the walnut  around four times and drew each view. 
This term they are going to create a painting featuring a Kea ( native parrot) because that is the endangered species they are studying in class.  I wanted to see how they handled paint and go over the routines so all I wanted them to do was invent as many shades of green as they could using blue, yellow, white and black paint.  J went way beyond this brief and painted a picture of a waterfall.  He didn't paint anyone, spill anything or shout out.  He made a connection between green and John Deere tractors.  He wants to be a farmer when he grows up. 
After morning tea I had six year olds for clay work.  They were given a golf ball size piece of clay to create a Wild Things face like in the book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.  I read them the story first expecting them all to know it.  When they didn't join in I asked who knew the story and only five of them did which surprised me.