Dot Day inspires students to show their creativity

Teachers show students that even when they don’t believe in themselves to be creative, the smallest dot could spark their imagination

By Alex Owens

Using her students’ creative talent, art teacher Mrs. Strong displays their “Dot Project” in the main hall.

Maya Parks, JAG reporter/photographer
October 14, 2020

Teachers all around the world have been adding a project called Dot Day into their classroom curriculum.  The day originates from the book “The Dot,” written by Peter H. Reynolds and celebrated on Sept. 15. Dot Day is meant to spark creativity in students.

Reynolds’s book is about a girl named Vashti, who is in art class and believes that she cannot draw and refuses to participate in the activities. Her teacher tells her to draw a dot in the center of her paper. She realizes she can do better, so she draws more dots and ends up showing her drawings in the school art show. A young boy looks at her dots and says that he cannot draw, and Vashti tells him to draw a dot.

The project’s color scheme mimics a rainbow, so as to capture everyone’s unique “mark.” (By Alex Owens)

This book shows kids of all ages that no matter what, they can be creative even in the simplest ways. From Sept. 17 to the 22, students were given the task to cut dots out of paper and to draw inside of them. Students drew a variety of dots that teachers hang up in the hallway for everyone to see just like Vashti and the art show. 

Art teacher Krystal Strong participated in the celebration of Dot Day to show students how to express their creative side.

“Dot day gives students confidence to make their mark, to discover what kind of mark-making they are good at and encourages them to be creative,” Strong said.

Sophomore Helen Springer added to the collection of Dot Day by creating her own masterpiece of dots. 

“I drew a couple designs. I did a sun looking design, and I also did a bunch of colors that were the same as my dot that were red,” Springer said.

Each dot has an individual pattern so as to showcase each student in the collaborative collage. (By Alex Owens)

As a teacher, Strong believes she relates most with the teacher in the book.

“I resonate most with the teacher, and I think it’s important just to try to validate each student and try to figure out what they’re good at, what their strengths in art are,” Strong said. “Especially for the students who feel like they’re not good at art, or they’re just taking it for a class credit, but just to be more encouraging to help students discover what aspect or what part of art they are good at and help them build their confidence.”

Springer also agrees that dot day helps more students to be more open and creative. 

“This teaches students to be more creative and that anyone can do art even if you think you’re bad at it,” Springer said.

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