> "You are going to be
> a great artist!" He shyed away and said, I don't want to
> be an artist; I
> want to be a paleotologist (sp?). My heart fell to the
> ground
How many of us went through a gazillion "want to be's"
before we grew up? And so many of us still want to be
something. I think in the third grade the world is open to
anything, and I also think that 'being an artist' is a very
abstract idea to a third grader, where as something they saw
on TV, like a paleotologist, or someone they know like a
doctor is more real to them. He is lucky you actually took
the time to look look him in the eye to tell him he could
become an artist. He may remember that look later on. (also
so few of our students, get the eye contact in general from
an adult anyway!).
