NaMoPaiMo & the Story of Can Do Gracie

Registration for NaMoPaiMo 2024 is open! And I highly recommend that you participate in this event at least once in your life, even if you do not consider yourself an artist or have ever painted a pony before. 

The NaMoPaiMo 2020 medallion I was gifted one of the years I participated.

Every year I would decline entering because I did not consider myself an artist. But in 2020 when NaMoPaiMo registration rolled around again, I remembered a huge life lesson one of my students, Can Do Gracie, had taught me, and as a result, I have now participated in NaMoPaiMo twice. 

Here are my two NaMoPaiMo horses,

Sultanna, NaMoPaiMo 2020

 Hokey, NaMoPaiMo 2021

and here is the story of Can Do Gracie and how she was the catalyst for my entering NaMoPaiMo.  

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NaMoPaiMo - The Real Reason I Entered (written March 8, 2020)

The 2020 NaMoPaiMo class of projects. Can you find Sultanna? I put an arrow pointing to her. 

(Photo posted with permission.) 

I am so pleased to have participated in NaMoPaiMo this year. But there is an underlying reason I finally decided to enter and do a NaMoPaiMo project, and I credit a former student for the final push in getting me to accept the challenge. Here's the real story as to why I entered NaMoPaiMo.

I'm generally someone who prefers to remain in the background. I do what I can do but rarely am one who shines at anything. I much prefer to be the cheerleader cheering others on than to be the one in the spotlight. A few years ago I had a "spotlight moment" with my students that changed me and my confidence in what I can do.

In 2016 I had been nominated for The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by the parent of two of my former students. With only five state finalists being selected, I was sure that I would not win. But, I felt that if Dr. DeWoody took the time to nominate me, then I should at least follow through and complete the award process. I had no idea what I was getting into - it was very involved with lots of essays to write, responses to give to questions about my teaching, and so on. I spent at least forty hours writing, finding examples of my teaching, and documenting my career.

The final step was making a 45 - 60 minute film of myself teaching Science to my students. I hadn't told them about the award, but when they saw the cameras come into our classroom, I had to explain the purpose behind the filming.

Sure that I would not win and not wanting them to be disappointed when I didn't, I tried to prepare them for that. I pointed out that many teachers across the state had also been nominated and that only five would win. "I'm honored to be nominated, but I think the odds are that I won't win," I told them.

Gracie spoke up very matter of factly. "Mrs. I., you've got this. You can do it!" she declared. Another student pointed out that I had always told them to never be afraid to try, and so I shouldn't be afraid, either. Other students began piping up and encouraging me, offering their opinions that I would win. Finally, Gracie put her hands on her hips and repeated herself. "Mrs. I, you can DO this!"

That day, and their sweet votes of confidence, is one of my most cherished memories of my teaching career. They turned around my own words to them and applied them to me. (Gracie is in high school now, but she is still called "Can Do Gracie," the nickname we gave her after that Science lesson.)

When I thought about NaMoPaiMo in January, I thought of past years when I'd considered signing up but hadn't because I did not think I had any artistic talent. For some reason this year, though, Can Do Gracie's words rang in my ears. She was right - I could do this. I could paint a horse, and even if I never became a hobby artist, I could enjoy the process. Yes, I COULD do this!

And that is the real reason I joined NaMoPaiMo - because a fifth grade student taught me to believe in myself. 

(And to the kids' great joy and "We told you so, Mrs. I.!" I did win The Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching and was one of the five Indiana State Finalists.)

Me in Indianapolis with the Indiana Department of Education State Superintendent, Glenda Ritz.

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Please don't let doubts about your artistic abilities keep YOU from participating. NaMoPaiMo is not about being the best. It's about enjoying the process and you may even learn something about yourself, too. 

Yes, you, too CAN DO IT.

Barn Raising: Shadows from the Past

 Not only did I finish my NaMoPaiMo horse, I finished my barn raising project, too.

Like the NaMoPaiMo horse,

it isn't perfect.

I should've put something into these pictures so that the scale would show.

That tiny scale (1:144) made it really difficult for me to paint and assemble it.

But I have learned that challenging myself, hard as it may be, can also give you a very strong sense of satisfaction. (A lesson I learned from Can Do Gracie and her classmates.)

I can't wait to set this up with Little Lynn and Circus Girl and see how it looks with them. 

Shades of Can Do Gracie as well as the girls of Pawnee Stables.

I did it!

How Far We've Come/How Far I've Come

While I wait for the USPS to deliver my new circus doll, I pulled out my model tack trunk and tried to see if I could recreate the performance set-up that I made and used to show way back in the early 1990s.

Performance showing has come a long way since the 1990s! 

The leather was twisted and I tried to straighten it out, but eventually I could tell that I'd need to undo all the buckles and straps, and I just didn't feel like tackling that job.

I remember buying a package of very thin leather in white and red at Michaels along with a packet of red and blue crystal stars to make the surcingle. Jump rings and buckles came from Rio Rondo. Not sure where the plumes came from but probably Michaels, too. The ribbon loop on the surcingle for the doll's hand was from my sewing supplies.

I no longer have the giant quilting hoop that I painted white with red and blue stars around its sides but I do still have the ziplock bag of the sawdust that I used for footing inside the ring. 

Despite its very amateur look, I am still proud of what I created. Why? Because I tried something I did not think I could do. (I am thinking about Can Do Gracie here.) Like the 2020 NaMoPaiMo where I painted a Stablemate to look like Sultanna, I took a deep breath and tried something out of my comfort zone. I had fun designing it, making it, and taking it to shows.

Liberty, his tack, and the doll (she never got a name) won't ever go to a show again. But they still mean a lot to me because, not only do they show how far performance showing has come, they also represent how far I have come, too.

NaMoPaiMo - The Real Reason I Entered

The 2020 NaMoPaiMo class of projects. Can you find Sultanna? I put an arrow pointing to her. 

(Photo posted with permission.) 

I am so pleased to have participated in NaMoPaiMo this year. But there is an underlying reason I finally decided to enter and do a NaMoPaiMo project, and I credit a former student for the final push in getting me to accept the challenge. Here's the real story as to why I entered NaMoPaiMo.

I'm generally someone who prefers to remain in the background. I do what I can do but rarely am one who shines at anything. I much prefer to be the cheerleader cheering others on than to be the one in the spotlight. A few years ago I had a "spotlight moment" with my students that changed me and my confidence in what I can do.

In 2016 I had been nominated for The Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching by the parent of two of my former students. With only five state finalists being selected, I was sure that I would not win. But, I felt that if Dr. DeWoody took the time to nominate me, then I should at least follow through and complete the award process. I had no idea what I was getting into - it was very involved with lots of essays to write, responses to give to questions about my teaching, and so on. I spent at least forty hours writing, finding examples of my teaching, and documenting my career.

The final step was making a 45 - 60 minute film of myself teaching Science to my students. I hadn't told them about the award, but when they saw the cameras come into our classroom, I had to explain the purpose behind the filming.

Sure that I would not win and not wanting them to be disappointed when I didn't, I tried to prepare them for that. I pointed out that many teachers across the state had also been nominated and that only five would win. "I'm honored to be nominated, but I think the odds are that I won't win," I told them.

Gracie spoke up very matter of factly. "Mrs. I., you've got this. You can do it!" she declared. Another student pointed out that I had always told them to never be afraid to try, and so I shouldn't be afraid, either. Other students began piping up and encouraging me, offering their opinions that I would win. Finally, Gracie put her hands on her hips and repeated herself. "Mrs. I, you can DO this!"

That day, and their sweet votes of confidence, is one of my most cherished memories of my teaching career. They turned around my own words to them and applied them to me. (Gracie is in high school now, but she is still called "Can Do Gracie," the nickname we gave her after that Science lesson.)

When I thought about NaMoPaiMo in January, I thought of past years when I'd considered signing up but hadn't because I did not think I had any artistic talent. For some reason this year, though, Can Do Gracie's words rang in my ears. She was right - I could do this. I could paint a horse, and even if I never became a hobby artist, I could enjoy the process. Yes, I COULD do this!

And that is the real reason I joined NaMoPaiMo - because a fifth grade student taught me to believe in myself. 

(And to the kids' great joy and "We told you so, Mrs. I.!" I did win The Presidential Award for Mathematics and Science Teaching and was one of the five Indiana State Finalists.)

Me in Indianapolis with the Indiana Department of Education State Superintendent, Glenda Ritz.