On Monday, April 14th, Max spent the day at Paris Elementary School. He was introduced to the student body at morning assembly and they greeted him with a loud Ni Hao! We returned to the art room where Max taught Chinese calligraphy to all the 5th and 6th grade students. We had each group for a half hour and taught 6 classes.

Max was a terrific teacher. He taught them a few common Chinese words and had the students practice as he handed out materials. He explained and demonstrated how to hold a brush and how to paint the characters for Harmony and Peace. The students practiced several times and then had to turn the paper over and try to paint them from memory. Most did very well, probably better than I did myself. Max is a very accomplished calligrapher. His strokes are beautiful and to watch him, as an art teacher, is a joy. At the end of class he taught the students to count to five in Chinese. This was very interesting and the students picked this up very quickly.

This was a fantastic experience for my students and hopefully we will be able to have Max come back to work with more grade levels before he leaves for home.

Sue Moccia
Art Teacher, Paris Elementary