Witchy says:

"Did I tell you the Magic Wood School Headmaster (the Farmer!) has given me some extra tuition hours in a class of six-year-olds? Did I also tell you I’ve been going to a psychotherapist since the very first day I started teaching to them? Believe me, I had forgotten how many energies can be compressed in such tiny bodies… they are never exhausted and as soon as you look a bit tired they realize you’ve lowered your weapons and they become as ruthless as an enemy arm and make you sign an unconditional surrender.

Yesterday I was explaining them the difference between “regular and irregular v-herbs” and I was surprised at seeing that every kid was writing down notes. I decided to inquire about this “miracle”: so I put on my glasses (at one hundred fifty-five years of age I’ve become long, short and also medium-length sighted… ) and then I realized what they were all doing:

DOODLING!!!

“HOW DO YOU DARE DOODLE INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO MY LECTURE, YOU MONSTERS?!” Two of them were so shocked at my shouts that lost their usual “you-cannot-make-me-do-anything-unless-I-feel-like-doing-it” look and started to tremble and shake like tender flower buds in the spring wind.
Peter, a fat curly blond-haired blue-eyed young devil disguised as an angel, said: “I didn’t mean to make you angry, Ms Hazel. I’m sorry!” In his eyes I could even detect a glossy tear sneaking down. It was too much even for a witch like myself.
“ Never mind kids! Don’t worry! Be happy and have a break in the garden!”. They jumped as if there was a spring between their bottoms and the chair and ran to the garden bouncing and yelling. It was just then that my friend Sunflower showed her flowery head through the window:

Sunflower: “Did I come at the wrong moment, perhaps?”

Witchy: “Oh no Sunny! I only feel as if I were cut into two parts: one part of me wants to kill those devilish young creatures and the other one suffers from unbearable guilty feelings for not being able to please and interest them… “

Sunny shook her petals: “First of all you should give up lecturing them: they just can’t sustain one hour’s lesson on “regular and irregular… whatever it is” at their age. You should know that the attention span last twenty minutes for grown ups and much less for children. Secondly you shouldn’t be shocked by the fact they were drawing instead of listening to you: doodling is children’s favourite way to express their inner feelings, especially when they are forced into… well, a very frustrating activity!”

I gave a slant malevolent look to Sunny but she pretended not to see me and went on:

Sunflower: “Now the best thing to do is to collect all kids’ drawings and see if we can make anything out of them”.

That’s what we did and, as it usually happens when I follow Sunny’s weird decisions, a new world opened before me: I achieved incredible and unexpected insights into my pupils’ lives and understood things about their souls which I had never imagined. Read on and you will understand!!!

“Look, Hazel!" Sunny said “Almost all kids usually draw houses: it’s very strange because even those ones who live in multi-storey block apartments generally prefer drawing cozy small houses with a front door and a peaked roof. The house represents the children’s relationship with their parents, their life style and their role in the family. The house is “the safe place” where the kid feels safe from external dangers and trains for life. Some wizards think the house resembles a mother’s face: the roof is the hair, the windows are the eyes, the door is the mouth”.

Witchy: “ Very interesting! But what’s the point of all this?”

Sunflower: “Let’s look at Simon’s house and you’ll see!”

Simon is a very calm shy boy who, I confess, is my favourite one because he never makes a fuss and always does his homework.

Sunflower:“He has drawn a house with a locked entrance door. It means he has great difficulties in communicating with others. Can you see the windows are closed and even have crossed bars?”

Witchy: “Yes! What does it mean?”

Sunflower: “It means his parents are overprotecting and probably suffocate his desire to socialize with friends. Maybe there are also conflicts in the family. See Sheila’s house!”

Witchy: “It’s a castle! How strange!”

Sunflower: “It’s not strange if you think how bossy she is. Children who draw fortresses or castles want to communicate their feelings of power and richness. But they may also be creative kids who love to create imaginary friends with whom they have long conversations or games. These children are full of fantasy and creativity but they generally have problems at school because they get easily immersed in their imaginary worlds”.

Witchy: “In fact she is the one who never listens to me when I talk…”

Sunflower: “Peter has drawn a giant house with an open huge door and wide widows. He is a very warmhearted loving boy who makes friend with everyone. He is very generous and extrovert and loves life and nature”.

Witchy: “But he hates books! Here’s Pamela’s house: it seems well drawn with a good perspective..”

Sunflower: “When a child draws a house in the distance she aims at sending a signal of discomfort, emotional unstableness and low self-esteem. Can you see how the house gets larger in the roof?”

Witchy: “Yes, and so?”

Sunflower: ”It means the kid is hypercritical towards herself and her capacities and tends to be melancholic and engrossed in her thoughts”.

Witchy: “What if the kid draws an attic like Thorne?”

Sunflower: “Attics mean the kid has strong imagination and creativity which are restrained by prohibitions. Then he finds a refuge in the attic where he can freely daydream”.

Witchy: “Sue has drawn a smoky chimney while other houses have no chimneys at all. Why?”

Sunflower: “A smoky chimney means a warm fireplace around which the family gathers. Sue must live in a nice loving family. And notice how many trees she has drawn! They represent the child’s need of receiving love, protection and security in the family. It mustn’t be the same for Ricky who has drawn a house with no chimney and no windows. To the child windows represent the possibility of looking into the outer world from inside and to be seen from outside. Open windows mean open-mindedness and desire of knowing the world. Close windows signal a need of protecting oneself from strangers’ eyes”.

Witchy: “But he has drawn two doors!”

Sunflower: “That’s even worse! Two doors make me think of a conflict between parents. And he has even drawn a fence around the house which suggests feelings of isolation. Maybe his parents forbid him to bring friends into the house”.

Witchy: “So it seems no one who has got a nice friendly personality and a sensible mind would like to sit at a desk in a classroom for five hours a day!”

Sunflower: “If I look at Danny’s picture, I think you’re right: Danny is your best student and he has drawn a tiny house at the bottom of the page. He must really have some problems in socializing with other kids. He is very insecure and constantly needs to be reassured about himself. That’s why he studies so hard: good marks give him a sense of empowerment and make him feel stronger!”

Witchy: “So only insecure shy introvert children like studying; the healthy extrovert self-assertive ones find better things to do! How depressing to be a teacher…”

Sunflower: “There is only one job which is more frustrating!"

Witchy: “What is it?"

Sunflower: “To be a headmaster!!!"

Dear Villagers! where could I find such gems of wisdom if not in my precious friend Sunflower?

Love from