Abilene Middle School Class Holds ‘Bob Ross’ Painting Day

After dealing with the stress of multiple tests, projects and grades, this Abilene 8th grade teacher made her pre-AP students feel like happy little trees. Performing well in school can be stressful for young kids, especially if they are preparing for the future by taking Pre-Advanced Placement and AP classes. 8th graders in Brady Sloane's art class at Madison Middle School in Abilene, Texas had multiple projects and grades they had been working on this year. Despite the school stresses, Sloane said that her students were still producing outstanding work and she wanted a way to treat the class. The teacher had all her students in her four pre-AP class comes to school on a Thursday dress as art icon Bob Ross for a special "The Joy of Painting" art class. Bob Ross had his show from the 1980s and 1990s but with the streaming service Netflix his popularity has gone resurged.

The class all came in their best brown, curly wigs and denim outfits to spend an afternoon painting and having a good time with their teacher. To commemorate the fun event, the teacher invited the kid's parents to come as well as photograph the fun day of class. Sloane told Abilene Reporter-News that this was a fun way to treat her students and bring a historic art figure to life:

"This was just a fun way to incorporate art history, too. He's a part of art history, right? The excitement the students feel when they realize this is an educational experience and a fun experience at the same time is just wonderful to watch."