We’re currently concluding a screen printing project this week. It is a very physically demanding project for the tutors and students.
As a curriculum area, we manage the print room ourselves meaning that there is no additional support from technicians. Something occurred with a student during this project that I would like to recount. The project requires students to design and physically draw screen print positives. Knowing this is a long process we scheduled enough time in the project timetable to allow the students to complete the positives successfully. One student has taken a particularly long time in completing their positive because they didn’t follow the steps put in place to achieve it on time. In the morning I checked on their progress and explained that we had to put down at least one colour that day (this being the official final day of printing). The student reassured me that they would have completed the positive in time. The post-lunch session begins and I again press upon the student on the importance of completing one layer, again they say they will be ready. 15:45 approaches and I look across the studio to see the student still filling in the same area of image they’ve been working on for the past session. I said to the student “We need to print your work now, we cannot wait anymore” They replied “Just 15 more minutes” I replied, “You have two.” It is at this point his face appears as if I have just strangled his pet. I walk away to continue a plethora of firefighting in the print studio. 10 minutes elapse and I again approach the student and say “It’s now or never” he has a broken demure.
The day comes to a close, and the student approaches my colleague and asks, “Will there be time to reprint my work because I don’t like it” My colleague softly explains no. Internally I’m using expletives that would make the occupants of a barracks room blush.
I think we make a lot of provisions for students to complete their work successfully and to a high standard. My colleague and I have refined this project to ensure every step leaves plenty of time for students to create a complete piece of work as well as an induction into screen printing (a new technique for them).
Had I not forced this person to print their work the effect would have been a greater level of pressure and stress on my colleague to complete the job at a later date and the student to be without a piece of work for their portfolio. Would the alternative to this be to deny the student to print and explain you missed the deadline? What is the greater harm, the student feeling a little bit anxious as I frantically save the project or no project at all?