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Just outside Sacramento, California – teachers at Quail Glen Elementary share their thoughts, ideas and insights on Kyle Tiernan’s elementary school assemblies.

Karrie Vicory – Thank you so much for giving our students a great assembly the other day! I could tell that all ages of students really enjoyed it and were able to do the drawings, too. I liked how you kept the students engaged with a good pace and just enough humor to keep their attention. In addition, I liked how you had them respond to your directions with a simple word or sound. You had a funny story to tell about the character as you taught them the drawings and that kept their interest as well.

Kids definitely need something like this because they have very few lessons (given by me) where they learn how to draw an object. Your techniques were easy for the kids to follow since you went line by line. I have not seen an assembly with this much interaction before, and that’s what makes it even more fun for the kids—they don’t have a chance to misbehave because they are very busy drawing. I would highly recommend your assembly to any school, especially since it caters to any age group.

Athena Meacham – The assembly was awesome! For such a young man, your audience control was amazing. Every child was totally engaged and every child left with a set of drawings that they could feel proud of it. The pacing was great and the directions and modeling were very clear. My second graders just finished a geometry unit and I was glad to hear the term symmetry and some of the geometric solids and shapes we discussed reinforced.

Thanks for such a wonderful fun assembly.

Krista Richardson – You were amazing!! I have never attended an assembly in my ten years of teaching that was so interactive! ALL the kids were engaged and on task. They couldn’t take their eyes off of you. You have a natural way with children.

Your assembly ran so smoothly, because you new how to manage the kids and to make them feel like they all had a voice that was heard!! The fact that they could walk away from that assembly, all feeling like they could draw was wonderful. What a gift you gave them, confidence, and a boost of self-esteem, all from their drawings!!

Meredith Smith – We all enjoyed your presentation today. The students were engaged and you did a fabulous job managing them. I could see that all the students were successful with their drawings, as I peeked over their shoulders. Letting students know that anyone can draw if they learn some of the tricks is wonderful. My students thought you were very cool and thoroughly enjoyed your presentation. I have quite a few budding artists and you encouraged them by speaking to them and looking at their drawings after your presentation.

Carol Garcia – Thank you for coming to our school and allowing our students to gain confidence in their drawings. I really liked your positive approach that made all students feel able to achieve. Not only did they feel that they could draw, but through your directed draw they were able to see fantastic results. My kindergarten class was able to duplicate your drawings and feel confident. You kept them engaged and focused on the task at hand.

Traci Petrie – Your assembly was terrific. The students were actively engaged throughout. They were able to keep up with the pace of your drawing very easily. I have never been to an assembly where my class was able to be a part of the entire assembly. Students benefitted from your ideas because they were able to immediately apply what they were being told. My class was more engaged during your presentation than other assembly they have been at this year. Thank you for a terrific afternoon.

Nicole Cumbra – The assembly was so much fun! I think this was the fastest assembly; the kids were actively engaged and loved their finished products! When we got back to the classroom all they wanted to do was to color their pictures! I had a million questions about it. I love how you made everything so easy to follow along and you related a lot of the pictures to them with your stories. Thank you for doing such a great job and clearly you love what you do!

Mary Lee – Thanks for the great assembly today. I teach Kindergarten and my kids loved it. They were so excited when they got back to class. They couldn’t wait to color their pictures and show their parents. I was amazed at how you kept every ones attention. I envisioned some problems with the paper and pencils flying everywhere or my kids whining about how they couldn’t draw what you were drawing. I had none of that! They were all thrilled with their pictures. You made the drawing easy and fun. They loved your sense of humor! You are very talented and a great presenter. I wish you all the luck with your summer tour. I really hope we see you again next year!

Colleen Devine – Thank you for a GREAT presentation today. We all loved the assembly! The kids were so proud of their completed work and they were very excited to show it their parents! You did a great job engaging them as they draw with the group responses and asking them to repeat things back. I was impressed!

Carrie Hoehenrieder – I am a first grade teacher at Quail Glen Elementary School in Roseville , California . We had Kyle for a Drawing Secrets assembly. It was absolutely wonderful. So many things to praise!

His management of the students is excellent. They were engaged the whole time. He used wonderful techniques to pull them back after each direction. The directed drawing was fantastic. I do not consider myself an artist by any means; however, my first graders and I were totally able to follow the lesson. It was perfectly paced. The illustrations that the students ended up with were amazing. I even picked up some great ideas for teaching drawing to my class.

When we returned to the classroom, I allowed the students a few minutes to begin to color their illustrations. They were so excited and proud to show me their drawings. I overheard them saying that it was the coolest assembly ever. I know they will be able to use some of Kyle’s techniques when they are drawing in the classroom.

I would highly recommend having Kyle Tiernan come to hold an assembly at your school.