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This elementary school teacher turned her students’ artwork into a dress

Posted at 2:44 PM, Mar 27, 2019
and last updated 2019-03-27 14:46:20-04

HIGHLAND VILLAGE, Texas — Many adults advise children not to color on clothing, but an art teacher from Texas not only encouraged her students to draw on her dress, but she also wore it — twice.

Rebecca Bonner, art teacher at McAuliffe Elementary School in Highland Village, Texas, said she got the inspiration for her dress from a Facebook group for elementary school art teachers.

Bonner teaches about 580 students from ages 3 to 11 and let them go to town for about two weeks using Sharpies and fabric markers on a plain white dress she bought on Amazon.

“My kids loved taking part in designing my dress. We talked about how we had to be respectful of each other’s artwork and chose images that I would like on my dress. I loved watching my kids design it.”

She said she had the dress “designed” about a year before last year’s annual school-wide art show so she could display the children’s work on her wardrobe. She said the purpose of the dress was to build excitement about art.

“This year as the District Art Show approached, I decided I would wear it again. My kids loved that I wore it again. A lot of the new students and my kindergartners want me to make a new one for our end of the year school art show!”

Photos of her dress went viral on Twitter after her daughter Charlece Lake, 20, posted them online as her mom was on her way to the District Art Show on Friday.

“Not really sure how it went so viral,” Bonner said. “But I sure am glad that it put some positivity out into our world about public school, the fine arts, and teachers.”

Bonner said she is so happy that most of the comments on the post are from college age students who want to be teachers. She also said she is glad she gets to play a small part in inspiring future leaders, creators and innovators.

“I have loved art since I could hold a paintbrush! Art has always been my passion and I am so glad I get to share that with my students every day.”