art class - elementary school

There was the ugly poster I wanted to hide. I won a trophy for it. I was shocked when I received applause from an auditorium full of people after I came in late (because of throwing up on myself in the car coming back from West Point.) There was a clay elephant sculpture that got put in the hallway display case. (That was more of a pleasant and tranquil experience.) When there was a newspaper article about an elephant figurine uncovered on an archaeological dig, grown-ups compared my little sculpture to the artifact. But then, there was the visiting art teacher. I wanted very badly to impress her. She had us draw a tricycle. I tried; I couldn't do it, and I cried. But on another day, she told us to draw a monster. I had been happy with the elephant sculpture, so I drew an elephant-looking Snuffleupagus kind of creature. But this did not impress her. I didn't know why...the class artist was always making something good (she grew up and became a writer) but I don't remember what she drew. I think some kid (named Paul?) drew the teacher's favorite monster. And, because my elephant monster was so forgettable that it wasn't even hung up on the wall with the rest of the class's art work, I always remembered how she raved over his very geometric monster. It was a triangle monster. In my memory, it hung in the most prized position on the wall, and it mocked me.