Blood and Guts in the Classroom

I have many difficult kiddos, and they are usually my favorites.  One in particular is the classic troubled kid.  He draws nothing but cars tricked out with missiles, spiky wheels (usually with a stick figure being cruelly squished to death underneath them) and machine gun turrets.  And the blood... OH THE BLOOD!!  He will put as many mangled corpses into his drawing as possible.  Of course, I the adult, I am constantly having to remind him that is not appropriate at school.    

  Today, he comes up to me and announces..... that he is "Quitting art!"  "it's too hard" he says!  I kinda don't blame him, we are in the middle of ink painting from National Geographics. It is the hardest unit I do with these guys and it kicks their buns.  It is the only art piece they do at this grade that HAS to be representational. ( I want them to start learning how to seeing detail). I plop myself down beside him, too tired today to give him the pep talk.  "I can tell your tired"  says he.  "oh?  How can you tell?"  "Cuz you're about to get mad!"  He then starts drawing one of his cars... here we go again!   But I don't feel like playing my part, so instead of redirecting him, I snatch his paper out of his hand and draw a happy rainbow and puffy clouds and a cute, fuzzy, teddy bear driving his horrific car!  Of course he is outraged, takes back his paper and then draws my teddy bear on fire!  So of course I have to draw a pretty angel, with a hose, putting out the fire.  But it isn't long before the angel is riddled with bullet holes!   Oh but wait!  Now here comes sweet lucy with her healing potion to help the angel.  Lucy is quickly murdered.... and on and on it went.. all the way through clean up and even until the next class was coming in.  HA! and we laughed, and it was soo fun and this is why i teach!  He may not be the best at art, but he knows he is welcome!  For the record though, actually, i love his bloody drawings. I just don't admit it because I'd rather foster/encourage the more socially acceptable behaviors, you know... like ..... not murder!