100% Ask-Back Rate: Why Every School That Tries Portrait Pals Wants It Again

Part 2 of my ⁨@schoolutionspodcast⁩ conversation with Tonya Quinn from The Kindness Art Education details how her Portrait Pals program uses art to address critical attendance management issues. The initiative fosters a powerful kindness movement, helping to alleviate stress relief among students by connecting them through shared experiences. This approach significantly contributes to improving kids mental health and overall school engagement.

💫Make sure to check out Part 1 before this episode

In this episode, you'll discover:
→ The full Portrait Pals process: from professional photographer to curated gallery exhibition
→ How this program directly addresses chronic absenteeism and low engagement
→ Why inspiring students works better than enforcing behavior
→ The questionnaire questions that reveal what kids are really carrying
→ How active learning through portraiture weaves in math, science, anatomy, & narrative
→ What classroom belonging looks like when a child feels truly seen
→ How police officers, senior citizens, and kids in France are all Portrait Pals
→ What to say to a skeptical administrator who thinks there's no time or funding
→ The blank canvas moment and why it's the most important teaching tool in the room

Portrait Pals has a 100% ask-back rate from every school and community it touches. The only thing standing between this program and thousands more thriving students is resources. Share this episode with a teacher, principal, school counselor, or donor who believes every child deserves to thrive not just survive. Donate here. 

Whether you're a teacher searching for instructional strategies that spark student motivation, an instructional coach looking for coaching strategies that produce real school change, a school leader committed to school culture and equity in education, or a parent who believes in the whole child this episode is essential listening.

CHAPTERS:
0:00 — Introduction: 31% chronic absenteeism & Portrait Pals
1:45 — The professional photographer & authentic self-presentation
3:30 — Anthony: "My pal looks like they could do something major one day"
5:45 — How Tonya matches pals across communities and countries
7:30 — The questionnaire: shared anxiety between rural America and France
9:00 — Supplies, structure & meeting community needs
10:45 — Police officers, Portrait Pals & "this is exactly what we needed"
13:30 — How many sessions & keeping it during the school day
15:00 — Portraits, math, science, anatomy & human skills
17:30 — Shape, light & shadow, and spirit the three elements of portraiture
18:45 — The gallery exhibition experience
20:00 — The girl with her head on her desk and what happened next
21:45 — 100% ask-back rate & how to get involved
23:00 — Closing reflections & how to support Portrait Pals

Next Week: We are heading to San Diego, where history is being made. San Diego Unified School District has nearly 3,000 affordable housing units in the pipeline for educators. Superintendent Fabi Bagula, Ph.D., is leading a charge to make sure the people who show up every day to serve students can actually afford to live in the communities they serve. That conversation is coming your way next week. Don't miss it.

When coaches, teachers, administrators, and families work hand in hand, it fosters a school atmosphere where everyone is inspired and every student is fully engaged in their learning journey.

Transcript

Olivia: [00:00:00] 31% of students in the United States are chronically absent, but what if a painting could bring them back? In part two of my conversation with Tonya Quinn of The Kindness Art Education, she breaks down the Portrait Pals process from questionnaires that reveal shared anxiety between kids in rural America and France to police officers rushing from an emergency scene and saying this is exactly where we needed to be, to a little girl with her head on her desk who picks up a pencil and never puts it down again. This is what it looks like when art becomes a lifeline.

This is Schoolutions, the podcast that extends education beyond the classroom. A show that isn't just theory, but practical try-it-tomorrow approaches for educators and caregivers to ensure every [00:01:00] student finds their spark and receives the support they need to thrive. 

Welcome back listeners. I am so happy to be in conversation with Tonya Quinn. Uh, if you have not listened to part one of our conversation, pause this episode. Go back. Listen. Tonya gives the origin story, um, how she really came up with the idea of Portrait Pals, but really the idea of kindness, education, and how art makes us all better. Tonya, let's jump right in. 

Um, you gave a little bit - a glimpse into Portrait Pals. We are going much more in depth this conversation, or part two, where you're going to name the entire process for us. Before that though, there's a really interesting statistic that I have learned about over time: Absenteeism in the states is around 31%, which is bananas. Portrait Pals offers a direct incentive, a reason for kids to go to school. [00:02:00] Would you just start our conversation speaking a little bit more to that and how it closes that gap? 

Tonya: Yeah. To be a part of Portrait Pals, it's a very much a hand in-person exercise. Um, children are asked to, um present themselves as they want to be presented. So they're starting to think about themselves with perspective in mind. As young as seven and eight years old. We send a professional photographer into the school to take every child's photograph. We intentionally don't use school picture day photographs because I think most of us know that's pretty much just a business for someone to sell photos, right? I mean, they can be cute, but it's not about authenticity. 

And it's impossible to enforce behaviors. I believe it's better to inspire behaviors. And so if we're asking people to be their true, authentic selves and that at school is a place where they can be that, [00:03:00] then they turn up. And so we have a photographer that comes, and that's the beginning of the program in real time because we tell children, this is you showing yourself as you want to be to the world.

Some children are happy in their photos. Other children cover themselves entirely with their hoodie. Or I had one child with a tear running down his cheek, and that is all beautiful and accepted and celebrated as they are beginning their journey as an artist and thinking about how they want to be seen by a stranger somewhere else.

Um, I remember this absenteeism thing too with Portrait Pals. I was installing an exhibition in an auditorium, a school auditorium a couple of years ago, and this was one of our rural and urban programs. And I could hear this child getting in trouble, like being screamed at the whole time. You know when you're, yeah, just to fly on a wall. There was a, literally was installing art on the wall, and it got to the point where this child was excluded from the [00:04:00] class and then later that day the children were coming back through for their art opening and this is such an exciting part of the process. The end of the process as we exhibit the Portrait pals. 

And that's, I hadn't realized what an important part of the journey that was because it just, it taps into our egos. We wanna see how someone portrayed us. I mean, it's just a basic human compulsion, isn't it? 

Olivia: Mm-hmm. 

Tonya: And so this child, Anthony, who'd been excluded from the class that day, his, his painting was at the very beginning. So I said in front of the class, Anthony, come up and read what your Pal said about you. Um, and he got to read to his whole class this statement that said, my pal looks like they could do something major one day he's reading these words about himself and he grew an inch before my eyes. 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: And then he read what he'd written for his Pal and he said something like, if you mess up, you can try again. And I thought, wow, sometimes we all need someone [00:05:00] else to lift us out of our bad day. 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: He changed completely. You could just see his energy about himself in front of his class is everyone was humbled by his insight and what his pal said about him, you were gonna do something major one day. It was just a beautiful moment.

Olivia: Yeah. Yeah. And so then take us through, you have the professional photographer come in. How do you even partner two schools or children across platforms or buildings? 

Tonya: Um, I coordinate it all. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Tonya: And I'm, and I'm lucky that so many schools see the value and photographers see the value. Artists see the value, donors see the value. So I have a lot of, a lot of support, but I'm the kind of the central operations, if you will, marrying the different organizations, uh, whether it's children in France and children in in the U.S. Children with senior citizens, children with police in their district. I'm the kind of, um, [00:06:00] place where mar that marries and pairs the Pals.

Olivia: How do you choose, how do you do that? What does it look like? 

Tonya: Um, looking at number one, the questionnaire. So we have a brief questionnaire that we ask every person to hand write. Um, just a couple of questions and then the photograph, how they chose to present themselves. And it is a time consuming, wonderful, laborious process.

Uh, just reading. And this is what I teach the Pals. We talk about portraiture in terms of three things because I think you mentioned in the last episode, um, when I first had this idea, I told my then 16-year-old daughter about Portrait Pals, and she said, mom, terrible idea. So many feelings are gonna be hurt.

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: And you know, it's humbling to have a teenager, isn't it? Your biggest dream. And she says it's a terrible idea. And I thought about it for a minute and [00:07:00] then I thought, I'm doing it anyway. 

Olivia: Mm-hmm. 

Tonya: Um, and then the first questionnaires came back from the senior citizens and the children. And one of the children, one of the questions was, what's your favorite color? And the child put red because that's the gangs colors around here. And then I've got a woman, Eleanor, who's talking about and hers, how her father donated art pieces to the local art museum. And I thought, maybe my daughter has a good point. How is this going to work? And yet it did. These two matched. And during the painting process, a couple of days in this child took Eleanor's photograph and clutched it to her chest and said, I love her.

Olivia: Oh, it's beautiful.

Tonya: This happens routinely now. 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: That miracle, that beauty and connection. Another time I was pairing a child in rural America with a town in France, and I noticed the American child put on their questionnaire that they had suffered - the biggest [00:08:00] challenge they were facing was anxiety. I thought, oh my goodness, do French children have anxiety? I don't know. Is that an American thing? 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: And of course I'm going through and I saw a French child say, I have anxiety. And I thought, there we go. We're not alone.

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: And we're not that different. 

Olivia: Wow. Okay. So you match someone, and I, I'm interested now because I thought that they have to be in close proximity to each other. So the sky's the limit, 

Tonya: The sky is the limit. 

Olivia: Wow. Okay. So someone gets matched, they receive a photograph of their pal, and then what? 

Tonya: And a brief questionnaire. And it has very, what I think of as simple questions, but they give you great insight as I just said. Like, what's your favorite color? Where were you born? Um, and then usually the questionnaire is exactly the same. It includes, uh, what challenges are you facing right now? And [00:09:00] the answers I get to that are just beautiful and heartbreaking. One child put, I think my mom died last year and when I told my friends they won't talk to me anymore. Um, adults sometimes put, I wish people knew I was kind. Um, yeah, the, the answers are just heartbreaking, beautiful, and authentic. And that's what this program is all about is authenticity auth. That's the only way that compassion can really build. 

Olivia: Yes. 

Tonya: And so the questions are intentional. Um, another one of, what's the first thing you heard when you woke up this morning? Um, and this perspective thing, if it's adults and children. I like to ask the adults, what's your best advice for your 8-year-old self? 

Olivia: Yeah, good question. 

Tonya: And the children, I like to ask, when you're an elder, what will other people come to you for advice on? What? What is your expertise? What have you done with [00:10:00] your life that you feel proud of? So I'm, no matter who is being paired. I want them to try on being that other person as best we can. 

Olivia: I love it. I love it. How do you get the supplies then to the school? Because you did mention in part one they are getting the best of the best supplies. 

Tonya: Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. So we ship them, it's easy. 

Olivia: And you just, and is it one class at a time in a building or it, it's - how do you select the class?

Tonya: I am guided by my communities on that. So the other beautiful part of this is it gives access to creating art to people who might not think it's for them or even really like art. Um, a lot of the police told me at the end when I did that program that they never really cared about art. They're not interested in art.

And what attracted to them to this Portrait Pals program is they were [00:11:00] creating something for someone else. They were connecting with a child. They were doing an act of service for a child. And then the next thing you know, Commander Rice is making an aubergine color to honor the 8-year-old child's hair color that he, that he was paired with. Since the launch of Portrait Pals, it's either me teaching the classes or it is me training teachers on site to, to lead the classes. 

Olivia: So are you taking volunteers or people I can drive them to you or steer them to you if they are interested in teaching? 

Tonya: Yes. Yes. So this is how we're expanding. My goal really is to invigorate the American public school system. Or I should say maybe my goal is to invigorate the American school system and create human connection and creative spirit encouraging that. 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: Um, and so to grow it, [00:12:00] I, I am training teachers through, uh, my curriculum, Portrait Pals curriculum, how to activate it in their classroom so it's available across the country.

Olivia: Yeah. Well, and it sounds like globally too, if you're working with classrooms in France and connecting kids there. You just spoke a bit to the project, um, that you took on with third graders and police officers. Would you uplift that a bit more? 

Tonya: Yeah, that was powerful on the, I'll never forget, on the first day, um, two of the officers couldn't be there. They were at an emergency, uh, that involved a woman, her boyfriend, and a shotgun. Uh, so of course they weren't in the first class. And they came actually later to that class. They, they arrived, they were just late, and I said, I can't believe you came after what you've just been through. And they looked at me and they [00:13:00] said, this is exactly what we needed.

Olivia: It is, it is. And I think some people don't understand how art, how cathartic it is that you can take that pain and put it out of your body for a moment onto a canvas or even through writing, it, it just channel that energy. Um. Finish up the process for us. How long do kids get to paint the portrait of their pal?

Tonya: Well, the, the course is flexible in that, it needs about six or seven sessions for children. We can make it last, the whole year if, if it, like, one of my, I'm doing it in the, the most rural community we've done so far in a town of 2000 with children in an urban center. Um, for that school, they have asked that it continue across the year, and so we adapt it to [00:14:00] suit our community's needs. It's not the one, the one thing that so far we have been wedded to is we ask that we do this program during the school day because so many children are not able to stay after school or, um, feel it's open to them. So offering it during the school day is, is one construct that we try to keep static. 

Olivia: Yeah.

Tonya: Other than that, we meet the community needs. So if a community says, um, our town is tiny, it's a town of 2000 people, it would mean a lot if you came in person and taught us, rather than you training a teacher. I make that happen. Um, to the police these are people who don't have a lot of spare time. 

Olivia: Yeah.

Tonya: And so I worked with them on when, when it worked for them, and I brought everything to them and activated the program in 2 90, 90-minute sessions. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Tonya: So that is flexible. That part is flexible. 

Olivia: I would say it's more than flexible. It's [00:15:00] responsive. It's beautiful. You're really, uh, looking into exactly what the people need based on their questionnaire. You're seeing people and truly seeing them in a painting through their writing, through their voice. It, this, it has just beautiful ripple effects. Um, I I also wanna speak to the idea that this is more than what someone would just call art because Portrait Pals goes out into all of the different subject areas and math, science. Can you say a little bit more about that? 

Tonya: Yeah. Um, first of all, portraits are hard. Like my daughter said, terrible idea. A lot of feelings are gonna get hurt. 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: Because they're hard. Even trained artists are intimidated by portraits Second, artists are great. They study human anatomy. And so when you're painting a person's face, you have to know about the [00:16:00] iris in the pupil. You know about bisecting, a face horizontally and laterally. Um, you're thinking in thirds, you're thinking in halves. You're, and so there are so many mathematical, scientific, and then I think it's pretty obvious that the symbolism, the narrative also in this day of computerization. Surely we need to focus on human skills, what makes humans special, right?

And so we talk about breaking down to make it less intimidating, whether you're eight or 98. We talk about drawing and creating and painting portraits based on three, three areas. Number one, it's shape. I tell the children I get nervous if I think I'm painting a nose, but it's not really a nose, it's just parentheses. That's it. It's shape, it's light and shadow, and it's spirit. And so we're looking at another human being and we're, we're [00:17:00] reading their face, their spirit. We're trying to think what is it like to be that person today? 

Olivia: Yeah. 

Tonya: What is it? What are they going through? Are they smiling and really happy? Or is that smile covering up something that you can see in their eyes? They're, they're sad or angry about something. Children end up offering advice to each other about what they see. And that's powerful as well to see children saying, I see that my Pal actually, although he is smiling, he looks angry and I hope, I hope he can take a minute and calm himself. This is how I calm myself when I'm angry, uh, because they see that in their person and we're encouraging human skills. That only humans have. 

Olivia: Take us to the gallery. And so Portrait Pals may never meet in person, but what is that moment like when you have, I think you said the student's name is Anthony, or you have the Anthony walk in after having a rough day and seeing their [00:18:00] portrait. What is that moment like and what is the gallery? How do you structure it? 

Tonya: I structure the gallery again, learning from my great artists and The National Gallery of London and all I, I curate and I tell the children this, in one of the first classes, I will curate and install your paintings, not by grade and alphabetical, but by color, beauty, composition. They are grouped with intention and care. 

Um, watching the exhibition is exciting because people want to see themselves, um, but also. I'm, I, there's always something that happens that reminds me how important portraits are, how important it is to every human being, no matter their age to be seen. There was one, we had a, we often have pizza to celebrate at the exhibition, and there was one exhibition where there was a child missing at the [00:19:00] pizza party.

We'd already gone through, everyone had seen their, their paintings, and I noticed one child was missing and I went, I went into this huge auditorium and there he was, sat down, staring up at his portrait and I went over and I said, are you okay? And he said, miss Tonya, I didn't really get it. I didn't really understand what was happening. And now I see and I wanna send a message to my pal because to your point, the Pals rarely meet actually. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Tonya: Rarely. It's not part of the process. The connection through the art is enough. And sometimes they are compelled to reach out. So these two children in an, this was a school to school rural and urban program. And I said, well, I'm seeing your pal next week at his exhibition. Would you like to create a video message? And so sometimes they like to create little messages for each other. 

Olivia: Tonya, I'm really interested to know more. What would you say to an administrator that is skeptical? There's not enough time in the day, or, um, we don't have the funds for this. What would you say? [00:20:00] 

Tonya: I would tell them just one example that happens all the time. But this is a powerful example that really stuck with me at one of my rural schools, on the very first day, children are tasked with composing their portrait of their Pal with a pencil on a canvas. And everyone was engaged except for one child, and she literally had her head down on her desk.

And so when I had a moment, I went up. Sat next to her. I didn't touch her canvas or her pencil. I didn't take over, and I said, as her head was on the table. Look, making your first mark is so intimidating. Even artists are scared to make their first mark on a blank canvas. It's so intimidating, I have a name for it, the blank canvas moment, and it's okay. You can do this. 

This child lifted her head. She took her sleeve. She wiped her tears. She picked up her pencil and started her composition. Throughout [00:21:00] the rest of the week. She participated happily. I was kind of waiting to see if this would repeat itself, this cycle, and it didn't. In fact, she was giggling so much in one of the classes I thought this is getting, she's really almost getting disruptive now, but I was of course delighted to see this.

And a couple of days later, the core teacher came to me and said she just left a staff meeting and her principal was really excited because this child had had her head down in every class, in every class for a very long time, and because she picked up her pencil to create a portrait of her pal, she's now lifted and participating in every class.

Olivia: You've gotten feedback about Portrait Pals, and there is a 100% ask-back rate, which is very rare for nonprofits. So I want to make sure that my listeners, that I am supporting you and building this and offering you support, whatever you [00:22:00] need. Um, what is the best way for us to get in touch with you or, um, just learn more about Portrait Pals.

Tonya: Thank you. We need your support. We can't invigorate the American public school system on our own. We need allies. Um, so visit our website for the nonprofit. The, it has to have the, thekindnessarteducation.org. 

Olivia: Okay. 

Tonya: Thekindnessarteducation.org. We, we really do need support. We have, um, so many schools, people, individuals wanting this program, and the only thing holding us back are resources.

Olivia: All right. Well, let's try to drive resources your way. Um, your, your vision for what is possible for our children is so incredibly inspiring. And selfishly, I loved participating and hearing this story as an adult. So I, I also wanna circle back. This is not just for children. You are enhancing the lives of [00:23:00] the human race of all for all of us. And that is a world I want to live in and I am so lucky our paths crossed, Tonya, thank you for taking the time to talk. 

Tonya: Oh my goodness. I'm what an honor. Thank you for your generous,generosity. Thank you. 

Olivia: Yes. Yeah. I can't wait for people to learn about Portrait Pals now and, uh, to support you in any way that they can. Take care.

Tonya: Thank you. 

Olivia: Yeah. And that is the full, beautiful, breathtaking vision of Portrait Pals. A child clutching a stranger's photograph to her chest saying, I love her. A boy, reading words written about him by his pal, my pal, looks like they could do something major one day and growing an inch before your eyes.

This is what kindness looks like, as education. Portrait Pals has a 100% ask-back rate from every [00:24:00] school and community it touches. And the only thing standing between this program and thousands more children is resources. If you're an educator, an administrator, a donor, or just someone who believes in this work, visit thekindnessarteducation.org to learn more get involved or bring Portrait Pals to your community. And if this episode resonated, which I don't know how it couldn't, please share it. That's how we helped Tonya invigorate the American Public School System. One portrait at a time. 

Next week, we are heading to San Diego where history is being made. San Diego Unified School District has nearly 3000 affordable housing units in the pipeline for educators. Superintendent Dr. Fabi Bagula is leading a charge to make sure the people who show up every day to serve students can actually afford to live in the communities they serve. You will not wanna miss this conversation and be completely inspired by [00:25:00] Fabi's innovative leadership. 

Schoolutions Podcast is created, produced, and edited by me, Olivia Wahl. Thank you to my older son Benjamin, who created the music playing in the background. You can follow and listen to solutions wherever you get your podcasts or subscribe to never miss an episode and watch on YouTube. Thank you to my guest, Tonya Quinn, for redefining what art class can be by pairing children across communities to paint each other's portraits, and in doing so, teaching them that every face tells a story worth seeing.

Reach out to me @oliviawahl.com if you'd like a thought partner to help you cultivate curious learners who advocate for what they believe in. Tune in every Monday and Friday for part one and two of my guest conversations with the best evidence-based, classroom ready strategies that you can apply right away to better the lives of the children in your care.

Your 60 second bite-sized piece of learning from our [00:26:00] conversation will be waiting for you on Wednesdays to share with a colleague. Take care and thank you for forever getting better with me. See you next week.