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SALT LAKE CITY — When first-grader Clive Wilcox of Fremont Elementary School opens up his at-home-learning homework from his teacher, Mrs. Quinn, a smile starts to emerge, and then a giggle.
He looks on a comic drawn by his teacher’s husband. In the comic, is a boy holding out both his hands up to his computer screen saying "Smell my hands." The caption reads: "Things 1st graders do, I might not miss."
But Kay Quinn does miss her students, which is why she said she enlisted the help of her artist husband Jason to connect with her students in a unique and fun way. Kay Quinn said her students know her husband well, and are always asking him to draw something on the board. She knew sending comics drawn by him would make her students happy.
"At first, we teachers thought we’d only be out of school for a couple of weeks," Kay Quinn said. "A few days in, I asked my husband to create some cartoons for me to connect with my students telling them how much I missed them. He drew a picture of me standing in an empty classroom with the words, 'I miss my class' on the board. I was having Jason create a comic every other day, then two weeks turned into the rest of the school year, and he had to cut back a bit."
Jason Quinn is a freelance artist who has painted many murals including one at Rocky Mountain Middle School.
"Some of the comics are quarantine related, and some aren't, but all of them are based on some things that have happened in school," Kay Quinn said. "I have been teaching for 15 years, and I have a lot of funny stories to share, and Jason does a great job of making them come to life."
It isn't only students who appreciate opening up the morning funny pages. Parents have expressed an appreciation for the smiles during this challenging time.
"Receiving Mrs. Quinn’s almost daily comic pictures has become an important part of our schooling routine," Jessica Wilcox, Clive's mother, said in a text message. "As a family we all enjoy the funny little pictures."
Kay Quinn has started to share her husband's daily comics on Instagram @mrs_mightyq for other students, teachers and parents to enjoy.
