I really enjoy teaching watercolor classes, especially to those beginners who have decided to jump in and try to learn the media.Most of my students are retirees since we live in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas. So many have always wanted to paint and to be creative but have been afraid to try anything new. Suddenly in later years, they throw aside their fears of being rejected and decide that it is now or never to pursue their desire to paint. The main obstacle is to get over the fear of rejection, a fear that is usually instilled in all of us from childhood. I try to instill the thrill of the process of painting rather than the final product of their efforts. Most start out wanting to copy a photo or a picture to perfection and are dissappointed they are unable to do so and then they are discouraged. As teachers, I feel we must encourage the students differences and let them know that art is unique to each person. When we visit art museums we notice that most of the art is a personal statement of the individual artist, not a perfect copy of the subject. We cna teach the basic techniques, color theory and composition then let the student have fun exploring the media. Comments welcome