Why Can't He Have It All?

I went to a meeting at C's school tonight on course selection for next school year. Yes, already.

I came away feeling so dejected.

C is doing great. His academics are solid, he enjoys the "extras" - music and art.

But next year, it's music or art. He can't have both. Well, he can opt out of French to be able to do both, but that's not really an option. It's just so disappointing. Even the kids who do choose art will only get it for half a year. They have to take computer keyboarding the other half.

Our schools have a really strong music program. It's wonderful that they have it - but it's unbalanced. Both are complementary to academics. I've written a little on this before. I just didn't realize we'd be faced with no art so soon.

C takes a group art lesson once a week from a private instructor, and it's wonderful. It's 90 minutes of exploring and experimenting with freedom he doesn't quite feel at home and doesn't have at all at school. But it's not a complete art education. His teacher is wonderful, but it's just technique, and fairly limited to drawing and painting (acrylics). The art classes at the school offer a little art history with their explorations of many different mediums.

I was already feeling disappointed when I left the course selection meeting. As I walked out the door of the auditorium, I noticed the bulletin board across the hall: a beautiful series of watercolors done by the current 7th grade art students a la Wassily Kandinsky.

Sigh.