A few weeks ago, I picked my son up from school. He was visibly upset, trying SO hard to hold back the tears until he was within the privacy of our car. Before he could shut the door, the dam broke. In-between sobs, he choked out a story about what happened in his 2nd grade art class that had made him this upset. That actually seemed to have crushed him a little.
He had to draw a picture of a person
He worked REALLY hard on his eyes, he stressed to me. He was enjoying this art project, which is a rarity for him, he’s never been an arts and crafts type of kid.
He worked on the shirt.
He worked on the background, needing help with the swirls that he was having a hard time with.
Then it was time for him to color the skin. He couldn’t find a skin color he wanted, or so he says. He was looking for white or tan. They were being used by his other classmates. So, he chose grey. To him, it didn’t really matter what color the skin was, after all, his entire class didn’t just have white skin anyways.
The teacher, when she saw how he had completed his project, got angry with him.
So angry because she didn’t like his color choice.
Not only did she humiliate my 2nd grade son in class but she also refused to hang his picture that he was fairly proud of, in the school hallway.
He was the ONLY child in his class whose picture she outright refused to display.
Because she didn’t like the color my son chose for the skin on HIS picture.
Which really, on so many levels, does not make sense.
The color of paper he chose for the entire person…it’s yellow.
He worked hard on two different colored eyes…just like he has. Something he is so proud of.
She also didn’t like the hair he drew so she made him redo it.
And isn’t the beauty of art in the eye of the creator anyways?
But forget that she is imposing her views of how art should be onto my child.
She REFUSED to hang his picture in the hall.
He’s in 2nd grade. 8 years old. A BABY.
That made such an impact on my son. She made him feel that he was worthless, that his picture was a disgrace not fit for human eyes.
After he told me all about this incident, he never brought it up again, it seemed to have been forgotten…
Until today…
When he brought the ostracized, rejected picture home with him.
He held it, crinkled in his hand, and thrust it at me.
“Here”, he said angrily, the upset resurfacing, “This is the ugly picture that my art teacher wouldn’t hang with the rest of my class. I suck at art Mom. Duh”
I looked at it and all I saw was this…
A picture fit to hang alone on a fridge, displayed for everyone to admire; not hanging in the school hall, lost amongst the other students pictures.
A creative, beautiful masterpiece, created by my child.
For an art teacher, she seems to have no appreciation for originality and creativity.
No wonder he doesn’t like her art class, he’s too advanced for it.
lceel says
When I saw the picture I thought to myself – Picasso would like to have done as well. It is, after all, very Picasso-esque. That said – the teacher was wrong.
Art is very subjective. Your “Art” and my “Art” are probably two very different things – in fact, EVERYBODY’S “Art” is different from everybody else’s. So, apparently, the Teacher didn’t have your son’s “Art” in her “Art” vocabulary. And that’s okay. Like I said, everyone differs.
But – big BUT here (no pun intended)
She is a Teacher. If she is going to instruct Art, then she should be aware of her “Art Vocabulary” and its limitations. She should KNOW that there is Art outside of what she can see and understand – and that the Art of others does NOT deserve her stamp, one way or the other. As an Art teacher, she should guide, instruct in the fundamentals, know color and its form and substance, and Encourage the creation and Understanding of Art in others. She should NEVER impose her “Art” on others.
My wife painted a wonderful copy of “Bedroom in Arles” by Vincent VanGogh, while in High School, which we keep hidden away – because her “Art” teacher criticized her work so heavily – so harshly, that she’s never taken up painting again and she wants NO ONE to even consider that she might have a talent with the brush.
That’s the kind of damage a teacher can do.
That’s the kind of damage I hope this idiot has NOT done.
And remind your son that Alexander the Great had two different color eyes, too, and he conquered the whole known world.
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Making It Work Mom says
I’m speechless and I am rarely speechless. Your poor boy. There is no excuse or explanation for the way that child behaved.
SarahB says
My daughter’s “art teacher” did a similar thing to her last year. My daughter loves drawing and creating yet last year, in 1st grade, she was heartbroken again and again that she didn’t get 4 stars or whatever the ridiculous grading system had as highest, but only got 2 stars. The reason why? Her person’s eyes weren’t the “right” color or she used pink to outline instead of black. I told her that everyone likes different things with art, but there is no right or wrong. I said she had to be polite to the teacher, but even though the class was called art, the grades were only about following instructions. She had to decide which was most important to her – the top grade by doing things exactly how the teacher said even if she didn’t want to, or a picture that she had fun making and liked in the end. She chose the latter. 🙂 (We aren’t at the same school this year thankfully.)
Tiaras & Tantrums says
WOW – I really hope you brought this up with the teachers AND the principal??
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Middle State/MomZombie says
What in hell’s bells? Everything that teacher did flies in the face of art.
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WigenOut says
I love his picture. You should mat and frame it for your son. The “art teacher” must have been rejected as an artist and takes it out on the kids.
tracey says
Honestly, this post made me cry. I am so so sorry he had to go through that! There is no such thing as “bad art” if the person who did it (especially a CHILD) is proud of it.
I am incredibly, INCREDIBLY angry for him and for you and I am SO GLAD that the school found this post. The art teacher needs to read every comment. Every word. And she needs to feel badly for hurting a tender heart in what is such a delicate age. She needs to apologize, like adults must do at times, and hang his art up and be effusive in how lovely his work is from now on to try and negate the damage she has done.
1 negative comment is more powerful than 5 positive ones. Was it really that difficult to just hang up the dang picture????
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Kat @ iHeart7.com says
They should be thrilled that YOU are your son’s mom and not ME. This is the type of thing I will act completely foolish over. That’s one thing that you just don’t do — as the mother of 5 biracial kids, I would have taken MUCH offense to the fact that she got so ugly with him over the color of his character’s SKIN! This teacher was totally out of line and could have used this very artistic drawing to encourage the rest of the class to not put so much emphasis on what the “right” color is when we look at skin. All skin is beautiful and all children are beautiful… black, white, brown, yellow, tan, and yes, even GRAY! What an idiot. If I were you, I would have been up there causing a scene the next morning. (Actually, to be honest, I probably would have backed up and done it right then. My blood boils way faster than water lol)
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Teresa says
I seriously would consider contacting, http://www.displaymyart.com/, and ask them if you could do a fundraiser through your social media outlets for your son’s college education or a charity of your choice and have parents share their kids art and purchase magnets, cards, etc. My daughter’s elementary school did this for the school PTA and I have the magnet on my refrigerator to this day and she is graduating in June. I bet your readers would support you in this fundraiser. The principal and teacher should apologize to your son in front of the class. This was completely uncalled for.
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Cindy says
I love his picture and have posted it to my Facebook wall. I’m not an artist, but I have two different colored eyes too. My kids think this is endlessly cool.
And I think your son is too.
Scott Tykoski says
As a parent and artist at a video game company this makes me INCREDIBLY angry. He did ART wrong?! Does this teacher not understand the concept of personal expression?!?! SOOO MUCHHHH ANGERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
..OK, Composition regained. 🙂
It’s a great piece of art…just let him know that the better the art, the more people will try to put it down. Nobody ‘understood’ Picasso and many of the other groundbreaking masters, so he’s in good company.
If he ever has any art or video game related questions, send me an email to scott@stardock.com. I doubt he’s played any of our games, but I do talk at schools about making video games and it’s a great way to enjoy art in application.
And sorry again 🙁 The teacher is a tool, if its any consolation 😉
Lolli @ Better in Bulk says
Oh, my heart is breaking for your sweet boy. Especially because he was feeling so good about his creation. To be criticized and made to feel that way? Oh, it should never, never happen. Give him a hug for me.
Nancy says
I am an art teacher at an urban school district. I did a similar project with my first graders. I only give grades for following directions, behavior, and completion. It is important that students follow directions because some projects require that. Teaching art can be problematic because you want the child to be creative but if you let them do whatever they want they may not get certain concepts. It is how you handle the situation which is the most important.
Mrs. Weber says
This breaks my heart into pieces! What kind of person judges a kid’s artwork? That’s what’s so beautiful about kids – they see things differently then we do. So proud of your son for catching the eye of a NY art gallery!
I wonder what this art teacher would’ve thought of me…I used to color tiny rainbows all over everything! It worried my mom so much she called the school psychologist. Her reply? She’s just a creative kid, no need to worry! My mom still laughs to this day that she thought something might have been wrong with me 😉
Corinne says
WTF??? I would be so furious.
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Galit Breen says
Oh no! As a teacher, and as a mother, this makes me so sad!! Good for you for brining him right back up!
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mara says
My heart just broke. These teachers, I swear, are having some real problems with what teaching means these days. Either they are underpaid, under motivated, or the fact that their union protects them , but to crush children’s spirits and love of learning and creation!! SHEEESH. There are some wonderful teachers out there. But, unfortunately, this type of nonsense overshadows them. That picture is fabulous. I won’t even tell you about the time my son flunked an English assignment that was so detailed and excellent because the accompanying art component was just line drawings (even though he had a fine motor delay IEP!) Achhh. This world…
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