Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Twice Exceptional Pulling him from art

I've probably documented the difficulties we've had with DS's art teacher, but today we decided to pull him from the class. He'll do art at home with my wife.

The art teacher is rigid and inflexible (the irony there is overwhelming). DS was bored today, was walking around talking to other kids, and the art teacher told him to sit in his seat. He refused (the two of them have a history), so she called the office and DS got an earful from the assistant principal.

I cannot justify DS's non-compliance, but we just had an IEP meeting one week ago in which we discussed alternative ways of dealing with DS when he resists following directions. She could have engaged him in something else or let him read a book. Instead, she entered into a battle of egos with a 12yo.

Anyway, this will be our first shot at homeschooling. Luckily art is last period, so my wife can just pick him up early.

My frustration with our school mounts.

I'm impressed that your school is letting your DS drop art and let him be picked up early. Hopefully that will make everyone happier. Crazy to have art be a stressful class. In my district you could probably drop art but would need to replace it with a different elective. They are really sticklers that ALL students have to be there the entire day until they are at least juniors in H.S.

I can't figure out why the rigidity in art class? My older DD took a basic art class in H.S. and she hated it because according to her the teacher "treated them like Kindergartners".

BSM, I'm glad you have a workable solution and hope it relieves stress for your family!

DS has not enjoyed art since he left the Montessori school he was in -- although the teachers seem nice, there seems to be a lot of emphasis on doing things a certain way. When that doesn't work for him (usually because he can't do it perfectly as some classmates can), he feels badly. He's pretty much given up on art. At 9.

I hate that that has happened to your kids BSM and ConnectingDots… I have a degree in art and my son is very talented at drawing. A lot of people have suggested I put him into art classes, but I won't unless he asks me to. Art is a wonderful outlet, and putting too much pressure on it (just like on a hose) stops the flow of creativity. We had a wonderful art teacher at our school, but she retired last year, and the new teacher is not liked by the kids..

Thank you! We're not putting any pressure on him at all with it. It's a shame, as this is the same kid who loved to create all sorts of abstract, very beautifully colored art when he was younger. Our hope is that he will pick it back up again sometime. He likes the teacher, but has looked at the work others create and decided his "stinks."

Sorry this happened. DS here had a horrible art teacher last year who had no compassion and said, "I ask that he be treated no differently than others" when DS was in bad shape and I asked for help (nothing major--preferential seating) while waiting for psychiatrist appointment. I thought it was ironic for an art teacher to be so uptight, too.

I have a personal working hypothesis about how soul-sucking it must be for an artist to teach middle school students, and a less generous one along the lines of "those who can't do [fill in blank]."

Glad you removed DS--in some cases, life is just too short.

How is DS doing, otherwise?

Ugh, we've had DD's art thrown out by a teacher and done again to make it "right" which goes against everything I feel art to be. It's not art if you're just making yours look exactly like the example. It's forgery
And don't even get me started on what they consider good writing, where every second word must be an adjective

That's just awful, AvoCado. Hurtful--I still remember a similar incident that happened to me in kindergarten, over 40 years ago! People need to stop and think about how vulnerable kids are. Even the nonconformist or noncompliant ones.

BSM--I saw a quote on FB recently, "Your child is not giving you a hard time--he's having a hard time." Another variation--your child is not a problem, but has a problem. Or the old standby: Children need our love most when they deserve it the least.

I know that's kind of schmaltzy stuff, but it would be nice to feel like the adults have better skills in place than the kids, wouldn't it? On a most practical level, this would be a good model of problem-solving for our kids when their coping skills aren't equal to their emotions.

You know, I think you ought to talk to him about the Impressionists. The Salon wouldn't give them the time of day because they weren't doing what The Salon thought was "Art" so they started their own little club and look at how that turned out… the Fauves were called the Fauves because the critics said their art was like art done by "wild beasts."

In his lifetime, Vincent Van Gogh created 900 paintings and made 1,100 drawings and sketches, but only sold one painting during his career. So your DS shouldn't compare his work to his contemporaries, it means nothing So it sounds like it's less about the teacher and he's just having a rough bit with perfectionism. Maybe the teacher, since he likes her, could work with him on that?

Our state allows homeschooling on a class by class basis. We've considered something like this before for other classes, but with art is has become a no brainer.

And he doesn't mind doing art projects. He's not in love with it but he'll do it. Last year he liked the teacher and enjoyed art. This year the teacher is new and very inflexible.