Dear Homeschooling Mom,

I realize that you and your children are relatively new to the whole homeschooling experience, but I do not think that, when you ask me what my favorite subject is and I reply “art”, entitles you to laugh, snort disdainfully and say, “ That’s like saying your favorite subject is recess!”
Although, to some people, art may seem frivolous and unnecessary, I believe art is a very important aspect to our daily lives.
Art often frees people from the drudgery, which consumes many people’s everyday lives. There are uncountable types of art. From drawing, painting, and sculpting, to music theater and comedy. Why do you think people pay millions of dollars for one of Picasso’s paintings? Or why this society pays millions for a theatrical performance, or a comedy act? It’s because we need those things. Those are the things that bring us together to form a community.
Back in the Stone Age there were paintings on the walls of caves and carvings in ivory. Why would human beings continue to make art if it did not benefit them in some way?
Maybe I was also mistaken though, to say art was my favorite “subject”. The word “subject” is too hard, too rigid, and controlling for art. A “subject” suggests something which can crammed into 45 minutes a day. “Subjects” confine. Art releases. Art allows people to express their feelings honestly.
I hope that you understand that although I despise math and wish it was never invented, I am not blind to the fact that math and science undoubtedly serve a great purpose in the world. So all I ask of you is that you please not belittle the “subject” from which I hope, someday, to forge a career.


Yours ~


Skylar
P.S. I also enjoy recess. J