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I'm going to go on record as an anti-theater arts parent, at least for my relatively young children. Our elementary school is known for putting on a HUGE production every fall involving the fourth and fifth grades. It's a monstrosity! Morning rehearsals, afternoon rehearsals, parents making themselves crazy running all over town every weekend for costume and set supplies. Yes, the end result is always impressive, but at what cost? We did it one year. Never again!
As a musician myself, I'd much rather see that time used for the mastery of an instrument.
I'm going to go on record as an anti-theater arts parent, at least for my relatively young children. Our elementary school is known for putting on a HUGE production every fall involving the fourth and fifth grades. It's a monstrosity! Morning rehearsals, afternoon rehearsals, parents making themselves crazy running all over town every weekend for costume and set supplies. Yes, the end result is always impressive, but at what cost? We did it one year. Never again!
As a musician myself, I'd much rather see that time used for the mastery of an instrument.
That's because your PTA is probably full of overzealous type A personalities. My eight year old son does some childrens community theater and it is nothing like that. Any type of extra curricular that requires that much work on the part of the parents isn't worth it.
So, do I want to raise my children to live in McMansions, take yearly Disney vacations, and acquire lots of stuff or do I want to raise them to experience the unparalleled satisfaction that comes form working with others to create art or community? Yeah, I think we'll keep hanging with the theater nerds.
I know a lot of very creative, entertaiment industry people who have the McMansion, go to Disneyland as often as their pass will allow and have way too much junk. The actors were all theater nerds growing up. So, take heart! It's not mutually exclusive.
(Just what you wanted to hear, right? I'm actually in your corner. I can't imagine school if I hadn't had the escape of music, art, anything creative. Those classes are why I survived math and science. I honestly think I may have been a drop-out if I hadn't had the creative classes to pour myself in to. And if it wasn't for those grown up theater nerds making movies and television shows as successful adults my kids might have starved.)
I'm going to go on record as an anti-theater arts parent, at least for my relatively young children. Our elementary school is known for putting on a HUGE production every fall involving the fourth and fifth grades. It's a monstrosity! Morning rehearsals, afternoon rehearsals, parents making themselves crazy running all over town every weekend for costume and set supplies. Yes, the end result is always impressive, but at what cost? We did it one year. Never again!
As a musician myself, I'd much rather see that time used for the mastery of an instrument.
Yikes! I'm sorry this has been your experience. We do tons of community theater, and aside from dropping kids off and picking them up at rehearsal, the parents aren't really expected to be involved unless they want to be.
I know a lot of very creative, entertaiment industry people who have the McMansion, go to Disneyland as often as their pass will allow and have way too much junk. The actors were all theater nerds growing up. So, take heart! It's not mutually exclusive.
(Just what you wanted to hear, right? I'm actually in your corner. I can't imagine school if I hadn't had the escape of music, art, anything creative. Those classes are why I survived math and science. I honestly think I may have been a drop-out if I hadn't had the creative classes to pour myself in to. And if it wasn't for those grown up theater nerds making movies and television shows as successful adults my kids might have starved.)
Yeah, you're right, Dew. I just get worked up at the idea that lower income = less intelligent/less motivated person, which is what I think this whole anti-arts thing is about. But yes, I see your point.
I wouldn't know anything about the PTA, because I don't participate in it. Instead, I'm part of the library volunteer contigent, which seems to made up of pretty well-balanced (and well-read!) people, the kind of people who take time to read books before debating their merits. :x
"Encourage kids to explore what they find interesting academically (i.e. not sports, not drama, not the arts), then tell them to take the initiative and enroll tem in activities and get them active in that."
So saying not sports, not drama, not the arts you are suggesting cutting kids off from that. Kids are like adults. They have a range of talents. Those talents should be explored alongside a core of academic subjects (like math and science).
You never answered my questions about why you would foreclose your child from participating in sports from the outset. Children should be allowed to do things they like. Not everything you do has to earn you a living.
Sports can pay for college. The kids who get athletic scholarships are real. Now-if my child hated sports I would not force them to participate. But I have kids who LOVE sports and at least one of them is good enough to be considered for a scholarship. Even if the chance of a scholarship is small why would you foreclose the possibility when the child is 8 by refusing to allow him to participate?
The same goes for the arts. You know not all jobs in the arts are for performers right? Most of those jobs DO require you to have a musical education though. One of my good friends is an administrator for the Palm Beach Opera. It's a good job. Her degree is in vocal performance. Another one of my friends is an arts grant writer. His degree is in piano performance. Getting a degree in performance doesn't mean that is all you can ever do. College is not vocational training.
I would have been the most miserable child had I not been allowed to play sports. Often I was playing three sports in the same season, but my grades didn't suffer due to it.
In addition to that, I have no musical ability in me at all. No matter how much someone would have forced me to practice, I would not have gotten better. I did try to play instruments, but it is just not one of my talents. I have no rhythm and cannot hear a beat.
Had I been raised in a way that some people suggest is the best, I shudder to think of what my life would have been like.
His statement "I believe Chua's abusive parenting is motivated by her own unhappiness" seems to be an accurate assessment to me. I'm glad he was able to move beyond his childhood and help others.
I just get worked up at the idea that lower income = less intelligent/less motivated person,
I detest that attitude. For me it's right up there with "Ivy League is superior". Both are one big in my book.
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I'm actually in your corner. I can't imagine school if I hadn't had the escape of music, art, anything creative. Those classes are why I survived math and science. I honestly think I may have been a drop-out if I hadn't had the creative classes to pour myself in to. And if it wasn't for those grown up theater nerds making movies and television shows as successful adults my kids might have starved.)
Excellent opinion response from Lac Su
in my book.
