Finishing up our trip

As I sit in the student lounge I reflect back on the week of competition at (a school who's name I won't mention). And try to put it all in perspective.

My daughter took 2nd place in mixed media art which was a surprise seeing that art is hardly her major talent.  At least it is not something she focuses on. But this time it looks like the concept she had in her head actually worked out on paper (the 20th time) and that the concept was clearly well thought out and executed. Being an artist myself, who is yet to win a prize in a juried competition, I am very proud of her.

That being said, I am bothered by the mixed messages that we are getting in the areas where she is truly talented. To be pulled aside by a judge who heaped praises upon praises on her, yet she didn't even make the finals is troubling to me.  Makes me realize that taste and subject matter are often more important than flawless execution and that makes me sad. It also makes me realize that I need to closely scrutinize the colleges we are looking at because I fear for her self esteem.


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2 comments:

Happy Elf Mom (Christine) said...

I dunno, do you think they are patronizing? Or are the stated criteria just different from the REAL criteria in the competition?

Hard sometimes to know people's motives esp. if they want $$ you to send your kiddo to their college, yes?

Ahermitt said...

I dunno Happy. I heard that I am not the only one questioning the results. But these things tend to happen in competition situations. But to sharpen your skills, you still need to compete.

12 grade year of homeschooling, Finishing Strong

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