three (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
threeplusfire) wrote2007-10-03 04:53 pm
threeplusfire) wrote2007-10-03 04:53 pm
DonorsChoose.org, and a ballet barre
I made my donation to DonorsChoose.org today, to the same proposal that ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rm selected. (She writes quite eloquently on why this matters here.) I threw in money of my own, on top of the gift certificate I received from Six Apart, to support it. Now I encourage you to support this proposal, or find one you like more.
The proposal is to put a ballet barre in a classroom of a school in Houston, Texas. This school was one of many deemed "unacceptable" academically in recent years and suffers from not only the pathetic funding of the Texas education system but the myriad horrors of Houston itself. The school is attempting to make itself into an arts magnet school, which is an ambitious project for a school centered in an area where so many of the children come from families below the poverty level, families wracked by violence and drug use, and where so many children are removed by my agency for all kinds of abuse and neglect.
While searching DonorsChoose, I was trying to find a program in Texas. We consistently rank almost dead last in terms of the attention and funding we give to public education in my state. The running joke is often, "Thank God for Arkansas!" as they tend to get 50th place while we get 49th. I grew up in Texas, and I was fortunate to spend most of my public school years in the Round Rock ISD. While not brilliant, it is far better than many others. But I can say with certainty that while I did receive a great love of words from my Talented and Gifted Program as well as high school journalism, my public education was entirely mediocre. This from a 'good' school in an area not fraught with the everday perils of true poverty and violence.
You might wonder why I gave my $50 to a program hoping to put in a bar on the wall for a dance class in a poor neighborhood. It isn't going to solve the drug problems, improve their math scores, or make sure they have three meals a day. But as the teacher noted, most of these children have never had any opportunity to study art. Most of their parents are working multiple jobs, or using drugs. They don't have time or energy to introduce their children to classical art in any way shape or form. They aren't encouraging their children to develop any artistic expression, deep feelings, critical thinking, or physical grace. If they don't have time or resources, they may not even care.
Art is important to human beings. Art is something unique to us, something that speaks to more than just our opposable thumbs and ability to make change. Art can give hope, and life. More than anything else, so many of these children need that. They need to know that there are worlds outside of the one they know, and they can reach those places. With this dance class, we are talking about being able to bring art and life to hundreds and hundreds of children with one simple purchase.
rm selected. (She writes quite eloquently on why this matters here.) I threw in money of my own, on top of the gift certificate I received from Six Apart, to support it. Now I encourage you to support this proposal, or find one you like more. The proposal is to put a ballet barre in a classroom of a school in Houston, Texas. This school was one of many deemed "unacceptable" academically in recent years and suffers from not only the pathetic funding of the Texas education system but the myriad horrors of Houston itself. The school is attempting to make itself into an arts magnet school, which is an ambitious project for a school centered in an area where so many of the children come from families below the poverty level, families wracked by violence and drug use, and where so many children are removed by my agency for all kinds of abuse and neglect.
While searching DonorsChoose, I was trying to find a program in Texas. We consistently rank almost dead last in terms of the attention and funding we give to public education in my state. The running joke is often, "Thank God for Arkansas!" as they tend to get 50th place while we get 49th. I grew up in Texas, and I was fortunate to spend most of my public school years in the Round Rock ISD. While not brilliant, it is far better than many others. But I can say with certainty that while I did receive a great love of words from my Talented and Gifted Program as well as high school journalism, my public education was entirely mediocre. This from a 'good' school in an area not fraught with the everday perils of true poverty and violence.
You might wonder why I gave my $50 to a program hoping to put in a bar on the wall for a dance class in a poor neighborhood. It isn't going to solve the drug problems, improve their math scores, or make sure they have three meals a day. But as the teacher noted, most of these children have never had any opportunity to study art. Most of their parents are working multiple jobs, or using drugs. They don't have time or energy to introduce their children to classical art in any way shape or form. They aren't encouraging their children to develop any artistic expression, deep feelings, critical thinking, or physical grace. If they don't have time or resources, they may not even care.
Art is important to human beings. Art is something unique to us, something that speaks to more than just our opposable thumbs and ability to make change. Art can give hope, and life. More than anything else, so many of these children need that. They need to know that there are worlds outside of the one they know, and they can reach those places. With this dance class, we are talking about being able to bring art and life to hundreds and hundreds of children with one simple purchase.