Most Ridiculous Item of the Day

Sorry... I just had to borrow a line from America's favorite blowhard.

What I'm referring to is this.

Yep, a veteran teacher is likely to lose her job because she took her students to a museum and they saw artwork in which (gasp!) nudity was displayed.

Shocking!

I just can't believe that anyone would expect a teacher to prevent her students from observing nude sculptures and paintings in a museum. What's she supposed to do, go around throwing beach towels over "questionable" pieces?

Thank goodness there's no nude artwork at any of the fieldtrip sites I'll be taking my students to this year.

Or, is there?

There is a book in my classroom, a children's book, about art and it has several nude sculptures and paintings in it. A couple times a year, it becomes something of great interest to my students. As the interest peaks, I shrug my shoulders and say, "It's just art! Some people, including famous artists, find the human body to be very beautiful and it inspires their artistic creations." That usually calms them down a bit.

You know, I want my students to grow up comfortable with art and environments in which art is displayed. I want them to have mature reactions to the things they see in a museum. I don't want them to overreact to nudity in an artistic setting.

Maybe those administrators and parents in Texas need a little art appreciation education.

Come on! Grow up!

p.s. The photo up top is one I took at the Orsay in Paris. I think it's beautiful. ;-)