Hello. I need some advice. My 10-year-old son is taking a homeschool Spanish class with others ranging from about 5-10 years old. We missed last week's class due to a dr's appt. The instructor sent me the homework, which is to "dress two famous art pieces and label the clothing using Spanish vocabulary learned in class." The art pieces are the Vitruvian man and the Birth of Venus. The instructor did put boxer shorts on the man, but left Venus as is. DS has not been exposed to either of these pieces of work formally and his maturity level is not ready to discuss these pieces yet. I am put off that the Spanish teacher 1- felt that of all the pictures out there, she needed to choose these two for young children, and 2- that we, parents, weren't given a heads-up about this. I just don't understand why Venus had to be chosen for this assignment. Yeah, I've heard the arguments about not wanting kids to be ashamed of their bodies and the beauty of the human form. I get that, but, I don't know...something just doesn't sit right with me about this assignment and I just can't put it into words. It just "feels" wrong, and I need advice or some discussion to help me figure out what to do either about my (illogical?) feelings, or about how to go about this with my son. I know what I just wrote probably makes no sense, sorry! That's why I need help with this! --Chelle
hmmm I don't know. I am pretty conservative, yet, I have taken my children to the MAM since birth...art like Venus has been in my grandmothers living room my entire life. (even the bathroom has something similar to it on one wall....) so I grew up not ever thinking a thing about such...never equated it in any sexual way, except for art.
You're the parent. You've decided that this type of art is not appropriate for your child at his stage of development. That's all the teacher needs to know. I'd tell her that you're going to glue some undergarments on Venus before giving it to your son to complete, but you just wanted to make her aware of your parental position on this so that she can be sensitive to that in class. Hopefully, she will just collect the assignments and not make an activity out of undressing and dressing Venus! Isn't the Vitruvian man the one doing a jumping jack? How are you suppose to dress him...he has two sets of legs and two sets of arms? The boxers were appropriate for him; at least, Venus make some effort at modesty! LOL
It seems like the heart of the lesson is simply about being able to identify items of clothing, yes? If so, then I'd simply look up a paper doll figure online and use that to do the assignment and send a note explaining that you don't yet feel your son should be viewing certain types of classical art, specifically those involving nudes.
This is the heart of the issue. I like the paper doll idea. FWIW, I wouldn't have batted an eyelash at either work. My husband and I are both very conservative... that said, I was a LLL Leader, and my boys (11, 9, and 7) know what breasts are for. My sister has a toddler and a newborn, and when she breastfeeds, it's not worth a pip to my boys - they are too busy playing/visiting/etc. I don't think they'd be phased by the art...but that's our house, not yours. The teacher may just not have a frame of reference, and I think if you explain why you used an alternative figure, it would really be helpful to her in the future.
I'd be very upset if I were in your shoes!! Classical art or not, it's immodest, and it's offensive. I don't believe boys should be seeing naked women after they're about 2 years old or so (and vice versa for girls). I know women should be allowed to breastfeed anywhere, but there are modest ways to do so. I don't even approve of men running around with no shirts on. Our bodies are only there to house our souls and please our spouses. Yes, anatomy needs to be discussed, but it should be saved for the moment when each child is ready (puberty-ish), and should be left up to the parents, as each child is different. I would absolutely send a doll or drawing along with an explanation to the teacher!
I'm a bit shocked they put undies on Vitruvian man. But that is my opinion and my choice regarding to my life. So not very helpful for you! But I'd talk to the teacher and explain your views and modify the assignment to your needs. Honestly, I would modify the assignment and give Vitruvian man his dignity back LOL. You are in your right to explain your position to the teacher and she/he will just have to adapt to that. and yes they are odd pictures considering the type of homework. Would have been easy to pick beautiful old pictures that don't risk causing offence.
Would have been easy for teacher to choose paperdoll outlines! Draw a bikini on Venus and do the assignment with him... When I worked in public school, one of the elementary schools had gotten some new library books. One (don't remember the name) was illustrated with photos of cutout silhouettes in various colors (like orange, green, etc.) of human-ish figures, very sort of straight rough-cut, not detailed and curved with breasts and buttocks and such. And still somehow one of the figures managed to come out with an irregularity in the cutting that vaguely resembled a male body part -- the librarian drew boxers over it...
You're the parent, I agree that if you you feel it's inappropriate for your son, then tell the teacher. I agree paper dolls would be a nice substitute. I would also suggest to the teacher that she plans on ever teaching this class to young children again, that parents should be given a heads up and a chance to opt out of anything containing anything even the least bit questionable, and nudity falls in the questionable range. What if your son hadn't had a Dr Appt? You can't unsee what you've seen....
Thanks everyone. God really works in mysterious ways. I went away for work this week, and when I returned on Saturday, my printer wasn't working, so I wasn't able to print off the assignment even if I wanted to! I know it sounds lame, and I had already sent an e-mail to the instructor letting her know that my son would "sit out" this assignment, but at least my son can honestly say that our printer is broken! LOL
Bottom line should be: if mom isn't comfortable with it, it's a no-no. That being said, for many families, visible breastfeeding in the home just isn't an issue.
I can see your point of view, too. Kind of, you're saying, it doesn't have to be a big deal, part of life, right?
1) This isn't an art appreciation class. 2) Yes, our children need to understand what body parts are for, and we shouldn't be ashamed of that (ie: nursing). 3) A teacher needs to be sensitive to all her children. While some parents (and children) are comfortable with doing this, others are not. You need to err on the side of caution. Paper dolls would have fulfilled the purpose of this lesson just as well.
I can understand why the person creating the lesson might have though that using art work was more "neutral" than a photograph of a person. Having grown up in a Southern Baptist church, however, I would have known this would not sit well with all parents. I would have used gingerbread cutouts or some other likeness. As far as nudity and the body, we are very open about such things. I use college biology books and teach the kids about the various parts of the male and female anatomy with the drawings in them. My kids have a full understanding of everything we hear in the adverts on the radio. I use every day reality to teach.
If this were Europe, there is a lot of toplessness on beaches, for example (not that I think it's a good idea!) but just keeping it in perspective, anyway.
There is a skill in knowing how to behave in different situations. For example, my children would never take a Harry Potter book to G'ma's house. Why not? Because G'ma had serious problems with HP, and we didn't do it out of respect for her. In the same way, what may be acceptable in one situation is not in another. This didn't happen "in Europe". It happened in an environment where she didn't show the proper respect for situation.
I can see what you're saying, yes. Of course, if a family goes on vacation to European beaches, there's nothing necessarily secret about the upper torsos of European ladies. I can take your point about context, though. Part of it is whether something is being expected or not. In this case, it clearly wasn't; though for the teacher, who has probably taught similar things for years, it didn't seem so unusual.
And if I were to take my family to Europe, I would talk with them about the cultural differences, and warn them of what they might see at the beaches. I wouldn't rant and rave about how "immoral" those people are or anything of the sort. (I actually spent a summer in France pushing wheelchairs. There was one day we went out on a picnic. It was VERY hot, and one of the female workers took off her shirt and was running around in her bra. Took ME by surprise, but no one batted an eye at it !)
PS: Oh I agree. Just that even in parts of Canada as well as in Europe, if it just isn't an issue in the first place some folk wouldn't even know what you meant, really. But I don't disagree with you.
