A Very Wordy Post About Stuff That Probably Means Nothing to You and a Finished Quilt

Okay, wow! She did it. Our oldest daughter graduated from high school on Saturday. Such an emotional day although I didn't cry a single tear. Sometimes I cannot believe how very proud we can be of our children--words are terribly inadequate aren't they?

Broken Dishes Part Deux

I'm sure my family is rolling their eyes at me telling this story yet again, but it's important. You see, my daughter graduated with a 4.0 but was unable to be declared valedictorian. And that was her choice. A huge decision that she made about half way through her senior year. Let me start at the beginning.

Love the added texture...

The counselor messed up on the honors program back at the end of her sophomore year, not getting the proper paperwork to the kids and in the case of my daughter, throwing her out of the (small school) class scheduling loop. In order to graduate with honors (thus qualifying to be valedictorian or salutatorian), they had to sign a paper declaring their intent to complete the honors program and then of course make sure that they took those required classes in the next two years. Which means taking a class exactly when it's offered because getting out of the rotation makes everything really complicated.

It has a lovely graphic look,
very different for my quilts...

At the end of her sophomore year, my daughter was wrestling with the whole idea of being pushed into the academic tunnel vision  just because she happens to be a good student. What about personal interest? She talked to us a lot about what classes are necessary {for life and for the future} and in the end, she signed up for an art class instead of physics. Aha! When the honors program papers were finally produced during mid-semester of her junior year, she had a instant dilemma on her hands.

No physics class, no honors program. Is graduating with honors even important in the grand scheme of things? Lots of discussion ensued and with the help of the principal (not the very uninterested counselor), my daughters schedule for the next year and half were meticulously planned out so that she could complete the honors program after all. However, we had somehow planted a little seed of determination in our daughters heart that could not be ignored. A determination to allow for creativity in her life no matter the controversy.

Still enjoying the mix of eclectic prints I used...

She loved art class, actually flourished in it--wanted to take more classes. Jazz band was newly offered during her junior year and she chafed at the idea that she couldn't fit it into her schedule and still complete the honors program. By the time her senior year came along, she realized that classes such as art and band were the glue that held her together so that she could actually enjoy the required tough math, science and English classes. It absolutely was her key to just surviving high school. How could we deny her those choices? How could she deny herself those choices and experiences and not have regrets?

So much drama. And opinions. From. Everyone. But here's my point. The school has this attitude that if you don't complete the honors program, then you're not deserving of being valedictorian or salutatorian because you simply couldn't have worked as hard as the ones that did. You took the easy road. You're not as committed to success, therefore you're not worthy.

Broken Dishes Part Deux is finished!!

It's a box. A public school box that makes the school look good, but doesn't allow for much creative thinking. There seems to be an invisible line in the sand for those that are on track to be gold star achievers. Nobody ever really says it this bluntly, but here is the essence of what I believe they demand:  fit in the box or have all your hard work be dismissed and disrespected. It's not intentional and really, it's not even personal. There's just no room in the schedule to deviate from the properly sanctioned criteria. A person can catch up with the electives later on. {And yes, I'm sure it's a very different story in the larger schools.}

Basically, for us, it boiled down to my daughter bailing on the honors program the last semester of high school just so that she could experience jazz band and still stay with her art program as well. She was one pre-cal credit short of completing the honors program--absolutely her choice, but still an agonizing decision to have to make. Student that don't care about their grades might not understand all the angst involved, but for kids like my daughter, it becomes a point of pride, something they care deeply about. It's like allowing someone to paint a bulls eye on them that says something very negative about the type of student and person they really are.

Just enough hand quilting...

I don't care about the valedictorian title. My daughter made her hard choices. What I care emphatically about was the fact that she wasn't going to be allowed a gold cord at graduation or the little asterisk by her name on the program recognizing her all hard work. That made me a little sick to my stomach. So imagine my feelings when she walked up the aisle with a gold cord after all, and in the program they did honor her achievement of obtaining excellent grades throughout four years of high school. Someone came through for her at the end. She earned the respect, deserves all the credit and it was such a good day. Like I said, words can be terribly inadequate.

Anyway..... Back to quilting! Broken Dishes Part Deux was our gift to her. Well, one of them. I worked on it right in front of her and just acted like it was another one in the line-up. At some point she commented that it looked like a quilt she could see owning, but I brushed it off as wishful thinking on her part. Doesn't she have enough quilts? lol I tried to do the binding and label when she wasn't at home so she wouldn't realize how very close I was to finishing it. That would be suspicious! Very fun to surprise her with it at the celebration party. Wish all my quilts could be like this one, much better than the original planning anticipated! I think we have a winner.*wink