To the members of the _______ School Board of Education, Superintendent and Principals:
My high school days began in the same way for four years. I walked into the orchestra room, pulled out my violin, and took my seat. My colleagues, people I had grown up with all did the same with their respective instruments. We tuned, listened to instructions from our teacher, then the most amazing thing happened, we began to play. Teenagers creating something beautiful. Teenagers with a purpose. Teenagers with focus. Teenagers watching out for and encouraging each other. Teenagers working together. Replaying that scene as an adult is even more amazing to me than it was as a teenager. I didn’t fully appreciate the profound awesomeness of what happened every morning of every day of my life in high school, perhaps I still haven’t fully understood.
Even at that young age I was well aware of the turmoil that many young people face. My family didn’t have a lot of money. My parents were comparatively uneducated. Statistically, there was a good chance that I should have been one of the kids that didn’t make it through high school, let alone go on to college, earn a full scholarship, and graduate with two bachelor degrees. While I may have been smart and driven, orchestra allowed me to focus on something, something that created a community. A way for a girl from the wrong side of the tracks with little resources to flourish.
Orchestra gave me a place to hone skills that were important during those nights in college when I didn’t understand my electromagnetism and needed the focus to sort through it all. Orchestra helped me to learn that if I didn’t try I wouldn’t get anywhere. Orchestra taught me that I had a voice, and that people wanted to listen. Orchestra taught me to take risks and put my best foot forward.
I honestly do not know why you are making these decisions. I’m not privy to all of the information that you have. But I can tell you that these decisions will effectively take opportunities away from students, opportunities that they will need in their lives. Through all of the school districts that I have lived in with my children, I’ve held the education that I received in __________ Schools as my standard. I feel that the education I received there was better than many of the private schools here in ________ where I currently live, and leaps and bounds above most of the public schools. Deciding not only to diminish the orchestra and band program, but also to replace qualified AP teachers with teachers that have very little preparation for teaching college level classes causes me great concern and sadness. I worry about the students that need a foundation to stand on to build themselves as scholars, as people and as citizens. The education I received at ____HS and especially orchestra provided this foundation for me and many other students.
It is your job, as a school board, to create a school district where students receive a top notch education. You are capable of doing this. It might require you to think outside of the box, to work with community leaders, to ask the public that you work for for support.
Next time you see a girl with out of style clothes, whose family obviously does not live on the right side of the tracks, imagine her with a violin under chin with other kids, and her making a contribution to them. Imagine how profound it felt and how much it meant to her to be a part of something so amazing. Imagine her, a few years later, receiving her college diploma. Imagine her making a difference in the world, how ever small it may be, and remember that her time spent in a quality school with quality teachers and a renowned orchestra program built her and supported her through the years in a way that nothing else could have. Good public schools are a huge force for good in our country. Excellent arts programs change lives. Remember the students, they are why we have schools. Their lives are at stake.
I have faith that you can do better.
Sincerely,
Arlynda _______________
________ High School Class of _______
3 comments:
I didn't know they were cutting orchestra as well as so many good teachers. It's really sad--orchestra was my anchor and a big part of my identity in high school, and I know I'm not the only one who felt that way.
They aren't "cutting" orchestra. They are effectively cutting orchestra. I guess a couple of teachers are leaving the music program, they've decided not to hire new ones and are forcing the current ones to do more than they can.
I'm glad you wrote this letter, it made me cry. I think it will help. It is so sad that many people don't see the incredible ways extracaricular activities build people.
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