Thank you, Mrs. Hewlett

My senior year at Highland High, I took a humanities class from Julie Hewlett. It was, hands down, the best class I had in high school...maybe even beyond. We learned all about art, literature, and music. We memorized hundreds of pieces of art and clips of music. At the time, I don't think I realized how much it would benefit me throughout my life. For example: The picture is a little hard to see, but if you look hard enough you can see the faces of three girls. When I first looked at this, I have to admit that I was frightened and a bit angry. Then, I remembered Mrs. Hewlett teaching about Picasso and his studies of perspective. In a calm voice, I asked Lizzie if she learned about Picasso in art class. She said yes very casually and told me that she really enjoyed drawing this way. As she described it, it was frontways and sideways at the same time. That still doesn't explain the terrified look in the girls' eyes, but I didn't want to ask if the teacher had shown the first grade Picasso's "Guernica."

So yesterday I had another humanities moment when this came home:

This one I love. I might even frame it. Seriously. Maybe it was just a relief after all the Picasso, but you have to admit, Warhol's subjects tended to be less frightening than Picasso's. Plus, what a cool use of my child's handprints. I was so glad to be able to talk about Andy Warhol and the paintings she saw and what made him unique. I never dreamed I'd discuss those things with a first grader, but Mrs. Hewlett prepared me for everything, I guess.

So thank you, Julie Hewlett, for the fabulous introduction to the finer things in the world, for the lessons on the history of western culture through the arts, and for making my six year-old think that I am still the smartest mom ever. I will never forget you or what you taught me.