Why My Dad Went to Military School, Not Art School

When looking at pictures of my dad when he was younger there are 2 trends that appear almost instantly:

1. He always has a paintbrush or pencil in his hands
2. Someone is always holding him still for the picture

He came of age in the 1950s and ’60s. The trouble was that mid-century schools didn’t get my dad and his complex learning profile. He was highly verbal, creative, energetic, athletic, and gifted in the arts, while simultaneously having ADHD and dyslexia. At the time, there wasn’t an understanding of cognitively diverse learning profiles. In fact, there still isn’t…

So what did his school recommend? They did the logical Post-WWII thing to do, they put him into military school. Sadly, instead of embracing his passions, they tried to instill discipline in him. Afterall, it was the ’50s and consensus was highly valued. Luckily for him, he persevered. His passions weren’t stamped out by marching, cleaning floors, or taking orders. Luckily for him, he discovered shop class.

If you ask him, shop class saved his life. He just loved to create. And, more importantly, he felt safe in shop class. To this day, he maintains that his teacher made his class a place where he, and other students like him, were celebrated and understood, not ridiucled. His teacher focused on what kids were good at, not what they srtuggled to do. For my dad and the others, it felt good to be good at something. Interestingly, the math and writing that was not happening in his traditional classes were happening in great depth in that shop. Everything that the school thought he couldn’t do, he knocked out of the park. The difference is that he was doing it in a way that made sense to him and in a medium that interested him. He got lucky. He found a teacher that got him.

Fast forward to the present and shop classes are virtually impossible to find in schools. Making matters worse, in the post-No Child Left Behind era, we hardly even have art classes. It’s all drill-and-kill learning. It’s as if school and passion-exploration aren’t taking place in the same building anymore.

Now, that’s not to say that there aren’t schools that get “it”. There are many progressive schools out there that take an honest look at each student, survey their unique talents, passions, areas of difficulty, and create custom-tailored learning for them. These schools are at the forefront of what education should look like. The sad part is that they are still in the minority… However, their numbers are growing!

The big takeaway

Students’ needs really haven’t changed that much. What people like my dad needed then, they need more now. Students need places where they can study what matters to them. Places that they want to be a part of. Places where they feel their voices matter. Places where they are actively engaging in the learning process, not being lectured at. Places where they feel comfortable taking risks. Places where they are celebrated, empowered, and emboldened!

We, at YSA, are honored to consider ourselves a part of the educational institutions that are offering programming built with student passion and interest exploration at the very center.

Based on discussions with students and parents, YSA is thrilled to be offering 2 riveting enrichment classes that are sure to become for your kids what metal shop was for my dad.

We have created these classes to offer your neurodiverse child a sanctuary of belonging, excitement, curiosity, understanding, exploration, depth/complexity, and fun!

These courses are:

1. Young Biologists; Creatures of Habitats
2. Young Writers: Storytelling and Pixar

Click to explore and find your child’s sanctuary today!