I love my school system!!!  I feel so privileged to be able to say that!!

 As many of you may or may not know, I was a theater major in college.  I worked with several theater groups after school and realized it wasn't something for me on a full-time basis.  When you have children, you have to actually make a little bit of money or you feel really bad about things. I have to say there is something about a live performance that you can NOT get in a movie theater.  You can leave where you are and go with a theater troupe as they go on their adventure.

Well, my daughter, Maya, has my love of the arts. She repeatedly tells me that when she grows up, she will be an artist.  When she draws, it helps her find a calm place when she is upset.  Drawing helps her focus when she can't sit still.  She has started asking for speaking roles at church services.  It warmed the cockles of my heart to see her in her old bathrobe as Shepard number 3 before Christmas.  That Shepard had the most lines.  She was thrilled!

This love of the Arts may come from me a bit but it is fostered in the school system she attends.  We moved to Cabarrus County to take advantage of some pretty terrific schools!   My children attend Harrisburg Elementary and I could not be happier!  All of the teachers know my children and my children know all of the teachers.  This is what I grew up with and I adore being able to pass it along to my children.  

Yesterday my kids brought home yet another form to fill out.  All of you parents know the suspense as you read the first couple of lines.  The back of your head is asking, "How much does the check have to be written for this time?" or "How many rolls of paper towels and Clorox wipes could they possibly go through?"  Well, this form was a permission slip for Opera Carolina's, How Nanita Learned to Make Flan.  The 2nd and 3rd graders are going to the Opera!  How exciting for them.  There are many adults who don't know the joy of the opera.

Last nine weeks the classes went to Piedmont Dance Conservatory's Nutcracker ballet.  I remember loving the Nutcracker when I was growing up!  And the nine weeks before that they had the opportunity for Charlotte Children's Theater's Tarradiddle Players to perform, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, at their school.

I am so pleased that my children have the opportunity to learn about the arts.  The arts are constantly threatened in many schools due to lack of funding and they are imperative to a well-rounded child.  Besides, it is comforting to know that my kids have the chance to learn how to behave in the theater!