Lots of kids love to draw, color, and be creative. Art is nothing if not subjective, and there's no right or wrong way to do it. Of course, some people's artistic abilities may be more fine-tuned than others, but that doesn't mean everyone can't enjoy creating things. When it comes to kids and art, anything goes, and if they're having fun, who cares?
A Michigan mom sure didn't and was positively appalled when she got a call from her 11-year-old daughter's school about some inappropriate artwork she'd created in the classroom. Sierra Carter was shocked when she got to school to discuss the drawing in question.
No, it was not the drawing that bothered her; it was the school's response to something she said was totally innocent that officials blew way out of proportion. Carter took to TikTok for some opinions, and people are on the mom's side.
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Her daughter was just having a little fun.
The mom explained in a now-viral video posted to her TikTok, @sierraleann30, that she was surprised when the school called because her daughter has never been in trouble. When she got there to discuss the inappropriate drawing, she was dumbfounded. Carter was reportedly shown a picture of the drawing in question, and it appeared to be Piggie from Mo Willems' popular Elephant and Piggie series. She didn't see the problem.
Then officials pointed to the pig's bow tie.
Apparently, the bow tie looked like male genitalia to a boy in her class, who then told the teacher the girl was creating inappropriate images.
"The teacher told her, 'I'm going to have to give it to the principal and ask him how he wants to handle it,'" which she did, Carter told Yahoo! Life. "They didn't even talk to my daughter, didn't try to investigate it at all. Nothing. The principal just said to write her up."
Carter was appalled by the school's actions.
After learning the drawing was allegedly headed to her daughter's file at the behest of the principal, she asked to speak with him.
"I said, 'I would like to discuss this with him as well,'" she told Yahoo! Life. "So somebody went and got him and he came in. I pointed to [the drawing] right away and I said to him, 'I'm not quite sure what's wrong with this. This is a bow tie.' And he argued with me. He goes, 'Well, bow ties have a bow.' I'm like, 'Well, she's 11, and when she was drawing a bow tie, to her, this is her interpretation of that.' I was like, 'This is very clearly a bow tie.'"
"I feel like every adult along the way should have shot this down," the mom said. "They should have looked at it, and they should have at least asked her, 'What is this? What did you draw?' And then if she said, 'It's a bowtie,' shut it down. You can't just sit there and assume or ostracize a child for something like that. Because one boy thinks it's something, that's the word you're gonna take?"
She took it to TikTok.
In her video, where she shared a photo of the drawing, the mom asked if she was overreacting. After 1.1 million views and 25,000 comments, it was overwhelmingly decided she was not.
Someone wrote, "I'm from this community and I am 53 yrs old and thought it was a tie at first look! Completely RIDICULOUS!!!!"
A teacher agreed, commenting, "I am an art teacher and I wouldn't have thought anything of this except it's cute and great craftsmanship!! And that it's a bow tie/necktie…"
This person pointed out something pretty obvious: "Since when are boy parts at the neck!? Am I missing something!? I would be outraged!! Way to go for sticking up for her!!"
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The district has reportedly kept the drawing out of the girl's permanent record.
"it is unfortunate that a one-sided narrative has been created on social media that paints our staff in a negative light. As with every situation, there are two sides to this story," Hanover-Horton School District Superintendent John Denney shared in a statement obtained by Yahoo! Life. "In this case, a student appropriately brought concerns to the attention of our staff. In response, our staff handled the situation with compassion and discretion.
"Staff contacted the student's parents to discuss the situation," the statement continued. "No student was singled out or ostracized. Every effort was made to protect the privacy and dignity of all students. Nothing has been placed in any student's school records related to this matter."
