I talked with a Portland middle school student today Great kid. Smart. He talked about packs of wolves, alpha males and how they compare to kids his own age. He is studying C++, the programming language. The conversation turned to electives. I said that I took shop in middle school but looking back, I’d like to have taken art.

“They cut art,” he said. “They took away all the fun stuff. Art was really popular, too.”

I said it has to do with money more than anything else. He then said something that saddened me. He wishes that he was a sixth grader last year. They had art last year, orchsestra, too.

It hit me hard. He wishes he was in sixth grade last year. And it’s not because he wants to be older. He just doesn’t have the breadth of education that kids in years past have enjoyed. And he knows it. And that’s why he wishes was older. He is not talking about dreams of being an adult. He’s dreaming of art and music.

It makes you wonder. Will this sixth grade class be the group that always looks back? Will they protest? Will they get fed up?

I wonder.