At this point, most students who attend iUP have heard about the PTA Reflections Program. Lots of people have heard about how it’s a type of art competition that is focused around the theme of “Accepting Imperfection,” and many students processed that and moved on with their lives. What students may not realize is that there is a lot more to the PTA Reflections Program than what can fit on the weekly slide for Homeroom.

For the fifty-fifth year of the Reflections program, students can submit all different types of art. The categories this year include film production, dance choreography, music composition, literature, visual arts, and photography (Reflections Art Program, 2024). This means that students can interpret the theme and submit anything from a painting to a stop-motion film if they believe it fits.

So you’ve got the information about the Reflections program, but why should you do it? Mrs. Carlin and Mrs. Palmer both have some ideas on that. Mrs. Carlin pointed out that competitions tend to bring another level of motivation that pushes students to “dig deep and try something a little bit different.” Additionally, she reiterated that this is a “low-stakes risk” that could allow students to become more comfortable. It’s important for artists to “put their art, whether it’s photography, whether it’s your visual art, whether it’s your musical, your creative stories, whatever you have, whenever you put that out there, you open yourself up to some really beautiful things.” Mrs. Carlin acknowledged that putting yourself out there does come with the risk of rejection, but she also brought up a valid point: why is rejection a bad thing? As Mrs. Carlin said, you can grow from rejection. It can add another level of sophistication to your future work, so you should use any competition as a chance to “learn what it feels like to take a risk.” 

Mrs. Palmer is able to offer a slightly different perspective on PTA Reflections, as her daughter has participated in it for the last three years, and even proceeded to the state level two of those times! As for why iUP students should participate, Mrs. Palmer stated “Not only do you get to show off your brilliance of creativity, you get to shine and be celebrated for that creative thinking!” Ultimately, there isn’t any harm in submitting an entry to the program, as every submission is something that you can learn or grow from.

It’s time to talk a little more about the theme. “Accepting Imperfection” is very broad, and there’s a lot of room for creativity with the submissions that come as a result of it. When asked about what “Accepting Imperfection” means to her, Mrs. Palmer said that it means “being okay with who you are. In fact, it’s the imperfections that make us special. Celebrate those because no one is perfect!” Mrs. Carlin, on the other hand, took it to mean that “you’re comfortable in your own skin. You start to realize that the goal isn’t necessarily to be perfect. The goal is to know that we all have our quirks and we all have areas that could be improved, and those areas are definitely not imperfect. Those are actually great opportunities to grow.” Imperfection isn’t failure. It isn’t a weakness or something that you should be ashamed of. It’s just an opportunity, and the Reflections Program is a great chance to submit a creative work and accept that it isn’t perfect. Like Mrs. Carlin pointed out, there is a hidden message in the word “imperfection” if you remove the last four letters. With that in mind, another take on the theme could be “Accepting I’m Perfect.”

In order to participate in the PTA Reflections program, the student, or a member of the household, must be a member of PTA, or have joined by October 31st. Adults can sign-up to join, volunteer with, or donate to the iUP PTA by going to this link.

The PTA Reflections Program is a fantastic opportunity to express creativity and show how “Accepting Imperfection” applies to you. If you’re interested, the submission link and other information can be found here. The deadline for all submissions is November 1st. Get to creating!

Citations:

Reflections Arts Program: National PTA. National Parent Teacher Association. (2024). https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections