Some time ago, the author collected data for a study on students' experiences of preparation for assessment of their art portfolios at the high school level in Canada, England, and The Netherlands. Participants with whom the author had conversations in Canada described varied by mostly rewarding experiences. However, one student's description of her experiences was different. Emma described years fraught with frustration as a high school art student. Emma's teacher Mr. Robson had not taught theoretical concepts or practices in the visual arts, nor did he assist her preparations for the portfolio review process at the university she applied for admission. In spite of this, she applied to university and college fine art programs with excellent reputations, and she was accepted into the program of her choice. The author decided to make Emma become the focus of her study. In this article, the author presents the descriptions of Emma's experiences in chronological narrative order: (1) Emma and grade twelve assessment; (2) The school art style and implications for university admission; and (3) Reflections on Mr. Robson. The author's analyses of Emma's experiences reveal that Mr. Robson abandoned his professional and artistic responsibilities as a teacher of art. (Contains 1 footnote.)