I feel that there should totally be art in schools. I was observing a class over the past week and I noticed that there was not many pictures or projects that the kids created them selves, like during an arts and crafts class or a time where they could create. The response that I got was 1. we don't have enough time during the days to give creative time and 2. there are many cut backs and those are the types of courses that are the first to go. I know that I am artist kind of person when I have the time and is it wasn't for my art classes I would of had a harder time in school. We still learned while we were in art class, it just was not in a test book. Art was just a different way to learn. Art helps communication skills and will help later on in life. It said that art was important in the curriculum but it's the first one to go when the budget gets tight. Then I thought about spending regular class time for creative thinking or drawing, coloring whatever but when I talked one of my teachers that I was observing I quickly found out that there's not room there either. I was told that with all the standardized testing there is no time for arts and crafts. They have certain curriculum to follow to make sure these kids stay on track . This for me is getting out of hand. There has to be a way to mix learning and art into one course. A course where they can draw, paint and sculpt and still learning the curriculum.
Studies over the past several years have found that the arts – whether as part of the curriculum or as supplemental programs – can have the following benefits:
- Reach, and increase the performance of, students who often struggle to succeed in school, including disadvantaged students, English language learners and students with disabilities
- Provide new challenges for those students already considered successful
- Reduce recidivism rates of incarcerated youth while strengthening their job skills and self-esteem
- Improve cognitive skills involved in reading, language development and mathematics; and develop problem solving and critical and creative thinking skills – all of which serve students in school and in the workplace
- Motivate students to learn and become more involved in their schools
- Increase student attendance and engagement
- Promote students’ self-confidence and foster better relationships among students and teachers
- Nurture the curiosity and creativity of students.
2 comments:
Art education is exceptionally important. I am a firm believer that students should be exposed to all types of art, be it drawing, painting, sculpting, dance, music, or theatre. Art is a form of self expression, and students have that right to express themselves, in this case, artistically. Unfortunately, art is one of the first subjects to be affected by budget cuts. The educational system is causing havoc for teachers and students, for they have been completely consumed by standardized testing and the preparation that they have abandoned a vast portion of a child's experience in learning. Also, I found it shocking for a fellow educator to respond to you, a concerned future educator with, "We don't have enough time during the days to give creative time." Although the teacher is not to be blamed in this situation, in my mind this is appalling and completely unacceptable. I feel as though innocent children are being educationally robbed. Especially both intuitively and creatively.
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