Art is SO important.

This week on our lovely one day of class, we put our texture designs to our Picasso drawings with contour lines. So much coloring. :) It's kind of fun to go home and tell my roommates that I have to color for homework.

As for the reflection: Why is it important to teach art?

I feel it is important to teach art as much as it is important to have sports and music in schools. Art gives students culture and enhances their mind, encouraging them to be there own person. Everyone views the world differently and needs to express themselves in various ways. Children need to know how to express what they see, feel, etc. One of the greatest ways to do that is through art. 'Art has unquestioned merit as a unique avenue to cognitive, social and individual growth.'---Emphasis Art, p 9.

I wrote a paper once on how politicians need to keep the arts in school because it's academically better for children. Those that participated in some form of art whether they did music, dance or visual arts, scored better on standardized tests than those that did not participate in those activities. Take this paragraph written by the Secretary of the U.S. Dept of Education, she says

"The arts make a contribution to education that reaches beyond their intrinsic value as direct forms of thinking. Because each arts discipline appeals to different senses and expresses itself through different media, each adds a special richness to the learning environment. As students imagine, create, and reflect, they are developing both verbal and nonverbal abilities necessary to school progress. At the same time, they are developing problem-solving abilities and higher-order thinking skills. Research points toward a consistent and positive correlation between a substantive education in the arts and student achievement in other subjects and on standardized tests. A comprehensive, articulated arts education program also engages students in a process that helps them develop the self-discipline, cooperation, and self-motivation necessary for self-esteem and success for life." (http://www.garlandisd.net/finearts/)

Art education helps students know how to express visualization and understanding in other areas like science, literature, math, etc. It demonstrates several relationships in various subjects of life and exemplifies the opportunity of choice. (Creation of Mind, ch 4) It allows students to think outside of the box to solve problems. 'Art education promotes higher thought processes, such as a willingness to imagine possibilities.... and an ability to recognize multiple perspectives. ...Students can acquire a feel for what it means to transform their ideas, images and feelings into art form.'---Emphasis Art, p 5.

So... basically... Art is just that awesome that it SHOULD and NEEDS to be taught to youngsters. It's not only my opinion, but it's beneficial in more ways than one.