Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:how may people need to know how to write a poem, or a short story, or to play an instrument, or dance, or think of anything new? yeah, just take all that stuff out of public education.

None of these have anything to do with art.

Yes, idiot, they do.

ever hear of interdisciplinary lessons?

With your "thinking" -

-Stage design for a dance isn't art.

-Music isn't part of the arts.

-Short stories are never illustrated.

-The words of poems never take different shapes on a page.

You are clearly art-deficient - or you would have never responded in that manner.

Which school system are you talking about?

Anonymous wrote:how may people need to know how to write a poem, or a short story, or to play an instrument, or dance, or think of anything new? yeah, just take all that stuff out of public education.

None of these have anything to do with art.

how may people need to know how to write a poem, or a short story, or to play an instrument, or dance, or think of anything new? yeah, just take all that stuff out of public education.

Anonymous wrote:Who needs art? They could cut the entire program as far as I am concerned. How many kids are going to use art later in life?

I agree, we should just make then memorize facts all day and never encourage any creativity what. so. ever. creativity? where does that get anyone. right??

Academic Benefits of Art Education
Pre-literacy skills such as reading and writing are greatly improved when students are exposed to a quality, integrated arts education. Research shows us that studying dance, for example, substantively helps preschoolers with reading readiness skills, while the discussion of music helps with language skills. The report “Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement,” commissioned by the National Assembly of States Arts Agencies (2006), also found research demonstrating that dramatic play helps children’s comprehension skills and improves reading and pre-reading skills among all groups, especially those first graders whose reading was below grade level.

According to “Looking at Art with Toddlers,” by Katherina Danko-McGhee, Ph.D., exploring and discussing art with even very young children pays off by helping children organize their thoughts and develop logical, yet creative thinking. Children learn that “visual symbols can communicate ideas” and story telling can help improve descriptive language. Taking care to allow children the opportunity to talk, dramatize, sing, dance and otherwise creatively communicate allows them to sharpen their ability to use symbolic thought.

Math and logic and their relationships to the arts also hold a fascination for the researcher.
The highly publicized “Mozart Effect” revolutionized our society’s thinking about the value of music to the young child's mind, and although specific results have been debated, it has generated new research and has come to symbolize a new way of thinking about the importance of the arts.

The 2006 National Assembly of State Arts Agencies report entitled “Critical Evidence: How the Arts Benefit Student Achievement,” analyzed studies that demonstrate measurable improvement in performance in math, especially among economically disadvantaged students. Music instruction is proven to help develop spatial temporal reasoning, which may lead to more sophisticated thinking about math concepts.

My wife teachers art, and I thnk one of the most important thngs she teaches her students is that some times you have to "make a mess up into a fix up." Students who are so had on themselves that they get upset when they are not performing perfectly learn that it's not the end of the world to make mistakes. Students who may be use to getting whatever they want have to learn to cope with not getting to start over on a new piece of paper. Students lean problem solving skills, as well as, how to give and accept help (she encourages her students to "ask three (friends) before me."

And they lean how to make puppets!!

Umm... That logo, website, advertisement, package, brochure? Believe me, people pay good money for graphic designers in this town. There most certainly are jobs for artists. You just think you don't need one...until you need one.

Art saved my friend's life. no exaggeration

Her art teacher gave her a reason to continue on with school, and today she is an art teacher with an MFA in painting.

You art haters are, well, hateful. I LOVED art as a kid I wouldn't be where I am today without it. Also, supplies really don't last year to year, especially in elementary school. I taught high school art for a while and I had to buy new brushes every year because the students would wreck them.

And to answer your question "How many kids are going to use art later in life?" You don't really know in elementary school what direction your kid is going to go in do you? Why would you take away an opportunity for them to do something they really love? And couldn't you say the same thing about music? Theatre? Just because YOU don't think it's important doesn't mean that it isn't.

I hated art and never understood why we had to take art. Gym, understandable, we need to be fit but art? WTF do I need that for in life? We can do without.

Who needs art? They could cut the entire program as far as I am concerned. How many kids are going to use art later in life?

While I agree that art is taking a hit, $1 per student can really add up. At the school I work in that would be over $700. Also keep in mind that a lot of things last year to year(paint, brushes, chalk, etc.).

Anonymous wrote:My friend teaches art at an ES and her budget for supplies next year is $1 per student. Ugh.

which system?

My friend teaches art at an ES and her budget for supplies next year is $1 per student. Ugh.