拉库米(中)在索莱伯里学校的美术室.
我认为艺术是理所当然的.
我在华德福学校长大, where 视觉艺术 were integrated into every subject I learned, 现在是索莱伯里学校的大四学生, 我四年里每三个月都上视觉艺术课. I took its benefits for granted and never stopped to think if every education placed enough value on visual arts as the one I was privileged enough to receive.
在了解到只有27个州将艺术视为核心学科之后, I began interviewing art 老师 to see what they think about the importance of art in education. I conducted interviews with seasoned art 老师 from the West Windsor Plainsboro School District, 西温莎艺术委员会, 韦德娱乐app下载地址, 特拉华谷大学, 以及费城的橙角艺术中心. Every teacher I talked to has noticed the substantial impacts art has had on their students, from improving their mental and emotional health to developing their motor skills, 决策, 解决问题, 视觉学习, 和注意力. 最重要的是, 视觉艺术, 我意识到, are building blocks for a skill being prioritized in the job market: creativity.
According to studies conducted by the Americans for the 艺术 Foundation, 72% of employers say that creativity is of primary concern when hiring, yet 85% of these employers can't find the creative applicants they seek. Why is it that a skill so important for workers in the 21st century can be so easily pushed to the side and considered a luxury at schools that are facing budget cuts, 缺少时间, 以及最少的支持?
It is not for a lack of studies and research initiatives conducted. Even the College Board has recognized that art helps students draw connections between different subjects. However, there's still a lack of public awareness of just how much art can impact students. 低收入家庭学生, the ones eng年龄d in art are more than twice as likely to graduate than their peers who aren't. Visual arts doesn't mean arts and crafts for Halloween and Christmas, 在匆匆完成内容和应试教学时, it is easy to forget that incorporating visual arts into the classroom is crucial to addressing and engaging every learning style, 而且结果超出了明天的生物测试.
So, my goal with all this is to advocate for the developmental and therapeutic benefits of an arts-based education on students by using my interviews to write articles and by giving a ted演讲 关于这个话题的讨论. 我想接触学生, 老师, and parents who don't already feel the need for art in their lives or in the lives of their students. I want to address the countrywide need for stronger and more cohesive arts programs at schools, especially in an increasingly technological world where students are required to use their creativity and eng年龄 in hands-on learning less and less, although they actually need it more and more to succeed in the workforce.
Lakumi Dias is a senior at 韦德娱乐app下载地址 and wrote this article as part of her Teach2serve capstone project on advocating for the arts in education.