The arts are under fire in our schools. Funding is being cut, and standardized testing is forcing teachers to teach to tests. While it does take time and effort to include the arts in a teacher’s curriculum, it is very worthwhile. Here are just a few contributions from the arts:
- Culture –Culture encompasses all of the values, themes and activities that are important to a croup of people. By retaining, studying and expressing culture, students can strengthen their core knowledge of who they are. Educators can help children learn about themselves and the world around them by teaching culture through the arts.
- Competence/Control- Being able to control your emotions, thoughts and actions is a crucial skill that children need to succeed and be happy in life. As teachers, we can help students comprehend what is right and wrong in their thoughts, emotions and actions so they can maintain control and enjoy life. The arts teach control in a more effective way than most other disciplines.
- Communication-Communication is crucial in today’s society, not only for individuals, but for he world as a whole. The arts help students explore different ways of communicating a message to others, but students can have fun while doing so.
- Cooperation/Collaboration- Collaboration and cooperation help our world problem-solve and improve situations. It is crucial that students learn the value of working as a team to accomplish a single goal. The arts require multiple areas of skill, which com from many people. This requirement to work together to produce a beautiful piece of art can help teach students that people need each other and that all have something to contribute to life.
- Confidence- Confidence is empowering; it is what tells us we can go on when we get shaky. Confidence helps us accomplish things we thought we could never do. Teachers can instill in children confidence that will then lead them to accomplish great things. The opportunity to give this gift to a children is a blessing and teachers should help students develop self confidence every moment in the classroom.
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Squarehead Teachers 