Why Art Should Be Taught In Schools

When thinking of school, one might imagine a place filled with students lugging around heavy backpacks full of math and English homework, teachers giving lectures on the Civil War or the functions of the cell, and classrooms full of desks and dull decorations. But, it is exactly this mindset that proves America has gone wrong when it comes to education. Instead of a learning environment in which students are constantly regurgitating information, school should be a place where new and creative thinking is encouraged. In order to achieve this, special attention should be brought to the one area that specializes in creativity the most, fine arts education. This includes drawing, painting, sculpting, theater, and music, and while some would consider

When students feel constantly tired, anxious, and angry, their productivity will see a sharp decline. Anxiety has long been known to affect grades, attitude, and performance. Managing this stress is another issue, as the two most common coping mechanisms among teens include playing video games and surfing the internet (Jayson 1). In order to alleviate some of this unnecessary worry in a healthy way, art education should be further implemented in schools. This would ensure that students would have an outlet of self-expression not typically found in the core classes. *Art would do this through the recognition of emotions, because the creation of art can be used to more fully understand a stress trigger, and also provide an escape from it. Choosing what to make and how to make it lets a person forget their problems and focus on what they can do in that moment.* For example, studies have shown that when a person is given the ability to control what they do or make through art, it can give him or her a sense of control back in their life. This lack of control is often seen in those with mental health issues (Friedman 1). Despite the popular belief that art and insanity go hand in