Back to the drawing board

by Angela Lee, opinion editor

For years, student intelligence in schools has been measured through arts education and core subjects; however, when budgets tighten, courses devoted to liberal arts and creative expression are usually the first to go.

“Art education in schools is extremely important for a myriad of reasons. The arts, whether it be drawing, painting, sculpting, music, or writing, help people express what they are feeling. The arts can help people cope and come to terms with their emotions. It can be therapeutic. Most of all, it encourages students to be creative and never lose that child-like wonder and imagination,” senior Kailey Bosyk said.

Arts education in schools is the creative outlet many students need to relieve their stress. It gives them the opportunity to express themselves and find their passions in something that might not be the traditional Math, Science, English, and History classes that they are required to take. These students may find their dream careers and their future college majors in the arts, and they shouldn’t be put down for that.

Arts education is important because it is everywhere. Without it, the great works of literature that many know and love wouldn’t exist today. Shirts would have no designs, cooking would never have occurred, one could no longer hum his or her favorite pick-me-up song when unhappy, and the simple act of moving one’s hips side-to-side in rhythm with a favorite song will no longer be because without art, dance can’t live.

The world will be a dull grey without art. Nothing would exist, nothing would have ever existed, and perhaps nothing will ever live without it.

On the other hand, some may not necessarily agree.

“I don’t think arts education is all that important. I don’t see why I need to take those kinds of classes. Unless you plan on going into a career in art, then what is the point?” senior Ronald Baretela said.

In many students’ eyes, art education isn’t a priority because it wastes time that could have been spent studying for big tests or preparing for college.

To them, if they had wanted to take art classes, they would have taken them outside of school. Putting art into the curriculum versus taking it out is a controversial topic and a matter of great debate, and the opposing argument is simply, “What’s the purpose?”

Art education is important and should be a requirement in school curriculums. It is a stress-reliever and a break from other classes. One can be free to express themselves however they want in an art class, and that’s often the beauty of it.