Art in Education

I believe that Creativity can be taught, but it's also something that can be discovered. I have been exposed to art my whole life: dancing at the age of three, playing the piano at seven. I love knitting and corcheting and I love to quilt. I love being expressive, and that's why I am a theatre major. I find the arts a very facinating field of interest. I was also lucky that growing up in school, arts was always offered to me.

Now-a-days, things are different. It's so hard to get kids interested in the arts, when TV is so dominant; as well as video games. I used to baby-sit when I was in high school, and all the kids wanted to do was play video games or watch TV. I think that being exposed to the arts is very important. TODAY, in schools, what is the first thing to go when budget cuts happen??? THE ARTS!!! Music, band, drama, art...everything! GOES! I can't explain how upset that makes me. I went to middle school at Deer Creek Middle School. When I was there, I was involved in Drama, Choir. I was also in Honors Choir and the school shows (one). It was such a great experience to be able to have. NOW, that same school, HAS NOTHING! It's upsetting, my high school teacher goes over to Deer Creek and has an after school "club" that is Choir. Even that though, is on her own time...and does not have much interest. BECAUSE, the arts are out of some schools, students have no extracurricular activity to be involved in, and consequently...could possibly fall into the "wrong" crowd.

Growing up, I was involved in Girl Scouts. I started in Kindergarten as a Daisy Scout, and I went into Brownies, then Juniors, then Cadets, and then finally Senior Girl Scouts. I went through it all. I received my Silver Award (WHICH they now have a Bronze Award for Juniors) and my GOLD AWARD!!! WHICH ONLY 4% of all Girl Scouts ever receive. The Gold Award is the Eagle Scout Award for Boy Scouts, but can be thought as harder to get...the Gold Award, because we have a VERY LONG and grueling process that we have to go through, plus a lot of prerequisites that we have to complete first. Essentially, my Gold Award took me TWO years to complete.

What did I do??? I introduced the ARTS to Pre-School Children. For one month I worked with four and five year olds, at Englewood United Methodist Church. I wrote a script, and worked with the kids on rehearsing it to make it into a production. We made costumes, sets, and in the end...because so many were leaving to head to Kindergarten, WE ended up making a MOVIE!!! We made the play into a movie!! The kids had so much fun!!! It was so rewarding to see them have fun with the arts!!! Introducing them to something that they may or may not have been exposed to yet. I was awakening the creativity in them, and hopefully, now that they are all...in third grade....I HOPE that they are able to have the experience in the arts that I had growing up.

I read this article, and it's about creativity in the place of education. Looking at my school, I am in a Liberal Arts College. I like the education I am receiving. I have the choice to choose what classes I want to do, and I have the choice of what professor I'd like to have...(at least for some classes). I feel that being at a Liberal Arts College, although education is important, I feel like the environment I am in, is more relaxed. I feel less pressure on the classes, I myself know the importance, but I don't feel like it's the most important thing in the world. What's important is doing what you need to do, to get where you want to get in your life. Education is just one part of it. My cousins Candice and Jessica both went/go to "Ivy League" schools. Candice went to Vanderbelt University, and my cousin Jessica is a Junior at Duke. They are getting a college education just like me. It doesn't matter what the name is, it's all about what's best for you.

Creativity is important, I just believe it gives everyone an enhanced life. It adds new experiences to life...and life is worth living to the fullest. I just think that a creative education is important.