Will this be on the test?

I’m currently in an arts and education class, and our “textbook” is a giant packet of articles supporting arts education both in and out of schools. The point is the arts are important. So far every single article has the same theme: “The arts are good. We need them in school. They're important for creating well-rounded individuals who possess critical thinking skills. The arts also develop creative thinking skills which are essential for today's workplace environment.”

So riddle me this world, why are the arts in schools not funded? Why are the arts the first line item in the budget to be cut? Why is gym, excuse me, physical education, mandatory, but the arts aren’t? Yes, I understand that our children are obese and we need to fix that. But without arts education our children are also being taught to be mindless robots. Teaching the test teaches children there isn’t room for creativity. And when there isn’t room for creativity, there isn’t any room for advancement.

It’s time for a brief, but poignant history lesson. Without creativity and critical thinking skills, Alexander Graham Bell would never have invented the telephone. Thomas Alva Edison wouldn’t have invented the light bulb. The world would be without chocolate chip cookies and fire and cars and anything that does not occur naturally. Without the creativity of the arts we would still be walking around naked and dying by the time we’re 30. Is that what you want? I didn’t think so.

It’s your move world. Do you want your children to know the test and be brain dead drones or do you want to them to be functional and contributing members of society?

--C