Hannah Hecht's Blog

This week’s reading was about how the arts are an integral part of a child’s education. Across the board, the schools of America are cutting funding to art programs in order to save money and fund the sciences. While math and science are important, the arts are equally so. The article stated that “Their purpose is not to convey data but to supply insight and wisdom—in a word, meaning. Their power is that they can move us. They serve as connectors that give understanding a human dimension. They tell us about people—how they thought and felt and what they valued. They help us to define ourselves and our times, as well as other people and other times.” The arts provide a vital connection between facts and real life.

Without the arts, school is just an endless repetition of memorization and regurgitation of facts. When student learn subjects that have only “right” and “wrong” answers they lose their ability to think for themselves. Creativity is just as important as, or even more important than, any school subject. In the end, institutions that cut their art programs are setting their students up for failure.