Art classes should be mandatory.
I know, a bold statement to begin with, but just hear me out: I have been taking math courses every year of my education (that's 14 full years if we're counting preschool and kindergarten) except for this year--my freshman year of college. I am not planning, as of now, to be going into anything involving mathematics, especially not pre-calculus or beyond. Trudge I did through textbook problems demanding I show all of my work, and trudge all of my classmates did through the same ordeal. Of course I'm not saying that mathematics is invaluable, however! It teaches important problem solving skills, critical thinking strategies and on and on and on. Real life skills taught in ways that many don't consider to be applicable; "when am i going to need to know how to shift a tangent around a graph in real life?"
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I would like to make the argument that art classes teach kids and young adults the same way that math classes do. Perhaps no, a student is not planning to go into anything involving sketching, painting, or pottery. But this student is going to go into their field needing skills in planning ahead, in time management and in being able to focus detail in one area while also needing to understand the big picture. Not only do art classes teach these abilities, they also provide outlets for self expression and individuality, and create tangible evidence of completion providing a sense of satisfaction.
I have not been in an art class since the eighth grade. The last project I can remember making was a clay duck, which wasn't even the assignment at hand. In a leap of faith, not only in myself but also in the professor, I decided to take an art course here at K. This course is already changing my life-- no joke.
Have you ever noticed how gorgeous it is when water droplets freeze on branches in the winter or spring? Or how delicately, carefully, hats and scarves are knitted and stitched and put together? Have you ever noticed the way that there are objects, things in the world that even describing with words is difficult to do, let alone express all that they mean in a few lines?
In addition being able to teach skills applicable in life but hidden away like those taught in math class, art classes also open the eyes and the mind to beautiful things around you. Constantly looking for inspiration, even if just for the grade in the classes, you start to honestly notice moments in time and in space that are graceful, well composed and more than just 'pretty'.
Even if I cannot make the change in school systems to enforce art, I urge anyone and everyone to take a course, to find inspiration and beauty, and to allow yourself to be open to those things.
