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The article states that under one one of the options "...electives would be incorporated into classroom teachers' daily lessons...."
How many elementary school teachers can really do this? You need training in the arts to be able to teach the arts. It's great for classroom teachers to integrate the arts into their lesson plans, but in order to do so the classroom teachers need to know the arts content.
I don't have a specific question for you all, but I am curious as to whether this is a FL only issue or whether it is happening all around the country.
We got an email today that class size would be increasing in our high school here in GA. Classes will now have up to 32 students per teacher, and classes that do not fill with at least 25 may be dropped. However, the principal made it clear he would not eliminate AP or honors courses.
Three custodians will be let go, along with a media specialist, a guidance counselor, and an administrative position.
I can see dropping music in elementary school. My son didn't begin lessons until 6th grade, and he still did very well in band. Art and PE are more important in my eyes. Art appeals to kids who need a different venue for excelling, and all kids benefit from PE. Eliminate library? Maybe, if the teachers can pick it up. I don't think you need a librarian to help kids pick out a book. Parents can also take their kids to the local library.
The elimination of the arts (music, painting, etc) and physical ed in most American public schools is the main reason that so many of our children are fat and lack a true appreciation for anything other than youtube, video games and TMZ.
I finished elementary school (6th grade) in California in 1998. We did not have PE or art classes at that time. The teachers did PE lessons on the playground a couple times a week, and incorporated art projects into other lessons (i.e. illustrating the stories we wrote, painting a mural of the eco system we were studying in science, etc). Our music class was a parent volunteer who played the piano and did sing alongs a few times a month.
Despite all this, the school was very well regarded, and had a wonderful academic reputation.
I'm honestly surprised schools still have full time PE and art teachers!
The elimination of the arts (music, painting, etc) and physical ed in most American public schools is the main reason that so many of our children are fat and lack a true appreciation for anything other than youtube, video games and TMZ.
I would say that's more the fault of the parents than the school. Teachers have no control over what the kids are doing after 2 or 3 pm, which is a good 6 hours the kids could be playing outside, doing crafts at the kitchen table, or taking music lessons.
I would say that's more the fault of the parents than the school. Teachers have no control over what the kids are doing after 2 or 3 pm, which is a good 6 hours the kids could be playing outside, doing crafts at the kitchen table, or taking music lessons.
The issue I have with this is that children need to know about art and music whether they will be creating it or not. Not every person is destined to be an artist or musician. Music lessons are for those who want to learn to create music.
However, we all come across music and art in our daily lives and they represent a way of thinking that is different than the strictly cognitive methods that are taught in academic subjects. Learning to critique art and music is a way to teach students critical thinking skills that are so difficult to teach in other subjects. One does not need to be a musician or artist to benefit from that type of thinking.
Learning crafts is not the same as art education.....
I finished elementary school (6th grade) in California in 1998. We did not have PE or art classes at that time. The teachers did PE lessons on the playground a couple times a week, and incorporated art projects into other lessons (i.e. illustrating the stories we wrote, painting a mural of the eco system we were studying in science, etc). Our music class was a parent volunteer who played the piano and did sing alongs a few times a month.
Despite all this, the school was very well regarded, and had a wonderful academic reputation.
I'm honestly surprised schools still have full time PE and art teachers!
I finished elementary school in California in '98, also. We did P.E. once a week in some grades. It was usually dodge ball. It was with our normal teacher. However, many grades had much more sporadic P.E. We did pretty much no art. In second grade, our teacher had us do some art thing every Friday after lunch. That was about it. Music consisted of learning songs or banging two sticks together unless you joined band or orchesta from fourth grade on.
Music art PE are all useful for a child overall growth. Kids are too fat it is causing all kinds of health issues. With kids of all ages. Music is useful for reasons others have stated. Not all kids are going to be nurses or engineers. Art may give kids and outlet to find something they are good at. My who is a math teacher in a another part of south lost most of their PE teachers this was a few years. This was a High school he was told to walk them around the school once a week. He said he would not do this and cut into his own teaching time. He is right by the way. The colleges will keep pumping out music art& PE teachers long after most states have gotten rid of them. Five bucks says someone will flame me for what I said. They will say math is useful and none of these subjects.
Music art PE are all useful for a child overall growth. Kids are too fat it is causing all kinds of health issues. With kids of all ages. Music is useful for reasons others have stated. Not all kids are going to be nurses or engineers. Art may give kids and outlet to find something they are good at. My who is a math teacher in a another part of south lost most of their PE teachers this was a few years. This was a High school he was told to walk them around the school once a week. He said he would not do this and cut into his own teaching time. He is right by the way. The colleges will keep pumping out music art& PE teachers long after most states have gotten rid of them. Five bucks says someone will flame me for what I said. They will say math is useful and none of these subjects.
While I agree that P.E. is important, it won't make our kids be skinny. Honestly. They need to eat better foods and play in ways which exercise. Just the little bit done at school won't even make a dent.
Art education has been on a decline for decades. This isn't a new thing. Even when I was a student twenty years ago, art was typically just a brief segment in regular class, maybe one hour a week.
But school has never taught everything in their eight-hour day. It has always been expected that parents will supplement the day's lessons at home. Unfortunately with every year, parents seem to place more demands upon their schools and absolve themselves of more responsibility. It flies in the face of reality: schools don't have the ability to slow down time so they can cram more lessons in. If students are going to be properly educated parents have to take back some of their responsibility and accountability.
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