The Benefits of Art in School

I started back to school this week, and let me tell you I need a nap! 😅 If you are new here, or don't know I am a Junior Art Education major with a concentration in Pre-Art Therapy. And now you might be asking yourself a question I get all the time, so what can I do with that? I want to be an Art Teacher! My Pre-Art Therapy concentration allows me to go onto Grad School to become an Art Therapist. Don't ask me which one I really want to be because I don't know... I want to be both!!!

As an art major, I have to constantly break down preconceived stereotypes, and I have to defend my career choice for people (which is really frustrating and could be a whole other blog post). At this point in my college career, however, I am armed with responses. When I first started school, I found these comments degrading, frustrating, and discouraging. I wanted others to see Art Education the way I did, which I know is a naive desire. I have to know as a future teacher that not everyone is going to love art. Anyhow, even though I know not everyone will love art the way I do,  I do believe that everyone can benefit from experience in an art classroom, and benefit from art. There are many scientific studies out there that show benefits resulting from art classrooms, but I just want to shed a little light on my own experiences, what I have seen in students in art classrooms, and some valuable lessons in visual art classrooms.

My Experiences

Art for me isn't just making a blank piece of paper "pretty". I find it totally fascinating that I can brush some swatches of paint and my brain will interpret as an object, or will fill in the blanks. But even though I could totally nerd out about that for hours, art is even more than that to me. I find the creative process relaxing, exciting, and entertaining. I paint when I am stressed, upset, bored, and inspired.  I find the process very therapeutic, and that's partly why I want to be an art therapist. I find the creative process as a way to work through my own emotions, and I think others do the same thing. One of my biggest beliefs about creativity is that is doesn't have to be in the traditional ways of painting and drawing , so I think everyone uses their own creativity to process their thoughts.

Students in the classroom

As an art education student I am in art classrooms observing, teaching, and learning. My university requires field experience time, which means I am with these students a lot over the course of a semester. I get to see and hear students talk about the class, and a lot of times since I'm not the actual teacher I get their true opinion about the class and the subject. They're not trying to save face to me 😂. I remember one particular student in ceramics class say, " I just like this class, it helps me relax. All my other classes are really stressful, but this class I can just put my music in and focus." Shouldn't we have something like that for students, and really for human beings in general? Everyone needs self coping mechanisms. And in general I think that's why electives in school are so important. Maybe art isn't a students jam, but gym, or music, or shop class is. They need to find something that they can enjoy, outside of math and english, and history. I had another student who had some disabilities. He struggled reading and performing task up to his grade level standard, but art he excelled in. He found his niche in art, and loved being good at something. School is a challenge for him, and art built his confidence and self worth. Art classrooms give opportunities for students who struggle in other subjects find something they are good at. Not all struggling students will be great at art, you're right, but schools should offer as many opportunities for students to find their set of skills. That is why shop class, and home ec, and music are so important in school as well.

Valuable Lessons in an Art Classroom

Yes, art can build confidence in students, but it also can build so many other skills such as:

• Critical thinking- Can be developed in analyzing pieces of art, their own art, and different elements and principles of art. They can also be very analytical in how their own experiences affect their view on a piece of art, or advertising

• Problem Solving- I am constantly problem solving when I am painting or drawing. Students have to work through questions like "Why does this not look right" "I messed up, how do I fix it?" "I want to build this structure. What materials should I use? What would be the best way to construct this?"

• Creativity- Of course they are going to build creativity. They must take a problem, or project and interpret in their own way to create a project. No students' final pieces look the same. That is because everyone uses their own experiences to develop their creativity. 

These are just a few things I see as benefits in art making, and art education. There are plenty more and I could continue. But the moral of the story is even if students don't excel in art, or they don't enjoy the traditional visual art they benefit from learning in an art classroom.  Talk to you next Friday!