So they want to get rid of music and art to save money....

Why do they always want to rip the creativity out of education?!?! I can't think of courses more important to whole mindedness than music and art! As we head into dire financial times, the first to go is art. We already have a pull-out only music program, and now the district is considering cutting the elementary art teacher. I just want to cry. What is left?

I know that I am an English teacher, but I still have a deep, emotional connection to the world of art. For me, it is an escape from the pressures of the world around me and instead a way to appreciate that world. Art allows me to connect with myself. It allows me the chance to see true beauty in nature and my everyday life. I can spend hours at a time photographing a single object, reaching for its essence. Painting, drawing, creating....it comes from the soul. It comes naturally and pleasantly. Those courses I took were the places I could really grow on a personal level. I improved my writing and math skills, but I grew as an artist through those programs. It is painful to know that students will be losing these opportunities. And for what? A few dollars extra here and there? How many kids will check out altogether? It is a sad time to be a student.

Articles to check out:
http://www.edutopia.org/make-sketch
http://www.newhorizons.org/strategies/arts/front_arts.htm
http://www.aplaceofourown.net/question_detail.php?id=236
http://www.whitman.edu/president/cronin/articles/importance_arts.cfm