We have talked often this year about the changes taking place in education due to the changing global society that we live in. I would like to speak today about one topic that is never very far from my mind and of many of the educators I know: arts education.
On Sunday, March 16th from 1pm-5pm at West Columbus High School, Columbus County Schools, Whiteville City Schools, and the Columbus County Arts Council presented our annual “Celebrate the Arts” weekend. It was one of the proudest moments that I have had as an educator. I am very proud of the size of the festival: 1000 students, all arts education teachers and around 2000 attendees make this the largest student arts festival in the state. But what I am most proud of is the individual student that has had a life-changing experience, or the 10 year-old who see their work displayed for the first time and becomes motivated in all areas of school, or the teacher that becomes rejuvenated and resolved from seeing the excellence that this program encourages.
Celebrate the Arts is one of many fantastic projects happening in our arts education programs. From 6th grade until graduation, our students have the opportunity to take arts education classes EVERYDAY. Columbus County Schools is one of only 7 school districts in the state requiring an arts credit to graduate- a fact of which I am most proud. Grants this past year from the North Carolina Arts Council and Columbus County Arts Council have greatly enriched our students and community’s lives. Through the NC Arts Council’s SPARC program, West Columbus High School selected a sculptor that is in the process of creating a permanent artwork for the grounds of West Columbus. Also through the NC Arts Council, students at South Columbus High School worked with a professional filmmaker to create clay animations. In April, a dance company will spend a week at Guideway Elementary School, culminating in a public performance. Through the Columbus County Arts Council, our students have been exposed to world-class ballet and storytelling experiences. We are truly fortunate that we have such rich opportunities available to our students. As exceptional as those experiences are, they pale in consideration to the daily “ordinary miracles” of our arts classrooms. Everyday, students go into arts classrooms all over the county and leave transformed. We are truly fortunate to be able to offer such an important component of education.
The past decade has been a difficult one for arts education nationally. Many school systems have decided to curtail or simply do away with arts education. The added pressures of testing make many stand up and say: how are the arts helping? We have been fortunate in our area because those statements have been rare- there is a unique appreciation of the arts in our area that is hard to find elsewhere. It is a fair question though—in the 21st century global society wouldn’t our students be better off focusing solely on academics so that they will be better prepared for the workforce? The answer is a resounding NO. In fact, arts education directly prepares students for the world of work. I know of few jobs that require sitting at a desk bubbling answers. With the growth of information so explosive, we could never teach our children everything they need to know—so we must teach them how to seek out information and process it. The jobs of the 21st century involve interaction with coworkers, brainstorming multiple solutions, picking a course of action, modifying that course midway and reflective thinking on the outcome. There is little emphasis on what an individual knows and more emphasis placed on what an individual can do with the information given. This happens in our arts education classes everyday: whether creating a piece of artwork or singing a song or dancing or acting in a play. The students in these courses are learning perhaps the most important 21st century skill of all: how to think. The arts also reach those students that may have different learning styles and have a profound grounding effect of teenagers by giving them a means for expression at a time when there is a true identity crisis. The arts affirm and solidify values. When a student reflects on life and themselves in a deep and meaningful way as happens through the arts, they begin to learn on a deeper and more meaningful level. This is important because we don’t want our students just to know the price of things, but most importantly their value.
