Teaching Art. Can you help?

I'm "just a mom" but these are important questions to me also. 1. Yes, I do feel that art should be taught at the elementary level. Young children need to be exposed to arts. They need to be able to see how the arts influence our world. Should they have a desire or talent for the arts they need to be given the opportunity to explore and develop that. 2.Yes it is just as important as other subjects. It is no different in terms of what it can introduce the children to. Reading is taught because literature is a written art. Math skills are necessary in many forms of art. Art should not be "looked down upon" as if it isn't a career path or as if it's something just anyone can do. Some people become history buffs, some become art buffs, both are important to the world. 3. Preferable an art teacher. They will be more likely to have the skills and training to fully expose the children to many different mediums. They will also probably enjoy teaching art more an therefore will be better at it than a classroom teacher. However, if the school budget will not allow for a separate art teacher, I would rather it was taught by the classroom teacher than not at all. 4.The value of it at the elementary level is mostly in the exposure. It's not often that children at that age will have developed skills yet but they should at least have the opportunity to find out if they have the desire. An elementary age child will be so accustomed to having art as a part of their school life that they will be more willing to continue their art education throughout high school. 5.From K-5 I had a teacher that was older and ha many health problems. He did the best he could but art class was often quiet and solemn and run by a substitute hat more often than not did not have an art background. He passed away during my 5th grade year. A new teacher was hired over the summer, for my whole 6th grade year art was wonderful. The new teacher was fun and energetic. She loved to talk and even allowed music to be played. She liked experimenting with different mediums and encouraged us to do the same. That is what I took away from that teacher and is how I still view art. 6.I currently have 3 elementary school aged children. Their schools offer 1-2 40 minute art classes during each 6 day cycle depending on the schedule. I wish they had more school exposure so I do as much as I can to make up for it at home.

1. yes, i think that art is very important because it gives creative avenues to children 2. art is important because it helps the children grow and use the other side of their brains (math and other classes use the logical side of their brain - i cant remember if its left or right) 3) at my daughters school they have a teacher that just teaches art. i think it is a specialized area just like french... 4) art i think helps kids to be able to look at a problem differently and think outside of the box...these are habits that they will be able to use all their lives. 5) art is important for all ages, it helps people appreciate art, literature and perhaps even nature (think of the line drawings you did when you were a kid - or if a class was allowed to out and draw...) 6) my youngest daughter is 10 and loves to draw! and my 14 year old is just going into highschool in sept. art is not just about drawing but figuring out how to scuplt, create 3-d things and a whole plethora of other things...it adds another very important dimension to a kids life that they normally wouldnt experience if there was no art.

1. Yes, definitely. Too many children are allowed to scribble, without purpose, and told "That's nice, dear" The type of discipline which art requires is great training for a young child. They might not become artists, but may develop neater habits. 2. I believe English and maths are THE most important subjects, especially at an early age. They are the things which will be required throughout life, no matter what they do. I believe art has an equal place with the other subjects. 3. Art at the elementary level is not complicated art. It is more about control and coordination with basic concepts, plus a basic understanding of colour. A classroom teacher should be able to teach at this level, and I expect books giving guidelines would be supplied. 4. This depends on what is meant by "an education in art". If, as I've already stated, it is more coordination, control and appreciation, it is a necessary and vital part of education. If "an education in art" is meant to be studying the classics, understanding perspectives and colour mixing, then it is probably of very little value and the time could be better spent in other ways. 5. My earliest education was in wartime in England. I am not sure at what age we started, but I know that by 10 years old I was printing in correct Old English with ordinary pens (not caligraphy pens) and India ink and doing an excellent job. We also did fine embroidery and pastel drawings which were not the typical child's drawings you see today, but were of roses with blended colours and true to life landscapes. When we came to Australia, children that age were just moving from writing on slates to using a pencil. I was considered brilliant, but in England I had been the same as all the others. I retained my art abilities but I can't say it was because of my early education. 6. I have grandchildren in elementary school now, and I work with children in a children's ministry. I believe children today are more influenced by their home situation regarding their attitude to art. Too many children, right from an earlier age, are allowed to scribble and told it is beautiful. When they start colouring in, they are not encouraged to keep in the lines or to use appropriate colours. My own children are not artists as such, but they all have artistic traits in various ways, whether it is in design, photography, creativity or other ways. They are all disciplined in their way of thinking and I think this is a continuation of their early years of discipline in art.

Early exposure of children in art is beneficial. From these activities they will improve their skill and knowledge about themselves and the things around them.

You have been asking 6 questions about Art.........well here is my answer. Being an elementary Teacher, I believed art should be taught in elementary simply because their mind is yet free fom disturbance of a hectic problems met by matured people so they can express more of themselves for their own manifestation about a thing. Second.....Is it importan in elementary? YES. education started from when we were inside of the embrayo of our mother actually but should be a follow up when the children now on elementary. Tehy could have more emotions to show rather than what we have. Thirdly, Classroom teachers in elementary should teach art to the children because it is easy for them to follow what the teachers told them..........they could not disagree yet because they are very excited to do it. What Value is an education in art.........Very Obedient, Being vigilant of things around them, being so sensitive in doing, cleanliness, be open minded, sportmanship, kindness, creativity, Love,and a lot more. My own education in art......writing numbers, letter, lesson plans, working of instructional materials, every movement i do/we do is an art... the way we talk, the way we approach somebody, the way we dance, cook, wash, everything because GOD created us with his own art. Lastly, YES the elementary children enjoyed in participating of art... they love to join psoter making contest, they could show their creativity on doing the art. I hope i did satisfiy you for my answer to your question. Do you think Education has an age limit?

1. Yes, its important to stimulate the creativity of young children. In fact, this is one of the perfect times to discover and augment the creative abilities of a child. They are already innate at this point in time (vivid imaginations) so art is just another method to bring the imagination, the creativity to life. Art slowly but surely gave me another avenue to express myself and also another way to look at reality. 2. Its not as important, but don't get my response wrong, it should be included in the curriculum. I've seen some people succeed in the real world without many art classes (I've seen them, they aren't too bright when it comes to art and creativity, we call the engineers and politicians, heh heh). 3. Art teacher should teach it, there's a specialty in it and just lumping in into an already tight curriculum might cheapen its value. Also, its another perspective teaching a different class allowing for a different classroom experience. Of course, excelsior to teachers who properly teach the entire curriculum including art. 4. It allows them to express themselves (as stated in point 1) and it gives them another way to look at scenarios, problems and the world itself. Their innate curiosity can also play into this too, they could go around asking how a park could be better, or what could be in a spot currently occupied by a gravel pit. 5. I had art all grades in primary school. I wasn't good enough for gifted talented art, but I still got better at art. This experience allowed me to continue exploring art and applying it to real world scenarios (parkspace, urban parks, graffiti boards, monuments, buildings and spaces. Because you and I are buds Jess, I may consider posting portfolio samples, or at least their links.) 6. Nope, no children. I can't be much help with this question, sorry.

1. Absolutely yes. I believe art should be taught in elementary school because it can be useful in preparing the student for what they want to become in life. 2. Art is every bit as important as the other subjects because it teaches the student to freely express themselves. 3. Either could teach it as long as they have a good grasp of the basics.There are some elements that have to be drawn out by anyone who teaches the subject. 4. Training in art will be useful to anyone throughout their life. Many careers depend upon some knowledge of art. 5. I developed my love for art from the very first art class I took. I nurtured it and have used it for my pleasure throughout my life. I still draw and paint because these activities relax me. 6. I am a great grandmother now, so, no, I do not have any little ones of my own, however I still have artwork from the days my children and grandchildren were in school.

There are two different kinds of art in the world today. One is realistic art, where highly disciplined people are able to portray recognizable objects as they really are which takes great skill and can be evaluated very objectively on its own merits. The other is abstract art, which is highly subjective and therefore political. The problem with elementary schools as they stand today, at least where I live, is that art is considered playtime and those in charge believe that people who are "good" at art have some sort of inborn talent. Learning art is formative in learning how to see and it is criminal to allow children to go through their whole lives blind to things they could have been taught to see. The earlier they are taught, the better. But art skills CANNOT be taught by teachers who lack these skills themselves, and frankly, most people who have good drawing skills are considered far too valuable in the real world to be deployed to elementary classrooms. That is wrong, but that is how it is. 1) Yes, art should be taught in elementary school, but only by qualified teachers who actually know something objective about art. 2) Art is equally as important to elementary children as math, reading, and the rest. Knowing something objective about art can help students learn better in all other subjects and knowing something about all other subjects can help them learn art better. 3) An art teacher should teach it unless the classroom teacher can demonstrate proficiency in non-abstract areas of art. 4) Aside from opening up a whole new world to students and stimulating the imagination, it gives them basic tools and knowledge that will empower them to develop and use or at least be able to evaluate art professionally and/or creatively as adults. Thoughout all previous centuries, most of the great artists were those who were taught from a young age. 5) I had no education in art at the elementary level, which resulted in my having to work much harder as an adult to pick up necessary skills. 6) Although I have no children, I have taught elementary school in the past and at that time did my very best to expose the students to as much art as possible, not in isolation, but in relation to and in connection with other areas of life and study.