I have very vivid memories of Kindergarten, and one of them is the stations we went to every day. We were divided into groups of about five kids per group, and we went to different stations together. There was a reading station where the teacher worked with us one-on-one, a math station, a play station, a drawing/painting station, and then everybody's favorite, the sandbox. My favorite was probably the painting station where we had a huge easel and lots of paint, crayons, etc. I talked to my mom the other day and found out that they no longer have the big easels, and the kids never get to draw, paint, play, or do anything creative. Now that they have testing, the teachers are getting rid of the fun stuff to teach the information on the test. This really bothers me because creativity is so important, and children should be able to express themselves. Creativity is just as important as the information they receive for tests. I realize creativity/arts are disappearing everywhere, but how can teachers expect these kids to sit through these boring subjects at such an early age. I think teachers need to start being creative themselves and using their freedom to incorporate these critical areas into their teaching.

I think a lot of art probably has been taken out of Kindergarten. Kindergarten is not what it was when I was there either. I think Pre-K is where all the creativity is now. They still have the giant easels and craft supplies readily available in centers in all the preschools that I have observed. Kindergarten centers are very different than they used to be.

We need to be responding to young children with a curriculum that is developmentally appropriate. It is not developmentally appropriate for children in Pre K and K to sit all day long, as an older child might do.

Arts and creativity are joyful experiences! Through the arts we can learn how we express ourselves, among other things. A life needs to be expressed. So, to me, the fun stuff is also the necessary stuff.

Gosh, my favorite memories from elementary school are during art. I fondly remember my Kindergarten teacher and the time she would spend every day with us developing our creativity. I think that having a way to express yourself in life is so important, and being creative teaches you so much! I realize that standardized tests are not likely to be gone any time soon, so perhaps we have to find ways to incorporate the arts into our teaching of material for the test. Although this involves a lot more work and planning, it is so important! We just have to work for what we want and what we know is important!

i loved the arts in school and i still do. i was a regular student in chorus classes throughout middle school and high school. in middle school i took art and because i loved to paint, my parents even put me in several painting classes outside of school with professional painters. but i had one bad experience in high school and it changed my perspective on art in school altogether. the class was given the assignment to go home and draw one single thing in their house. so i went home and drew the dresser in my room. but in my head, the thought occurred to me that all the stuff on my dresser was part of the dresser. i couldnt draw the dresser without the stuff because it didnt exist without the stuff. but i got a bad grade for it so i was forever scarred because i didnt think my artwork was acceptable according to school standards. i dont know if this has any relevance whatsoever, but i just wanted to mention it.

i know tests dont come easy with the arts in school, but i think thats a good thing and i think its the key to keeping art in school, as an effective way for students to channel everything else they're having to deal with. but i sometimes wish the arts didnt have a strict way of grading either. does that make sense? i mean, when i drew my picture of my one object, i was given a bad grade because the teacher said i didnt follow instuctions. but to me, i had! it was all a matter of interpretation. i think the education system gets frightened when the thought of having to interpret the students comes about. thats why they test! testing results in an either right or wrong answer. nothing else. no interpretation.

and on a side note, even if they do away with arts altogether, there are still ways to get it for the children if they really show an interest in it. i took painting classes that provided me with more information and appreciation than anything i experienced in school. it might cost extra money, but if your children see their passion in life, money will take care of itself. and another thing - i love to sing. i was in chorus all throughout school. if they'd done away with the class, all i had to do was sing in the church choir. there were plenty of other opportunities. so even though itd be horrible if arts were lost to the school system, it wouldnt be tragic. arts are everywhere else in the world - just look for them.

You're all so right. Kindergarten isn't at all what it used to be. One of my fondest memories of Kindergarten is when our teacher took us down to the river across from the school & let us each pick out a rock. Then, we went back to the classroom and painted the rock for our mothers for mother's day. That was fun! It was original and creative. But, you don't see any of that these days. One thing that really aggravates me is that when you see work done in Kindergarten classes and you can quickly tell that it is not the students work. All the "cut outs" and crafts you can buy at Walmart are cute, but let's don't over do it. As both a mother and Teacher I want to see my child's work not the Teacher's work. Kids need to be creative and have fun! We must remember they are KIDS!!! They need to play, paint and draw...that's who they are!

I just wanted to say how happy I am to hear that you all had a good experience with the arts growing up. NOW... we are all about to go out in the real world & teach so instead of saying, "yeah, I loved art in school, I wish they still had it," do creative activities in your classes. Be happy for the art programs that get money, even if you don't, support the arts in your teacher meetings, stay positive when someone says something negative about the arts, and let your students discover how to express themselves by giving open assignments where they can choose how to present material. Sorry to go on a tangent, but so many times I hear people say how wonderful and important the arts are, but then when it comes down to the money, or TIME, they shy away. I'm very excited to see that YOU guys will be having some FUN teaching!

I also think that art, music, dance ect is sooooo impotant when you are younger. not only for the entertainment and hands on part but in the long run i think that it helps you in your other classes as you grow up. I learned alot from my "arts" classes in elementary school and middle school that i used all the time for projects and things in high school and now in college. You need to know how to be creative and be able to draw a little bit just to get by. I mean i feel like that gave me sort of a basis for all the projects and assignments that i have to do now. Does that makes sense, or am i just rambling?

Kelly, I completly agree with you there. I always took as many art/music classes that I could up until high school. Throughout high school, I continued with my piano lessons that I had begun when I was 11. These lessons taught me more self-discipline than any structured class. It also gave me more options when I got to school and was considering majors. Even though I opted not to major in music ed. and no longer take lessons, piano and music is still a large part of my life. Every child needs a creative outlet and the more they remove them from the school systems, the harder it will be for a child to find their outlet. Instead of getting frustrated and pissed off at something and painting their agression out, they will have to find a different route (and this could result in outlets that are not so positive).

I also agree with what you all have said. I believe that the arts are a great outlet for children of all ages to express themselves through. I was never really that into any of the arts classes that I took throughout school but music because I’m not very artistic. But music has always been something that I could identify with. I love to listen to all types of music and I don’t think I would have gained the respect for all the various types of music without having been surrounded by it in school. Learning about things in school make them seem very important to a young person, and most of the time they are. Why else would you be taught it if it wasn’t important? Playing music has also helped me to gain a sense of who I am and what is important to me. I love playing my guitar after a bad day. Something always seems so right about it. I can find a peace there. That is what I think the arts do. They allow people to figure themselves out. This is why it is so sad that these activities are being deprived from our children.

Kindergarten is a lot different now than it use to be. Most of the day was spent playing and developing social skills. If we don't let the children learn to play nice together and learn respect for each other how earth will they ever get along with one another.

It's really exciting to see that teachers find the arts important to education and who are even now considering ways to incorporate them into their classes. I'm proud! I do hope, however, that the arts aren't simply viewed as fun, or expression...They are much more...

I'm considering the visuals arts specifically, but I believe art causes one to perceive things differently, whether visually or conceptually. This teaches one to acknowledge differing views of a subject, a situation, or an issue. Art also encourages creativity by providing unlimited means to display ideas, emotions, and solutions to problems. This consequently proves art to be essential to daily life. Art can be made by anyone, made of anything, and found anywhere. Art can be a form of interaction in its creation, assessment, and enjoyment. Furthermore, art addresses diversity through awareness of unique personalities and ideas within the classroom, around the world, and throughout history. Ultimately, the combination of all of these aspects of art emphasizes independent thinking through both the creation and the evaluation of art and this way of reasoning will only continue throughout one’s life.

I realize the arts are perhaps less emphasized and that in itself is harmful enough, but I really don't feel they will be completely eliminated from education. It is my desire that you each will be advocates for the arts despite your area of concentration...and maybe despite your personal views; this really is about the students. My goal is not to make each student a world-reknown artist, as I assume yours isn't to make only scientists, mathematicians or best-selling authors...I want to be involved in bettering students as individuals.

wow angela, that was quite a passionate post. it almost put a tear in my eye! that was just very beautiful and eloquent...

I too really enjoyed reading Angela's view on this subject. I know how much Angela loves art and I believe everything she said in her response to this. Teaching students about the arts, in any form (theatre ) it really helps them to see these different areas of curriculum in different views. I truely feel that the arts are a MUST for students and I too feel that they will not be totally eliminated!!!

I belive the arts in school are very important Children at a young age need a creative way to express themselves, other than just using words. There is so much testing going on in the schools today that the arts aren't really taught/covered as much anymore. I think this is really bad for the children because if they don't get to creatively express themselves, then eventually they quit developing their imaginations, which is one of the most imporant things for a child to have.