It’s September, and I can’t help but think of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan and bouquets of sharpened pencils.
Whether I am in the classroom or not, September always feels like the start of a new year: a clean slate, a fresh start, an ocean of endless possibilities. September always feels like the start of a new year, but I’m clinging to these summer rays until that first leaf changes its color.
September. The moment when students walk into classrooms and everything seems possible. They are ready to learn and ready to reach great heights.
Recently, there was rather tasteless advertisement put out by Wells Fargo – alluding to the fact that an artistic career is less than any other career venture. While they have since put out an apology, (and make no mistake – I applaud them for that, for I believe that one of the marks of adulthood is knowing when to apologize), I think that this mishap has opened the door to a conversation that is needed.
I cannot imagine a world without art. And I’d venture to say any engineer and or botanist would agree.
Art is the glue that binds us as humans. It’s the medium in which we get to relax, to enjoy, to celebrate – but it’s the medium in which we get to think beyond the tiny scope of our own orbit.
Art, (whether it’s theatre or music or visual arts or film or television or literature or dance) makes us aware. Aware of what makes us happy. Aware of what makes us sad. Aware of what makes our hearts tick. Aware of the dreams that permeate our subconscious. Aware of the things that society needs. Aware of the unmentionables that society does not talk about.
To reduce any artistic profession to the teenage dreams of yesteryear is deplorable.
But let’s not harp on the mistakes of yet another bank.
There is a reason admirable educators advocate for STEAM (science, technology, engineering, Art + math) over STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) – it’s because the best education encompasses all of these things.
I could spend pages and pages typing out all the reasons why, but perhaps the bottom line is thus: the jobs of tomorrow are rooted in creativity. And it doesn’t mean having the most popular show on Netflix, but it means that these jobs are rooted in ideas that go outside the box. They are geared for people who know how to color outside the lines.
And that may come in the form of a botanist who’s also an engineer whose background in ballet – and you know what? That’s fantastic.
Because no one profession is better than the other. We all have different gifts. We all have different strengths.
And when we stop pitting one against the other – we may be surprised at the remarkable things that occur.
Arts education, at the root of it all, is about storytelling. It’s about learning how to tell your story, and that of another. It’s about the art of listening. It’s about the perception.
Arts education cannot be reduced to thoughtless advertisements by big banks and corporations. It’s bigger than that. It’s deeper than that. It’s more important than that.
To my fellow arts educators – as you embark on a new school year, know that you are the spark that can ignite the flame of a lifelong learner. You are catalyst that will often bring a student out of his or her shell, and guide them to a path wherein they are able to find the thing that makes their heart pitter patter (and it very well could be botany or engineering or biology or political science…the list goes on.)
May your school year be full of tiny moments that remind you of why you choose this profession. May you have days full of wonder. May your students teach you as much as you teach them.
May your love for teaching continue.
Live, Love, Learn,