Arts Education Remains the Ugly Step-Child

At the risk of stating the obvious, we as teachers, “start over” with a new group of students each year. As teachers of elective subjects, the fresh start includes defending our program, our curriculum, and our self. Unfortunately, we must often defend our existence to administrators, counselors, students, and parents. The new school environment that revolves around the high stakes testing world created by distant legislators and congressmen continually pushes the performing arts into the role of incommodious step-child. Although we have modified our curriculum to be a better match in the overall school design, we still work with a largely unilluminated public that views artistic pursuits as frills and embellishments to a real education. Why, courses in the performing arts rate below study halls in the priority scheme of many parents.  

The 2008 school year has started off well, and most of our students are excited and at least moderately prepared to learn and participate. However, the prejudice against the performing arts remains a fact in some elements of our school community. A student was planning to drop a course in Theater II the other day. Of course, the student has very limited experience, and due to flaws in the master scheduling process, the 10^th grade student is in a course with almost all juniors and seniors. While a fifteen year-old teenager is not capable of judging all that is best for him; I appealed to the parent with the following rationale.  

Sam is enrolled in the Advanced Theater Course during third period this Fall. He told me today that he wants to drop to have a study hall. I asked for the opportunity to speak with you about it before a final decision is made.  

The demands of this course are not great. Many of the students find that having a performing arts outlet during their day lightens their load instead of increasing it. These courses are very important when it comes time to select a college or university. Colleges are looking for students with a background in the performing arts. I have many, many students who have graduated from our theater program who are successful in many diverse careers.  

The lessons we teach in theater include people skills, the ability to work collaboratively, and the ability to express oneself in front of a group. These skills are necessary for every potential college student and most careers. We also have a lot of fun.   There is a great deal of research demonstrating that success in a performing arts course (s) is a strong indicator of academic success now and in the future. There is also some research that shows that the performing arts help students synthesize some of their academic concepts quicker and more thoroughly than other students.  

Teenagers experience so much stress and a great deal of confusion during their high school years. High School theater courses and productions provide an appropriate outlet for conquering and coping with these emotional, physiological, and social changes. Almost always, students leave this course a better and stronger person, and more prepared for the real world.  I have students of all academic abilities in the course. Some of the students are at the top of their class. Some are near the bottom. They all have a heavy academic load. It seems to work well for all of them.  

I hope that you and Sam will reconsider his participation in ATP for this year. He has a lot of potential, and the course has a lot to offer him. Please let me know.  

The response from the parent was typical:  “We have discussed it, and we feel that Sam would be better off in a study hall.”  

I often wonder if any fifteen year old student has the ability to make any course selections for himself. They are short-sighted and need the guidance of parents, counselors and teachers. Most parents, counselors, and administrators have limited experiences in and knowledge of the value of performing arts education. These people often see the performing arts organizations as extra-curricular, and of limited value. These same people are lacking in the precise skills and areas that are developed by significant involvement in performing arts course work and ensemble participation.  

Meanwhile, students continue to be short-changed and are left half-educated. The injustice of having arts education treated like the ugly step sister continues, and common misperceptions are treated as fact. Additional funding would allow us to develop a more attractive performing arts program that would be a great match for today’s student. With no additional funding on the horizon, I’m a little weary of trying to make the ugly step sister attractive again.