Before we venture into the pros and cons of the topic we shall first define these key words: art and curriculum. According to the Oxford dictionary art may be define as expression or application of human creative skill and imagination, typically in a visual form such as painting or sculpture, producing works to be appreciated primarily for their beauty or emotional power. While curriculum is the subjects comprising a course of study in a school or college. “Course components of the school curriculum”
example the lacklustre way in which they display their attire for the job is appalling. There are administrators out there who believed that doing art to third form gives them authority on the subject. If this is their approach, art bound to struggle because you barely brushes the surface as far as the art curriculum is concern.
Another point worth mentioning is the lack of respect and the condescending manner in which some administrators would treat an art room. Emphasis may be placed on other areas such as the sciences, mathematics etc.; not to say that they are not important. In addition to that funds may see it fit to do so. When things need storage they would choose the art room to store them. This is where the art teacher must be firm and object to things been stored in the art room.
There are teachers who even encourages students not to do the subject area in external exams (CXC, CAPE). These students claim that teachers told them that art is not important and they cannot make anything from doing art. That’s what I would call an uneducated educator committing a beautiful crime ignorance. The art field has so many areas and so many jobs. Currently there are more than one hundred and twenty-one art related jobs.
From a behavioural stand point the idea of been discipline to master your task is also important. A discipline student is much easier to teach or to guide. In addition to that, art allows them to develop a greater appreciation for things around them. Respect for one’s environment and nature as a whole is very important.
The integration approach in teaching helps to foster the notion of the arts driving the curriculum. Don’t be naive that creativity only has to do with the art. Creativity has to do with every facets of ones’ life. Therefore art affects everyone be it directly or indirectly. Since this is so, the question to those highly educated individuals is “Why is it art in your eyes can not be seen as important?’ Is it because you cannot do the subject area, Is it because you don’t fully understand the diversity of the area, Is it because your incompetence speaks volume in this area or maybe it’s because of other personal issues?
Please bear in the mind the importance of all subject areas and threat them with equitable level of respect because they all have a voice; especially when it comes on to moulding and shaping of a future society. Allow creativity to perform as a devoted servant of the Art. An art based school is a school geared for productive future.