Why Teach Art?
Written by Patrick Fitzpatrick
I was blessed to watch and record the following conversation about how we apply art to our lives as it unfolded between our Middle and Upper School art teacher at Plumstead Christian School and a visiting businesswoman from China. Our visitor had just shared with us that her twelve year old son was in a Chinese school that had just eliminated every subject except for Chinese Literature, English Language Studies, and Mathematics. The rationale the school had given to the parents and students was that these three subjects were the only subjects to be tested on the Middle School standardized entrance exam. It saddened me to hear that a school was placing such emphasis on preparing for a test. As the head of a Christian school, I want our school to provide our students with a foundation that will prepare them for the myriad of adventures and challenges each will face through life. We focus on the whole child, so we are committed to partnering with parents to provide opportunities that will grow each of our students spiritually, emotionally, socially, physically, and intellectually. This growth in each of our students is not confined to the reading, writing, and arithmetic! It is also not confined to a child’s classroom experiences. That’s why we place high value on the performing and visual arts, athletics, social activities, mission trips, service and leadership opportunities, and even the casual conversations that our faculty have with students as they flit from one classroom to the next.
