5.3: Reading -Is Studying Art a Waste of Time

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Before You Read

Some people think art is a valuable subject in school. Others think it is a waste of time. Why do you think people might have these opinions? Predict what they might say.

People who think art is a valuable subject might say …

People who think studying art is a waste of time might say …

The Reading

Read the article below and answer the questions that follow.

1 The British Columbia Ministry of Education considers it important for students to participate in arts education as a means of building culture, exploring personal identity, and understanding the human experience. However, not everyone agrees. For some students, teachers, employers, and members of the community, studying art is a waste of time. The time and money invested in arts education would be better used in other areas. A number of people were asked for their opinion on this issue; here are their responses.

Heather, 17, high school student

2 They say people learn in different ways, and they express their ideas in different ways. I think that’s true. I was diagnosed with dyslexia a few years ago, and I find writing quite challenging. Don’t ask me to write a short story or a poem! I’m really good at expressing my ideas through visual media, though. Last term, I helped to paint an enormous mural on the wall of the auditorium at school. I used colour and shapes to highlight themes that are relevant to the school, and everyone loved it. It felt so empowering to know that I could do something well.

Jared, 21, college student

3 I hated my art classes in school. I never wanted to be an artist, or work in an art gallery, so I didn’t see the point. I knew from an early age that I wanted to work as an outdoor adventure guide in the mountains, so it was more important to me to focus on sports and fitness. I can’t even draw a stick figure. Frankly, I can’t tell a Picasso from a Monet or a Renoir, and I don’t really care. They are just dead European guys—they have nothing to do with my life.

Ana, 34, social worker

4 I see a lot of troubled teens in my community, and I strongly believe that art can make them more resilient. Kids keep too much bottled up inside, and they need an outlet for their emotions. If they don’t get one, they risk turning to drugs. In my religion, we are taught that making art is a form of spiritual expression; a lot of our art is about religious themes. I truly believe that there is a deep connection between creativity and mental health. To deny our young people the chance to develop a strong sense of themselves through art is to do them a great disservice.

Brandon, 23, server

5 I work in a busy family restaurant, and it’s a pretty stressful job. Orders get mixed up, customers get impatient, kids are always screaming and running wild—sometimes I’m so tense that I want to explode. I find the best way to relax after work is to take my sketchpad and pencils up to one of the hiking trails above the town. I find a rock to sit on, and I sketch the trees, the leaves, the view, the chipmunks, the squirrels. I come back feeling so much more relaxed. Besides, it’s cheaper than going to a bar to unwind!

Christine, 45, school principal

⁶I would love to provide more in the way of arts education, but sometimes I just don’t have the budget for it. The government keeps slashing our funding, and with all the cutbacks, sometimes we only have enough money for the basics. We have to prioritize basic skills like math and English. We can’t afford to spend money on frills like art, music, or drama. Our mandate is to ensure that all students graduate with a solid foundation in the core subjects, and we can’t justify spending money on these fringe subjects at the expense of the key skills.

Steve, 36, CEO

7 I run a software design company, and you know who I like to hire? Young people who have studied art. I don’t care about computer skills—we can teach them that—but what really makes a difference is how creative they are. If you want to design an app or a computer game, you have to have some original ideas. My best designers are not tech people; they are people who thrived on art lessons in school.

Robyn, 40, bank manager

8 In the world of work, we can’t afford to have people being creative. Take my bank, for example. There is a way to do things, and there is no room for original ideas. You follow the standard procedures. I find it counterproductive when new hires come in here and think they have a better idea for how to do something. We don’t have time for that. You need to get the job done efficiently and in a timely manner. We don’t want people who think they are the next Picasso—we want people who follow instructions.

Bruce, 48, teacher

9 I’ve taught elementary school for the last 23 years, and there is nothing worse than trying to teach art to some kid who can’t even draw a straight line. I’ll get into trouble for saying that, but it’s the truth. It’s time to stop pretending that art is a useful subject. It isn’t. We need to stop teaching this esoteric stuff and focus on what really matters, like math. We have kids today who can’t add two numbers together, yet we still insist on this artsy nonsense. This needs to stop.

Noelle, 42, art gallery administrator

10 In my culture, the arts have great significance. I grew up learning how to express myself and my heritage through art, and I spent many happy hours in my youth drawing and painting the important aspects of my culture. It worries me when I see young people today playing with their phones, Snapchatting, Instagramming, Facebooking—where is the value in that? We live in a world that’s more homogeneous all the time, and we risk losing our unique culture. Making art is one way to express who we are as a people, and we must not take that away from our kids.

Reg, 63, handyman

11 Learning about art might be fine as a hobby, but it isn’t very useful, is it? Our society is changing, and we need to keep up with other places. We don’t want to fall behind. The only way to get ahead is through technology. There are jobs today that didn’t exist when I was young, like website designer and software engineer. We need to teach our young people real job skills so they can get good jobs in these areas. I didn’t have that kind of training when I was young, and I don’t have any real skills. Our kids deserve better.

Questions

A. Check Your Understanding

Which person’s opinion is best summarized by each of the following statements? Write the name of a person next to each statement. Use each person only once.

Heather Jared Ana Brandon Christine

Steve Robyn Bruce Noelle Reg

1. __________ Art can be beneficial to young people’s mental wellbeing.

2. __________ There is no room for creativity in my workplace.

3. __________ Art has no relevance to my life.

4. __________ Individual cultures can be kept alive through art.

5. __________ Teaching art to kids with no artistic sense is a waste of time.

6. __________ It is more important to teach technological skills than art.

7. __________ Creative workers are preferable to those with technical skills.

8. __________ People express themselves in different ways.

9. __________ A school’s limited budget should be allocated to core subjects.

10. __________ Making art is a great way to relieve everyday stress.

B. Develop Your Vocabulary

Find a word in the reading that means the following. Paragraph numbers are given to help you.

1. condition causing reading difficulties (para. 2) _________________________ (noun)

2. making someone feel strong (para. 2) _________________________ (adjective)

3. able to deal with setbacks (para. 4) _________________________ (adjective)

4. way to express one’s feelings (para. 4) _________________________ (noun)

5. reductions in government spending (para. 6) _________________________ (noun)

6. treat as the most important (para. 6) _________________________ (verb)

7. purpose or goal of an organization (para. 6) _________________________ (noun)

8. having a negative effect (para. 8) _________________________ (adjective)

9. only interesting to artistic people (para. 9) _________________________ (adjective)

10. the same (para. 10) _________________________ (adjective)

Choose five of the words above. Write a sentence of your own using each word.

1. ________________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________________

C. Think about It

Think about the following questions. Write your thoughts, or discuss your ideas with your class.

1. How has each of the speakers developed his or her opinion? What factors may be contributing to each speaker’s bias towards or against the teaching of art? Look back at the Reading Skills section for ideas.

Heather: _____________________________________________________________

Jared: _____________________________________________________________

Ana: _____________________________________________________________

Brandon: _____________________________________________________________

Christine: _____________________________________________________________

Steve: _____________________________________________________________

Robyn: _____________________________________________________________

Bruce: _____________________________________________________________

Noelle: _____________________________________________________________

Reg: _____________________________________________________________

2. Which of the speakers do you most agree with? Why?

________________________________________________________________________

3. Who do you most disagree with? Why?

_______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Dear __________,

_____________________________________________________________________

Best wishes,

_____________________________

Choose two of the speakers. How would you respond to each of their statements? Do you agree or disagree? Why? Write a brief email to each one.

Dear __________,

_____________________________________________________________________

Best wishes,

_____________________________

D. Go Further

Choose another controversial issue in your community. Find six to eight comments on the issue from members of the community. These can be from social media, from the local newspaper, or from any other source you find. Answer the following questions.

What is the controversial issue?

________________________________________________________________________

What are the main arguments for it?

_______________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

What are the arguments against it?

________________________________________________________________________

What biases do you see in people’s responses?

________________________________________________________________________

What is your own opinion on the subject?

________________________________________________________________________