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America's Lost Educational and Technological Edge

America no longer seems to be leading the globe. Many Asian cities now seem to be leaps ahead. Perhaps education and cutting the arts is at the heart of our losses.

It was Albert Einstein who said in 1932: “I believe the most important mission of the state is to protect the individual and make it possible for him to develop into a creative personality. . .”

More recent visitors to Asia often return feeling as though we, as Americans are falling behind as a society. They are impressed by advances in arcitecture and technology in what used to be, poorly developed countries by American standards.

Advances have been especially contrasting over the past few years and I have had friends return from tours of Asia who were exasperated over the shock of how far behind we seem to be.  I propose that our losses as a culture correspond with the devaluation of arts classes and the decreasing cultivation of creative problem solving skills in education.

Taking a look at the excerpt from goals of education as reported to a UNESCO Regional Conference on Arts Education in Asia from May 2003.  In this description we can take a look at how the arts are emphasized in curriculum.

Asian countries, like India, Thailand, Laos, South Korea and the Philippines, tend to request arts education expecting it to play a role in fostering children’s well-balanced personality, including teaching of ethical and moral values.”

In most Asian cultures, as children progress, time in arts classes increases. “Since integration of established subjects is a characteristic ..., “Arts and Humanity,” one learning domain among eight, is integrating holistically visual arts, music, and drama/dance performance.

This “Arts and Humanity” aims to foster children’s artistic intelligence, to encourage them to actively participate in artistic events, to enhance ability to appreciate arts, to cultivate a hobby in daily life, to enlighten artistic potential, and build healthy personality.

In general, “Arts and Humanity” classes are provided for first and second grade students for 3 – 4 hours per week, 3.75 – 5 hours for third and forth graders, 4.05 – 5.4 hours for fifth and sixth, 4.2 – 5.6 hours for seventh and eighth, and 4.5 – 6 hours for ninth graders.” (Arts Education in Asia Prepared for the UNESCO Regional Conference on Arts Education in Asia May 2003).  When was the last time you checked how much arts time your child gets in school?  I don't mean the 10 minutes that might be alloted during social studies.  Please check in with your arts teachers, especially those who have been teaching for several years. 

During a time when Asia has increased arts education time in schools, US schools have drastically cut back arts time. Perhaps the current trend to continue chopping away at arts education is the wrong direction for our children.

Rosemary is a tutor and licenced NYS educator.  She teaches English as a Second Language classes in Northern Westchester, Putnam and some regions of Connecticutt. She holds an MS in Art Therapy.

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Aidan July 3, 2012 at 10:09 pm
Don't overlook the role parents play in "arts" education. If parents don't read books, enjoy music, appreciate art of all sorts, provide all sorts of experiences, and personally encourage imagination and creativity in their kids, well, you've stacked the deck against your kids. Too many parent herd kids in one activity or another. Kids need exposure ... to lots of things ... even things the parents might not have a liking for. That's what parenting is all about ... making the world a place of wonder.
Stop looking to the schools to correct every swing in our culture. They are over burdened as it is ... even dabbling in issues they have no business in dabbling. We ask schools to beg our kids to skip the joint, stay out of the back seat, bust the bullies, and skip the Budweisers. We ask them to push hygiene ... another task that is a parents job. Art is a cultural element. But is anyone screaming about the recent TV offerings? Or the lyrics that our kids commit to memory? Or the gutter language that is now widely accepted? Or the fact that some kids can barely cover themselves in public? Nope. But that stuff is unimportant, right. Just let's get them all rolled up in Mozart and Miro and we'll all be very fine. Sorry. Culture doesn't work that way. Culture is nurtured ... and it starts at home. With parents. Who accept THEIR responsibilities and do what is best for their children, not what's best for themselves.
Rosemary Black July 4, 2012 at 07:28 am
No doubt parents play an essential role in exposing their children to the arts. And parents who understand and care about the arts will advocate for keeping the arts in education, lest we raise engineers that lack creativity and problem solving skills, surgeons who depend more on their books and textbook cases than reality of the varied human condition, computer designers who lack understanding of design, etc. Thank you Aiden for your contribution
Bob Rohr July 4, 2012 at 06:35 pm
I agree with Rosemary that kids need more Art and Sciences in School. One problem we have is an archaic system. The School day is too short and the School Year is also very short. Our kids get 180 instructional days a year. The Countries we wish to compete with are over 200. There average School day is from 7 to 4 pm.
It is time we rethink that.
Rosemary Black July 4, 2012 at 11:51 pm
Thank you Bob. Getting people to have the conversation is step one. I am glad you agree more is better. As a tutor I am infusing all subjects I tutor with as much art back up as possible. I haven't met an adult yet who doesn't agree that their memories in school are much more clear when their learning and time involved the arts.
Robert Wingate July 5, 2012 at 05:19 pm
Our family is looking forward for the first time to having our son, 12, in an arts camp this summer. It will be interesting to see how he responds, having attended a traditional Ymca camp in prior years.
Rosemary Black July 5, 2012 at 06:34 pm
Arts camp, What a great way to spend a summer! It reminds me of my best summer as an undergrad, I took intaglio printing. It was the best art experience throughout college, there is something about doing art so regularly that allows a person to really go where they have never gone before! Best of luck to your son Robert!
Andrew Hodgkinson July 6, 2012 at 08:01 pm
As a Physics teacher who is both observing the US educational system first time and who has taught in several countries around the world over the last 22 years I would agree almost completely with both Bob Rohr and Rosemary Black. The curriculum needs to be longer, more diverse and include more arts. Physics relies on the ability to think out of the box and more balanced students ironically perform better at the higher levels if they are not on focussed on their sciences. Ability to manipulate language and be specific is also very, very important.
If I might also disagree with Aidan the local children of all ages in Tarrytown are always polite, to me at least, well dressed and well behaved. I have generally found this to be the case has I have travelled throughout the north east states, even in the less salubrious neighbourhoods of our local cities.
Rosemary Black July 6, 2012 at 08:52 pm
A very nicely put affirmation from one who seems to have the kind of experience to know. Thank you very much Andrew. Where are you from? Are you here as a guest teacher/ teacher exchange? If you would rather not post here, find me on FB ~Rosemary Vorel Black
Aidan July 6, 2012 at 09:16 pm
You misconstrued my sentiments. I have an undying fondness for your learners ... and for their potential. My remarks were directed at the schools for trying to be the end-all-be-all. Schools have saddled themselves with issues and pursuits outside of the original mission. And in adopting these issues as their own they have crowded out such things as art and creative experiences. There's a finite amount of time in a day ... or a school year. Everything that is added to the curriculum is now at the expense of something. And that something, in many cases, are things like art and music. And so we fail to nurture curiosity and creativity because now schools are repairing youngsters whop suffer from benign neglect of a different sort. Parents hand-off life problems like alcohol and drug use, sexual awareness and even fundamental hygiene to schools ... and there is only so much that can be packed into a day.
Andrew Hodgkinson July 6, 2012 at 09:29 pm
I stand corrected Aidan, my apologies for misunderstanding you original post.
Aidan July 6, 2012 at 09:42 pm
You're right about the school year. It's based on an agrarian model. How many youngsters farm? Do barn chores ... or fret the harvest? But we're stuck with this antiquated model of the school year and the school day. Odd stuff.
We arm our kids with the latest gadgets and utilize the newest, most innovative methodologies ... and then ruin them all by cramming them into a structure that is so passé. And choking. School buildings and educational resources lay fallow for months every year ... all lost opportunities to expose young minds to new intellectual adventures. KIds are, by their very nature, a very open-minded crowd. They adore new experiences of all sorts ... but our refusal to get our school structure up-to-speed just muddies the efforts. Oddly, educators are often their own worst enemy. They've allowed the original mission of schools to be bludgeoned by those who think the schools can do everything but tuck in your children. A shame.
Bjorn Olsson July 7, 2012 at 03:25 pm
Finland has excellent results with a much shorter school day than the US:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/c-m-rubin/the-global-search-for-edu_17_b_1066527.html
Dan July 7, 2012 at 03:54 pm
Finland's Revolutionary Education System
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlOfZL_J5fo&feature=plcp
Steve July 7, 2012 at 06:57 pm
Parents have charged the schools with raising their children and have abandoned their responsibilities and status as parents. Violence, abuse, gutter language are widely shown on TV but TV executives claim that TV does not cause or encourage these behaviors, yet they sell advertising by telling advertisers that TV is the most effective way to influence the habits and actions of the TV audience. Watching TV instead of studying is the failure of irresponsible parents whose indifference ensures their children will have a future of life in poverty.
Bjorn Olsson July 8, 2012 at 03:41 am
Forcing kids to 8 hour school days can't be the answer, the Asian style pressure-cooker systems seem so terrible, I think American kids are way overloaded with school hours and homework as it is. Here's more info about the Finnish system that seems so much more humane:
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/
Rosemary Black July 9, 2012 at 04:20 am
Bjorn and Dan thank you so much for calling attention to Finland. I quote one article, "Finland's success is especially intriguing because Finnish schools assign less homework and engage children in more creative play."
Andrew Hodgkinson July 9, 2012 at 01:16 pm
They also have a varying timetable throughout the year, which allows students to study more at certain times than others. The Union would be on your back here unfortunately. Experience also suggests that there is a different attitude to education in Finland and that parents 'buy in' much more aggressively.
Interestingly, from speaking with parents they believed that boys benefitted most, which is a problem for most developed nations.
Note Article
Just a short thought to get the word out quickly about anything in your neighborhood.
Share something with your neighbors. Write a new post... What's up? Make an announcement, speak your mind, or sell something
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:14 am
I loved all the music - the band belting out 'Sweet Caroline' was great!
Lisa Buchman (Editor) June 6, 2013 at 10:12 am
Heather, thanks! I saw you in the crowd! These are awesome. It was a perfect night for it! I'll addRead More a link to your post from mine.
Josephine Ziegler presented the school board with the petition at the May 9 meeting.
John Craig June 3, 2013 at 11:50 am
Regarding paragraph 5 -- the retirement incentive. I haven't read anything to suggest that theRead More retirement incentive and the insurance switch are related or that that KLDTA asked for one to get the other. When I read the initial release from the board, I saw them as 2 different cost savings initiatives. ---The district indicated that each retirement saves a net of $32,500 per year. Early Retirement Incentive Plans (ERIPs) are fairly common stuff among downsizing private organizations. I think it makes sense to use them here to accelerate cost savings. ---The original petition was well written. Now that we have addressed point #3, I think it's time to make further progress on point #2 -- a financially sustainable contract. ---And, experience suggests that if you really want to move forward in a collaborative way, you have to let go of the past. Continuing to harp on past mistakes undermines point #5.
Sara Weale June 3, 2013 at 12:36 pm
Thanks for your comment. I agree that we all need to move forward -- but in my opinion, althoughRead More this side agreement made a long-overdue change in health care carriers (while maintaining a high level of health care benefits/access to teachers, retirees and their dependents), the KLDTA again asked for retirement incentives in return - just as they did for the December 2010 MOA that extended the terms of their contract for two years and avoided going to Triborough. Under the 2010 MOA, KLDTA requested a $10,000 retirement incentive and 21 teachers took the offer (including the current leader of KLDTA) -- resulting in an outlay of $210,000 by the district. Although some savings might have been realized for "early" retirements, it is difficult to calculate the exact amount because the district has no way of knowing when a teacher would have retired without the incentive. If 20 additional teachers take the new retirement incentive which was increased to $17,500 for some reason -- that is a total cost to the district of $350,000. Don't forget that regardless of the incentive, teachers retire with full pension and retiree health care benefits. Yes - the district will realize some savings from the incentives -- but we likely would have realized similar savings without incentives and natural attrition/retirement of our teaching staff. What I think we need to pay attention to as a community is that it seems the only way that KLDTA leadership will agree to changes in the status quo is if they get something in return. The last two agreements with the KLDTA will likely result in approximately $500,000 spent by the district in retirement incentives over a five year period -- money in my opinion, better kept in the district system during these difficult economic times and in the tax-cap environment. In my opinion, finally switching health care carriers did not merit financial rewards for teachers likely retiring in the next three years anyway.
Katonah19 June 6, 2013 at 08:08 am
For more insight, take a look at BOE Member Charles Day's statement on retirement incentives inRead More exchange for KLSDTA's agreement to changes in Health Care here: http://bedford.patch.com/groups/opinion/p/days-statement-on-kl-union-contract-changes