Ash Wednesday! Cut my life into pieces, this is my last glue stick: Why art integration is still important to curriculums in America.

I don’t have kids of my own, but I do want them still one day. What I do have instead is I have taught, and cared for over hundreds of kids over the past ten plus years.  I also got myself a fucking expensive ass degree in art education from West Chester, a whole lot of hubbub to fuck around with popsicles and summon some glitter demons. But yeah, I have an art education degree, and if anyone knows me is that I incorporate art into pretty much every damn thing I can. That even includes when I am teaching, especially when I am teaching. We all know that Art and Music are the first subjects to get cut from funding…. I am not gonna even go into the logistics but I have bought a hella lot of art supplies our of my own pocket just to ensure a child has a good experience with art. 

There is no better way in my personal opinion, than to utilize some paper and pencil and just get out all of that creative juju that has been cultivating throughout the day. I often will either use step by step instructions, or when I am working with smaller artists or very drunk adults I'll buy a variety of materials to see who and what come up with what. My money is on the really quiet kids, they always come up with the best stuff. I just did a lesson on Frida Kahlo the other day, we made her face and body out of a toilet paper roll. In this day and age toilet paper rolls are still a hot commodity is it not? Needless to say she came out like a boss! My pinterest be ill. I am actually teaching a few lessons on ceramics, and drawing online. It's difficult to say the least. I am not really a fan and I miss the studio a freak ton, but I am trying to be adaptable, and keep it high vibe.

So yea, here is some cool stuff that I have learned being an art teacher for the past 11D7 years:

1. Working in the arts helps learners to develop creative problem-solving skills.
2. Teaching through the arts can present difficult concepts visually, making them more easy to understand.
3. Art instruction helps children with the development of motor skills, language skills, social skills, decision-making, risk-taking, and inventiveness.
4. Visual arts teach learners about color, layout, perspective, and balance: all techniques that are necessary in presentations (visual, digital) of academic work.
5. Integrating art with other disciplines reaches students who might not otherwise be engaged in classwork.
6. Arts experiences boost critical thinking, teaching students to take the time to be more careful and thorough in how they observe the world.
7. The arts provide challenges for learners at all levels.
8. Art education connects students with their own culture as well as with the wider world.
9.  Young people who participate regularly in the arts (three hours a day on three days each week through one full year) are four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement, to participate in a math and science fair, or to win an award for writing an essay or poem than children who do not participate.
10. The arts education led to fewer disciplinary infractions, and higher attendance, graduation rates, and test scores. Also incorporating yoga and mindfulness meditation has severely cut on school bullying tenfold. 

Not really my longest blog entry, but I have been kinda busy working on aiding in some activism projects as of late that have been taking up most of my free time. So next week will be longer I promise. Also if anyone would want to be apart of an online anthology: “Quaranzine” holla at me! ashlenzaritsky@gmail.com. Catch ya later[,] haters. ​