Thank you.
Thank you.
Also, why are tax dollars used to provide high school students with opportunities to run track?
Maybe they should spend that money on history, @sshat: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=4507643&page=1
This topic has been discussed over and over and over again. In defense of the arts and the liberal arts, would you rather have a society filled with one dimensional drones who see their ultimate purpose as making as much money as possible to become hyper-consumerists, as dictated by the media, then trying to screw everyone else over because it's the easiest way to maximize profit?
The arts and many other experiences that don't translate into a higher standardized test score or a higher projected income add another dimension to human experience and shape character.
Can someone remind me again why tax dollars are used to "educate" student in gym class and extracurricular sports? Yeah, I think your question is just as pointless.
To the earlier poster wondering about spending money on track/sports: I think money should be eliminated there. All of this money could be reappropriated and spent on educating our students in the STEM disciplines. We can't really compete with the BRIC nations on any meaningful level by developing better dancers.
run4lifer wrote:
Thank you.
So you think that our tax dollars that go to public education should be used solely to train people to work to benefit big business owners and to be good consumers to further enrich big business owners?
run4lifer wrote:
To the earlier poster wondering about spending money on track/sports: I think money should be eliminated there. All of this money could be reappropriated and spent on educating our students in the STEM disciplines. We can't really compete with the BRIC nations on any meaningful level by developing better dancers.
Here's a question to you - why is the great majority of universities on this list of top global schools liberal arts institutions?
http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsprun4lifer wrote:
To the earlier poster wondering about spending money on track/sports: I think money should be eliminated there. All of this money could be reappropriated and spent on educating our students in the STEM disciplines. We can't really compete with the BRIC nations on any meaningful level by developing better dancers.
Brazil has many good dancers :P
And none of the BRIC nations are that amazing. Even the closest to the USA's status is a sh/thole mostly.
For the same reasons they're spent educating students in other subject areas.
agip wrote:
Here's a question to you - why is the great majority of universities on this list of top global schools liberal arts institutions?
http://www.arwu.org/ARWU2010.jsp
Grammar fail.
There are other values in society than the almighty $.
Or do you envision a society where everyone is a stockbroker---that sounds real exciting....NOT!
Zzzzzzzzzzz!
Wikid wrote:
There are other values in society than the almighty $.
Heresy.
because Einstein would want you to read a modern Voltaire and listen to the next Mozart.
The government should not pass judgment on what subjects are appropriate to teach in school.
I recently met a contingent from the government of Singapore touring the Northeast US looking at Arts and Sports programs.
They are specifically aware that their students outperform US students in math and science and yet they do not have a society that is capable of being successfully innovative.
They firmly believe that it is the arts education that we give our youth that fosters innovations that are able to keep US businesses on top.
Creativity is the way to solve problems. Teaching the arts provides the brain the pathways to think creatively. Without the arts, we are Singapore.
BRG/253 wrote:
The government should not pass judgment on what subjects are appropriate to teach in school.
How are they supposed to maintain public schools if they don't make some sort of judgments as to what subjects are appropriate to teach in school?
Good post. Basically the arts allow synthesis of the three R's. It's a left brain/right brain thing, but it's mainly about overlapping fields of study and wider/different perspectives facilitating better understanding and new insights of given subject matter.
The MonBRO Doctrine wrote:
How are they supposed to maintain public schools if they don't make some sort of judgments as to what subjects are appropriate to teach in school?
They're not supposed to maintain public schools :)
It's a better use than wasting them on you. Seriously, I work at a bank, have graduate degrees in economics and mathematics, and think your question is ridiculously stupid and naive.
Without music in schools, that would only be available to rich kids that could buy instruments. Also, music can improve a child's performance in other areas. Also, music is beautiful.
How much does theater really cost a school? Practice usually is conducted after school. The theatre teacher probably doesn't get paid much extra. Ticket sales for the performance can recoup some of those costs. The local community and parents are entertained. Kids can learn how fun it is to imagine you are somebody else.
Some of the other arts, I can't think of a good argument.
Health and physical education can improve brain activity. This has been proven many times overs. These things are important for the future of the country. Should these activities be detached for the regular school day? Maybe. But sports got tied into our schools long ago while most other nations make it separate activity.