A compelling argument was made on both sides of the Curriculum debate today.
I was particularly impressed with Stuart’s presentation. Although his arguments may not have been delivered with the same fervor or passion of his opponent, his calm resolve and two statements in particular seemed to have a huge impact in persuading me on his side of the debate. His admission, in his opening, that his career choice was to be a Math teacher, while arguing for a more, well rounded curriculum that includes the arts, humanities, music and physical education was compelling in itself. At least it was compelling enough to provoke interest. The second point Stuart made seemed to cement my opinion on this particular debate. He stated that students that participate in band generally do better in Math. With that point stated it seems nobody is arguing whether or not Math is important however, perhaps the argument should be there might be more than one way to get there. Way to go Stuart!
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I agree that STEM classes will be a great program for some students to help improve math, science, and technology for the upcoming generations of the United States. The reason why is because as a country we are falling behind other countries in these areas. Also because as our country and technolgy begin to expand we will need more people in these areas of STEM, but to cut arts out of the curriculum to me is ridicolous. The reason why is because art is another way to express oneself. Also because not everyone is made to be a scientists or engineer. What about the children with skills in art, if we cut art out of the curriculum then in the end we'll just be hurting ourselves. I do believe that STEM courses are very important to our future, but not that important to take away physical education or Art from the curriculum.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this debate and do agree with the incorporation of more art-related courses in schools' curricula. In high school, I participated in varsity athletics and was a member of the Symphonic Winds and Jazz Band. My involvement in a diverse array of activities allowed me to develop friendships with many unique individuals, and a number of studies have suggested that art-related courses stimulate infrequently accessed neural pathways.
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