All Hail to Art Teachers

Bravo Mayor Bill de Blasio for putting art teachers back in the classroom. They are some of the unsung heroes of our education system. Don’t take my word for it. Take the word of Carmen Fariña. Take the word of national studies that attest to the value of the arts in the classroom.

Many professional educators tell us that kids learn in different ways – some by hearing, some by seeing, and some by experimenting in art rooms. These rooms are safe, non-judgmental places where kids are free to take risks and innovate. In these spaces, a work of art is a journey of trial and error and there is no such thing as failure or even a right answer. After all, if everything had a right answer, there would be no need to push boundaries in our society, no need to invent new products, no need to find better ways of doing things, in fact, no need for entrepreneurs. For too long, the arts have been demonized as a frill. Thanks New York for setting it straight.

Image: Mayor Bill de Blasio and Schools Chancellor Carmen Fariña (credit: Bruce Cotler for New York Daily News)