Today's column about the importance of music, art and media teachers in elementary schools has generated quite a few phone calls. (Interestingly, all of the calls thus far have been from women.)
One of the phone calls was from a local artist, PJ Di Benedetto. The photo above is the mural she did -- with the help of several students -- at Imagine Schools.
Important note: Imagine Schools is a charter school, and the School Board's budget proposal (to elminate the art/music/media positions) is not applicable to this pre K-7 school. (Next year the school will add eighth grade.)
Di Benedetto said painting the mural was a rewarding experience for everyone involved.
"All I had to do was see the joy and excitement on the students' faces each time we painted to know, without a doubt, we were all blessed by this experience," she said. "The mural is beautiful."
After looking at the mural, I just shake my head when I read comments like the one posted by "grewuphere" in response to today's column on TCPalm.com.
"The needs of our children are to have a proper education, not to learn how to sing and dance.... the "arts" are a result of societies having prosperity and time to persue them. ... that time has passed in this country.... we need to stop singing and dancing and get back to work... just ask all the unemployed if they would like a free class in art or auto mechanics....guess which one they would choose????"
I liked how Jenifer Mina put it in a Facebook posting (in response to today's column):
"Without art, music and dance, where will the grace in our society come from?"