tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858340566254161761.post5165215190997410817..comments2023-11-03T04:51:41.087-04:00Comments on Anything for Material: This Writer's Life: Make Art! Make Art! Make Art!Julie Owsik Ackermanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11583691214627281052noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858340566254161761.post-16614669462248006852008-04-18T13:17:00.000-04:002008-04-18T13:17:00.000-04:00It’s interesting to discuss the creative process a...It’s interesting to discuss the creative process and educational problems in the same post. Infusing a heavy dose of the arts into schools may go a long way to fixing some of the problems. Learning in a classroom setting can be a very passive endeavor. Playing a musical instrument or painting a picture requires the coordination of many different sides of the brain. It also develops a sense of pride and accomplishment which I just never got out of finding the cosine of a triangle. Ironically, the programs which may keep kids interested in school are usually the first to get cut. <BR/><BR/>When I tell people that I was a music major, I usually get some kind of weird response. To most people it doesn’t seem like a “real” course of study, but than most 5 year olds know more about math than college graduates know about music. I wouldn’t ask a 5 year old to create a non-linear opportunistic algorithm, so I probably shouldn’t ask my coworkers to analyze a Miles Davis record. In any case, I know that my study of music prepared me well to face many of the challenges presented throughout my life. It also kept me interested in lifelong learning, which many people have long abandoned.gmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00236816349861941180noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3858340566254161761.post-63180547232315584472008-04-17T08:25:00.000-04:002008-04-17T08:25:00.000-04:00I really enjoyed reading this post. As a teacher ...I really enjoyed reading this post. As a teacher in the School District of Philadelphia, it was very difficult for me to watch the film. Something about the reality I face each day blown up to giant proportions for an enormous audience to view, made the trials and tribulations much larger. I must admit that I did not want to go to school after viewing the film, in fact I wanted to quit my job. I felt such strong feelings because of the power of Ben's film. First Person reveals the beauty of young people to persevere on a daily basis to overcome the barriers of poverty and abuse. However, the dream of college, prosperity, the dream of the single family home with a white picket fence, the American Dream - is a Noble Lie and dream deferred. This is the depressing reality I face each day - and I'm not sure that I can really make any difference at all, especially when I feel totally depleted.Mr. Ackermanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02541605885596367452noreply@blogger.com