Need another reason?

You might think these are my ideas because I'm "into" the arts. But hey, it's not just me. Listen to last year's recommendation from the National Association of Secondary School Principals:


Theater participation aids students in several areas, including self-expression,
self-development, self-understanding, self-esteem, self-discipline, analytical
skills, empathy, human understanding, and competition. Balance between
academics and the arts is essential if students are to be prepared to live well-rounded,
meaningful lives in the coming century.


I think the key word there is balance. There must be a balance between academics and the arts. Academics are necessary -- after all, we are homeschoolers. It's not like I'm all of a sudden going to ditch math and chemistry to concentrate on the arts. However, I'm not just going to "try to get to it" anymore either!

Many states now mandate that exposure to all the arts (including dance, art, music & theater arts) from Kindergarten on up. While I can't see my boys suddenly trying to maneuver a plie, I can expose them to all of the various art forms. If the NASSP is correct, and I believe they are, then there are too many very good reasons to add them into my curriculum.

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