There is a view that art classes should be regarded as important as other subjects, and hence, they deserve to be compulsory in the school curriculum. While some people oppose this notion, stating that it can a waste of time, I strongly argue in favor of maintaining the level of art classes in the school curricula.
One argument against this suggestion is that art classes do not have obvious and clear merits to students. While subjects such as mathematics or science can enrichen the students’ academic knowledge, art classes may not benefit them academically. Hence, some people consider them as a waste of time, believing that this time could be used to grasp other important concepts in essential subjects. For example, mathematics can help students calculate their financial spending, science can lead to innovations; but art classes may not have such practical benefits. This difference can lead people believe that art classes are not as crucial as other subjects.
Notwithstanding the argument mentioned above, I would argue that the benefits of art lessons are immense; they are just related to emotions and are less obvious. In art classes, students can have a chance to express themselves in ways that no other subjects can offer them; even shy or reserved children can find their feet in these lessons. For example, in other classes, students are required to learn, memorize, and recall important data and concepts, whereas in art lessons, students can put their thoughts and ideas on paper without needing to communicate with words. This benefit clearly illustrates that not all subjects need to have practical benefits, and emotional values can also be extremely valuable.
In addition, art classes can also be a good chance to unwind after long demanding lessons. Students can usually feel burnout and mentally tired after long lessons of learning difficult academic concepts, thus feeling a need for a mental-break which art lessons can provide. For instance, after studying hours of mathematics and science, students can feel at ease in art lessons and take a break from heavy mental works. Not only does this help students recover from burnouts and again feel productive, but it can also help them enjoy a wide variety of subjects and ways of expressing themselves.
In conclusion, while there are valid concerns, including art classes being a waste of time, I believe that both students and school teachers can benefit from art lessons as they provide students an opportunity to express their thoughts in a different way as well as being a reasonable break from mentally demanding subjects.