The arts enrich our real lives, so why bother studying them in our boring school lives, right? Um, as if.

Whether you're debating the cultural merits and demerits of Mad Men or headbanging through your drive to work, there's no denying the lofty place for art and music in our lives.

So what's up with getting an education about them? Why are they always the runts to be drowned in a bucket?

 

Title: Why didn't I learn to code?

Let's get technical. What we can say (with science to back it up) about art and music is that there is a "powerful link between arts education, student achievement, and teacher performance." Sounds fancy, right? Despite this link, schools are under increasing pressure to perform well on standardized tests while funding for such programs dwindles. It's all economics.

Because of these challenges, the focus has shifted perceptibly away from arts education and toward the much fancier and more government-sponsored term of core competencies.

In other words, as schools are squeezed from all sides and have to make tough decisions, art and music are easy cuts to make: they don't seem to have as great an impact as, say, after-school tutoring programs, which can help test scores; or football, which can lead to high-visibility scholarship programs.

So what's a teacher to do if you believe in arts education's impact in the classroom?

Here's a start:

• Go to a teacher institute like the Clarice Smith Teacher Institute. This summer program gives you ideas for incorporating art into your classroom. Plus, if you meet the founder, you can say "Hello, Clarice."

• Strike a deal with your local art museum. Art museums always have stuff for teachers; you just need to call. From ideas to freebies, museums are some of the most teacher-friendly organizations in town.

• And don't forget your local musicians, dancers, and artists. Bringing in guests who can help you incorporate art into your classroom and still hitting those state and national standards can make your lesson plans just that much more meaningful. Maybe you'll be surprised at how musicians can incorporate math or storytelling into their songs, or how dancers can help your students interpret historical events. Haven't you always wanted to do an interpretive dance to explain McCarthy's Red Scare?

In all of this, it's important to remember that we don't know what talents will be required for future jobs, but we can't rule out art and music from being quite a chunk of the job market. Who knew that the computer age would usher in historical video games (we're looking at you Assassin's Creed) or would create 3D imagery for films? And you better believe that these have got some heavy arts and music players involved.

Who knows what's next on the horizon for the children of the future and the jobs they can expect to get? That is, if the world doesn't end based on exploding Chinese watermelons, attack roosters, or Justin Bieber first. But if we come to that, couldn't some good ol' art just help us all survive?