A common theme during the middle school conferences I heard was, “my child rushes through work.” The parents notice this trend, I have noticed this trend, so how can we instill the value that a job worth doing, is a job worth doing well? I’m not going to say that Art in schools is the only answer to this problem, but it is a part of it. Art teaches history, aesthetics, theory, and skills, but also values. I regard craftsmanship or quality in work as most important. It is the pride in a job well done that I want to see. I want to see a child’s best effort throughout the entire assignment. I will see students not trying because they don’t think they have any art ability or that they wont use art in their future. You may not be a professional painter when you grow up, but having the value of putting in your best effort no matter what is something everyone can use. But what if we are naturally drawn to the easy way out, and not pushing ourselves is innate? I recently read an excerpt from The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor, that explains how we are drawn to the easy way out:
“Studies have found that American teenagers are two and a half times more likely to experience elevated enjoyment when engaged in a hobby than when watching TV, and three times more likely when playing a sport. And yet here’s the paradox: These same teenagers spend four times as many hours watching TV as they do engaging in sports or hobbies. So what gives? Or, as psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi put it more eloquently, “Why would we spend four times more time doing something that has less than half the chance of making us feel good?” The answer is that we are drawn—powerfully, magnetically—to those things that are easy, convenient, and habitual, and it is incredibly difficult to overcome this inertia. Active leisure is more enjoyable, but it almost always requires more initial effort—getting the bike out of the garage, driving to the museum, tuning the guitar, and so on.”
I believe the related arts can be the key to training teens out of this easy-way-out mindset. But the teachers cannot do it alone. I would like to challenge the middle school students and families to unplug. Not just giving up electronics, but taking on a new hobby. If families are interested maybe we can commit to giving up a favorite electronic and taking on a hobby/sport/instrument for Lent. Just brainstorming, I would love to hear input from parents and teachers.
“Studies have found that American teenagers are two and a half times more likely to experience elevated enjoyment when engaged in a hobby than when watching TV, and three times more likely when playing a sport. And yet here’s the paradox: These same teenagers spend four times as many hours watching TV as they do engaging in sports or hobbies. So what gives? Or, as psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi put it more eloquently, “Why would we spend four times more time doing something that has less than half the chance of making us feel good?” The answer is that we are drawn—powerfully, magnetically—to those things that are easy, convenient, and habitual, and it is incredibly difficult to overcome this inertia. Active leisure is more enjoyable, but it almost always requires more initial effort—getting the bike out of the garage, driving to the museum, tuning the guitar, and so on.”
I believe the related arts can be the key to training teens out of this easy-way-out mindset. But the teachers cannot do it alone. I would like to challenge the middle school students and families to unplug. Not just giving up electronics, but taking on a new hobby. If families are interested maybe we can commit to giving up a favorite electronic and taking on a hobby/sport/instrument for Lent. Just brainstorming, I would love to hear input from parents and teachers.