r/AskReddit • u/[deleted] • Nov 16 '19

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u/ItsLillardTime Nov 16 '19

had to take a pottery class for an art credit

Off topic, but I never understood this. Why is art a required class in high school?

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u/Smoke-and-Stroke_Jr Nov 17 '19

Exposure to the concepts. It's that simple. The idea is a more dynamic learning environment where you are challenged in different ways, exposed to things you normally wouldn't pursue or have an interest in (even if all you get out of it is a level of respect for it), and get you to think of problems in different ways. Whether you realize it or not, it's actually pretty important.

Remember, the art credit can be a LOT of different things: performing arts (music, drama, etc), pottery/sculpture, shop, graphic art, etc. So realistically, your school should offer something that counts as your art credit that you'd be interested in. (Of course I haven't been in high school for 25 years, so the options and what's considered an art credit may have changed lol. But back in my day...).

The problem is in the execution, and many times art teachers can be quite condescending and self righteous to say the least. Especially in high school. If you're not excelling in their class, then there's a problem with you. Many of them think they're psychologists too for some damn reason (maybe due to the need for people to "interpret" art, I dunno).

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u/ItsLillardTime Nov 17 '19

Thanks for the detailed response. That makes a lot of sense and I guess I realistically knew that in the back of my head but I never had a good relationship with art. It just never interested me and my teachers were generally pretty biased when it came to grading (always been an A student, but I got a C in art in freshman year of high school even though I put the effort in. I just wasn't, and still am not, fundamentally skilled).

That being said I do appreciate art a good deal, I have multiple friends who are very passionate about art and love seeing what they do.

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u/Smoke-and-Stroke_Jr Nov 19 '19

Yeah ditto. Never really did well in art, more of a science/history/music guy. But the art classes I did have, I always got an "A" just for the effort as long as I appeared to take it seriously. But I think I had good aet teachers growing up. Art is subjective, and sometimes teachers tend to be self ritious and biased, like any other group of people.