Sweet Inspiration

Can you stand it? 

Of course not. This is the stuff that gives us life. It uplifts, soothes, transports us to places faraway and long ago. Helps us love, connect, think. 

We need it—and so, too, our kids. 

That's why, in this last issue of NEA Today before Election Day, we look at the valiant struggle of educators to keep the arts alive in our schools—not a new battle, but a far more formidable one since the passage of the so-called No Child Left Behind law. Turns out, many school administrators, under pressure to raise reading and math scores (or else), have almost wiped out the powerful teaching of music, art, dance, and drama, and even curtailed mainstay subjects like social studies and physical education. It's one of the more pitiable fallouts of high-stakes testing. 

And what a shame. 

Looking at photos from several arts-enriched schools reported on by NEA Today's Kristen Loschert—delightful photos of determined first-graders transforming themselves into pups; of high schoolers living out history through provocative theater; of teachers joyously nurturing their students' capacity to give and create—you have to wonder why the dilemma at all. 

But what's new? You live these ironies every day, yet you just keep fighting—for students who can revel in the joy of a play, a science project, a civics lesson; who can see the life in a still, who can appreciate Mozart, Miles, and Jay-Z, too. 

It is this steady commitment that we hope will empower you to speak your mind on November 2—and in a thousand elections, debates, and school board meetings beyond. This is, after all, the beginning of that famous season of promise—a ripe time to celebrate the possibility for change and an even riper time to give a nod to the renewing power of the arts. 

So go ahead. Vote. Make a fuss. Then get out your paintbrushes, belt out a holiday tune, and dance with the Nutcracker. We'll see you, newly inspired, next year. 

Happy holidays! 

Editor-in-Chief Marilyn Milloy