The visual and emotional significance of pencil marks and brush strokes on paper has been inspiring thousands of schools and millions of people all around the world to use art as their major form of expression. But art does much more than fuel their inspiration. Art can make a huge impact on the way you think, the way you comprehend, and even the way you speak. There has even been evidence that students who have taken art classes have higher test scores and grades.

Taking art in high school has amazing benefits, whether it be evident on tests or not. While you are drawing, painting, or even sculpting, you are stretching the boundaries of your mind and pushing yourself to new limits.

Based on a new study conducted and recently published in a series of journals in “Education Next” and “Educational Researcher”, students who are exposed to art, whether it be through a class or just visiting a museum, have higher levels of engagement, and more advanced levels of comprehension and creative thinking.

According to Jay P. Greene, a professor of education and researcher, art makes a definite impression on students. The visual aspect also helps students remember what they had learned, which makes an impact on tests and their overall memory.

Art teachers, whether it be in Art I or Art IV, are always teaching new and complicated skills to develop their student’s artwork. These skills are constantly encouraged in class, and are exercised and developed for later use. They require extreme detail and attention, such as shading specific areas. It requires a high level of focus, and not to mention a long attention span. Those are some skills that we all need in life.

In art and ceramics, there is never a specific layout like in language arts. Students receive a vague assignment and maybe a specific skill to use along with it, but it’s up to them to figure out the rest and to put their creative mind to the test. This might just sound like a general art practice, but it’s not only an increased level of freedom. This level of freedom helps art students to put their creative minds to the test. It’s almost like a workout for the brain and pushes skills to new limits.

Art doesn’t just help inside the classroom, but outside of it as well. Because artists are exposed to different types of art, they are exposed to different views and different types of people.  From this, students gain a higher level of social tolerance, which is extremely helpful in society. Not only can this be helpful in your general life, but most jobs require some kind of social interaction. Art helps students to understand their world around them, which helps them react to it as well.

Many teenagers in their daily lives need to think creatively, use comprehension skills, and react appropriately to certain situations inside and outside of school.

Whether a freshman or senior, students should try to take an Art class for at least one year. Art gives students that extra push needed to take their thinking to the next level. And it really does make student’s smart, or at least gives students the tools to reach their full potential.

by RACHEL MARQUARDT