Our harshest critics?

I came across this while *procrastinating* after looking at the Google Art Project lesson plan Kelsey posted:

http://learning.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/08/how-important-is-arts-education/

It asked students (13 and up) what they think of arts education. I didn't read every comment (there are a ton), and certainly NYT comment boards are not any kind of empirical study, but there's some really interesting stuff here. Those who responded are generally supportive of arts education--though not always for reasons I would use in a debate--but there are also comments (see #1) which serve as a reminder that we will have students coming through our doors who have already decided that they don't like art, or it's pointless (and so on). And even students who 'like' art can present challenges based on their perceptions of what art class involves. Not always the most comforting thoughts, but important to keep in mind as I develop my approaches to teaching art.

That said, it's fantastic that there's this whole section which asks teens to reflect on contemporary issues, in a pretty nonthreatening (anonymous) way. I know that involving student voice in curriculum can be easier said than done, but this is nice place for a reality check. I'm sure when I'm teaching I'll need to be reminded to really honor my students' reflections and prejudices.