Mental Health Awareness

 Art 3170 Civic Engagement Action Project 

Welcome to the Art 34170 blog created as part of the civic engagement requirement of this course. In this blog, students will identify a major social issue that affects them and their communities. After conducting brief research on the issue and sharing their personal feelings, students will locate members of their communities who are also affected by the same social issue. Blog #2. 

Wednesday November 9th, 2022

United States & Mental Health Analysis

Mental and physical health are both equally significant components to ones overall health. According to the CDC, the risk of depression increases for many physical health problems, notably long-lasting conditions such as diabetes heart disease, and stroke. Maintaining a positive mental health is crucial for stabilizing constructive behaviors, emotions, and rational intellect. Particularly, individuals who do not maintain a healthy mental health hold a more dangerous infliction to their own mental stability.

The graph above is by the Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) a representation of the US suicide data and statistics for 2020. Nearly 46 thousand people died due to suicide. 125 Americans die by sucide every day meaning that is 1 death every 11.5 minutes.    

Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) statistics of the Rate, Number, and Ranking of Suicide for each U.S state in 2020. Wyoming ranking number #1 with 182 deaths at a 31.3 rate. District of Columbia ranking number 51 with 38 deaths at a 5.5 rate. California falls at rank 44 with 4,144 deaths at a 10.5 rate. The rates are per 100,000 population. 

What can be done to help others 

    The implementation of cirruculm programs targeting social emotional learning genuinely provide a kind environment and helps encourage optimal brain development. With the development of emotional intelligence, this allows them to feel empathy easier for other students & communcate effectively. Attending to the emotional needs of students means eliminating serious roadblocks to their own educational engagement. 

1. Social and Emotional Learning Programs

    Certain behaviors and stressful reactions reflect on the upbringing of individuals and students' personal environments. The impact of direct programs targeting to build skillful and mediating behaviors bring a new light to assisting individuals to grow postively despite any adversity in the meantime. The support of social and emotional learning at school provides a strong foundation for academic success as well as optimistic interpersonal and intrapersonal skills for long-term outcomes. In all, this method is to deter any negative future outcomes for individuals. 

2. Integration of SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) School Programs With Parental Involvement 

    It is absolutely necessary to request parental involvement in some programs for their children. This way it'll be easier to strengthen their relationship & focus on their goals for their children. This knowledge can help teachers connect with families on a personal level to grow specific skills and target problem areas for students. The focus on acomplishments can build self-efficacy and assist kids to persist when situations get difficult. 

3.  Seeking Online Counseling

    The impact of counseling provides an open option to better an individuals mental health by establishing a safe unbiased environment to safely express emotional needs. Counseling in schools provide a preventative school-based mental health and behavioral service that is essential to individuals development to avoid negative outcomes in the future. With guidance and counseling in schools instructed by a well-trained and effective school counserlor is a favorable way to help prepare students for academic, career, and social challenges by relating their academic success to their potential succes to come in the future. 

Personally Affected 

    Mental health is something that was and at some points still is taboo when it comes from a Chicano upbringing where there is no such thing as depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts to speak of. From the start, I was raised by my parents to resent those emotions and bury them because it was a form of tough love to show me that the world is cruel and will show no mercy, so I must be prepared for what is to come. Fast forward to my adult years, beginning to experience the highs and lows of working, going to school, and trying to discover who & what I wanted to be in society brought much mental stress and panic attacks which I had never experienced until my college years, and sadly even suicidal thoughts.

    The methods I utilize to cope and support my mental health would be usually sports and music. The happiness of free expression with music helped me output my feelings into words. In sports, basketball among more exercise activities assisted my exertion of stress in a cathartic way. Among all the ways I manage my stress and mental health, talking to my partner overall has been my primary form of companionship and confidant. My girlfriend is my the one who is real with me when I need confidence, or reassureance of who I am or what I can be, as well as my own capabilities. Her reassureance of my own potential is a strong reminder to be positive and that I can do anything if I set my mind to it. 

Community Involvement  

"Mental health is an extremely significant factor to my entire life. Though there is a recognized stigmatizm toward mental health, I feel the central problem to address consolidates around the experience of emotional validation. With that being stress from either school, work, family issues or anything else, above all, taking care of my mental health is my overall priority. I come from a household where validating ones emotions 

Tiffany Le, 24 years old 

What do you think about mental health ? 

Is mental health important within your social circle or family? 

Has mental health affected you in any way? 

If so, what did you do to try to resolve it ? 

Mental health is an extremely significant factor to my entire life. Though there is a recognized stigmatizm toward mental health, I feel the central problem to address consolidates around the experience of emotional validation. That being stress from either school, work, family issues or anything else, above all, taking care of my mental health is my overall priority. 

I come from a household where validating ones emotions is rarely expressed. Usually emotions of any kind were deemed as overreactions and melodramatic behavior then automatically dismissed. So to myself and my personal relationships with close friends & my significant other it is completely important to me to always maintain and improve the mental health of those within my inner circle as well as myself. 

Absolutely. Though the years of misunderstanding myself, and not feeling the ability to completely express myself without feeling shame in my immediate environment, today, I keep my number one priority to focus on my mental health. 

I usually looked for alternative ways to express myself when I was younger, like sports & working out, as well as learning music to occupy my passion. My way of handling my emotions gave me the ability to exert out my own feelings into actions. I had also sought therapy/counseling at one point and I genuinely feel it is an amazing experience eveyone needs to experience at least once, to openly express whatever is buried inside the inner thoughts & need to be told experiences. The safe feeling to confront feelings head on definitely contributed to the strength in my character today to be okay with who I really am and the experiences i've been through.

William Lepe, 21 years old 

What do you think about mental health ? 

Is mental health important within your social circle or family? 

Has mental health affected you in any way? 

If so, what did you do to try to resolve it ? 

    I think mental health is something that shouldn’t be taken lightly as it is important to keep up with one’s own mental health as well as look after others around you. One’s mental health can impact the quality of life for someone good or bad, as to why it’s an important topic.

   I would say mental health is important in my social circles as well as my family, as we are knowledgeable on what it is and how to help each other when one is struggling with mental health. 

    I would say that mental health has affected me a bit as well as it does everyone else, there are days that are much tougher than others and my mental health is not the best, but most days I remember how lucky I am to have my brothers and parents who are super supportive as well as good friends and that help keep me positive.

    What I do to resolve how I feel whenever I struggle with mental health is do things that’s I like to do and bring me joy whether it’s playing video games with my friends or going out and doing stuff with my family or simply just talking to them about anything always makes me feel better. It’s always a good feeling being able to just speak my mind about anything

Resources 

https://www.namiglac.org/?gclid=Cj0KCQiA37KbBhDgARIsAIzce15sxSjAyiCRG-b3iTivlm0jKRxzaIzgFqy2wXo9A-pyIsCUEr51Xe0aAlJ5EALw_wcB 

https://save.org/about-suicide/suicide-statistics/ 

https://afsp.org/suicide-statistics/ 

https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr024.pdf 

Madison Cuyong- Women's Lack of Safety on College Campuses

                                            Women's Lack of Safety on College Campuses

    A large majority of women that attend universities across the country all share reports of harassment, sexual misconduct, assault, abuse, date-rape, and more. Due to these problems becoming more prominent on our college campuses, many women are fearful for their safety. College students are not only fearful for their lives and safety but they're also fearful because of the lack of inaction for these incidents. With the rise of violence against women it's important to address how this problem is affecting women on college campuses. 

The statistics show how much of an issue this really is...

                                                                                                                                                              

                                                                                                                                               (AxonProject)

                                                                                                                                               

Sexual violence has shown to disproportionately target college women. In a study that looked over sexual assaults on campuses between 2000 to 2015, it was found that students who are in their first two years of college and are between the ages of 18-19 years old are at the highest risk for incapacitated rape (Fedina). This same journal stated, "Findings from this systematic review suggest that unwanted sexual contact appears to be the most prevalent form of sexual assault on college campuses (including sexual coercion), followed by incapacitated rape and completed or attempted forcible rape" (Fedina). These statistics show how much of a problem this issue really is.

Negative Impacts 

    A study was done on college women who had experienced sexual assault within their first semester at college. In their first semester, "12% of women reported experiencing attempted (11%) or completed (7%) sexual assault due to threats, force, or incapacitation" (Carey). Researchers then followed up with these women towards the end of the year and found that they all experienced some form of serious mental health problems. They found that "13% and 17% of women reported clinically significant depression and anxiety symptoms, respectively. At the end of the first semester, 14% and 14% reported clinically significant depression and anxiety, respectively" (Carey). Overall, this is a very serious issue that has long-lasting effects on victims of campus sexual assaults which is why schools need to be more aware of the violence against women on their campuses.

Overall, most women on college campuses are fearful and worried of sexual violence against them which is why it's so important to address this issue.

 Personal Statement   

This social issue directly impacts me because I am a woman in college. I've heard so many stories from friends and acquaintances that they've been harassed, stalked, sexually assaulted, and more. I'm personally afraid to walk around our campus due to rumors of men harassing women. I usually always feel worrisome and am always on alert because of the horrible stories I've heard. I also feel like as a woman I can't rely on campus police to help if I were to be in a scary situation because I've heard from friends that they either don't respond or are annoyed to come help. I wanted to pick this topic because I really wanted to shed light on this issue and be able to speak openly with my roommates and peers who live on campus and who have also experienced the same issue. 

Participants

I interviewed my roommates and some other people who live on campus and heres what they had to say...

Monse Gomez, 22 years old 

“I have a night class so  walking back from class can be very scary and anxiety-inducing. I feel like I need someone to know my location at all times.”  

                                                            Navila Fatin, 22 years old

"I feel unsafe on campus most of the time because of all the stories you hear about women being stalked and sexually assault. I always have my pepper spray on me at all times and I even hold onto it when going back to the dorms just incase. I’d say I feel worried about my safety on campus about 90% of the time."

                                                            Sydney Gois, 22 years old

"I am very aware of my surroundings on campus because I’ve been harassed before. When I had a night class last semester I felt I was in danger because there was someone who looked like they were following me. I ended up calling my roommate to meet me and at some point they stopped following me. It was just really scary and now I always feel on edge when I'm walking alone."

References 

    AxonProject. Carter, Molly, "College Campus Safety". https://axonprotect.com/college-campus-safetystats/#:~:text=Research%20suggests%201%20in%2010,physical%20force%2C%20violence%20or%20incapacitation. 

    Carey, K., Norris, A., Durney, S., Shepardson, R. "Mental Health Consequences of Sexual Assault among FirstYear College Women".https://europepmc.org/backend/ptpmcrender.fcgi?accid=PMC6311089&blobtype=pdf 

    Fedina, L., Holmes, J., Backes, Bethany. Campus Sexual Assault: A Systematic Review of Prevalence Research From 2000 to 2015. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/1524838016631129 

    Rainn."Campus Sexual Violence: Statistics"https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence

 

Inflation- Jimmy Hernandez

 

Inflation

"By a continuing process of inflation, government can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens" - John Maynard Keynes

Inflation has been on the rise and it seems as if it is not going to get any better any time soon. Inflation affects so many people in this world and it is one of the biggest nightmares to many people in todays day and age. With the minimum wage being the same and not going up this makes it much more difficult to live a comfortable life with the way that everything is going on right now. There is no question that inflation is a crucial economics topic. Deflation, which is the reverse of inflation, is a concept that is well known.   The majority of people worry about inflation, and this is a valid concern. A low rate of inflation, however, can be advantageous for the economy. The price of everything is so high in todays day and age with the gas as well as the groceries just going up it is very difficult for many families in a city like Los Angeles where even the rent went up high to be able to live a comfortable stress free life at this point. 

PEC ANNUAL INFLATION

    This is a chart that goes to show how insane the inflation has gone up over the years. After the spike in 2020 it seems like it is just very difficult to be able to function like how once did before. Back when the supply chains were normal and everything was not backed up we were not dealing with things like such as a community. It is absolutely absurd how the rates were at less than one percent before the pandemic and after the pandemic they were at over seven percent. Inflation increased and continued to be high in 2021 and 2022 after initially declining at the start of the pandemic. Inflation has averaged 4.4% annually for the entire time since the pandemic began, or from March 2020 to August 2022. This number decreases to 4.0% if we take away energy's contribution; if we take away both food and energy, we obtain 3.7%, which is still high compared to the Federal Reserve's 2% aim. In 2020 and 2021, durable goods were the main drivers of inflation. The cost of durable goods has been progressively declining before the pandemic. The pandemic's impact on consumer spending meant a sharp rise in demand for durable goods, with supply failing to keep up at the same rate. Prices increased as a result. This category's inflation appears to have drastically decreased in 2022 as consumer purchasing habits stabilized.

Maria Guzman

"The pandemic and what happened after with inflation affected me in so many ways. I drive every day from East Los Angeles to Century City for work. With all the traffic and the distance to get to my job I am spending double on gas than what I was wasting before. My husband and I split the rent and my rent went up as well. In a city like Los Angeles it can be really stressful because one is used to living normal our whole life and now we have to live on a tight budget working extra hours just to have a decent living."

Elizabeth Zendejas

"My family and I were greatly affected by inflation because now when I go to the grocery store I would spend more money than what I would. I am a stay at home wife and my husband is working overtime because he wants me to take care of our three kids. Everything is more expensive now and it is difficult when all this time we have been used to only bringing in one source of income and that is very frustrating. I know my husband does not like the gas prices since to fill up his truck it costs more than one hundred and thirty dollars. This inflation has affected us drastically as we now have to manage our money more and do not have as much fun time like before. Our children are getting older and they are asking for new iPhones and being in Boyle Heights is very difficult because of the rent. California in general is really expensive and this is a big issue."

The Cons

Everyone's wallet feel a little bit pressed when the price of products and services increases. You may have personally experienced the effects of inflation as the cost of your typical food shopping basket increases. However, the truth is that growing prices don't always translate into increased wages, which means that many people across the country are forced to deal with difficult times when inflation is on the rise. Typically, people with fixed or low incomes. Consumers are forced to take note of the changes when inflation is on the rise. Many increase their spending and investing when prices start to rise, while some people start to tighten their budget.

Why I chose Inflation 

    I chose this issue because I know many friends and family members that were greatly affected by this and I got to see them struggle by it as well. I know that my sister was affected by this as well because when she wanted to purchase her home although she had a great credit score because of inflation she had to pay more for this. I was affected and still am because my gas prices are insane driving to Glendale to work all the time it adds up after a while. I had family members move to Minnesota because they simply were not able to afford these California prices and this made me very passionate about this topic as it does not seem to go away any time soon.

What Can Be Done

Inflation control strategies that are more prevalent today include contractionary monetary policy. By raising interest rates, a contractionary policy seeks to reduce the amount of money in an economy. Credit becomes more expensive as a result, which lowers consumer and company expenditure and slows economic growth. By encouraging banks and investors to purchase Treasuries, which provide a specific rate of return, rather of the riskier equity investments that profit from low interest rates, higher interest rates on government securities also hinder growth. Voting for the right politicians is huge because it is important to have the right people in office.

References

Martin, F. M. (2022, October 14). Inflation is still high and widespread. Saint Louis Fed Eagle. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.stlouisfed.org/on-the-economy/2022/oct/inflation-still-high-widespread.

Sharkey, S. (2022, September 22). The effects of inflation on the economy. The Effects Of Inflation On The Economy | Quicken Loans. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.quickenloans.com/learn/effects-of-inflation 

Kramer, L. (2022, September 22). How do governments fight inflation? Investopedia. Retrieved November 9, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/111314/what-methods-can-government-use-control-inflation.asp 

Public Transportation in Los Angeles

The Issue with Los Angeles’ Public Transportation 

 “Walking in L.A., nobody walks in L.A.” - Missing Persons

Why is Public Transportation Important in Los Angeles?

Due to living in the car centric city of Los Angeles there will be a need for public transportation to maintain accessibility and mobility of the people throughout the city. These are all alternatives to driving and walking, which is helpful in cities that are difficult to walk due to the distance between areas. The city of Los Angeles total area is about 502 square miles while the county is 4,753 square miles. Lastly, there are people who do not own a car, are elderly or disabled who rely on public transportation to get around.

What Does Los Angeles’ Public Transportation System look like?

Los Angeles Public Transportation system includes Metro Rail, Metro Buses, and DASH Buses. Metro rail includes both Metro light rail and metro subways. LA Metro is the Los Angeles County Metropolitan transportation authority which operates rail, bus, and bike services. DASH is operated by the Los Angeles Department of transportation. 

Bus routes for DASH (left) and Metro (right)

How Much does it Cost to Ride?

Additionally the cost to ride is reasonable ($1.75 1-Way) with many options for free or reduced fare for K-12 students, college students, low income, the elderly and disabled. Passes can also be purchased for unlimited rides for a select period of time ranging from $7 for a 1-Day Pass or $122 for a 30- Day + Z1 Pass. On certain event days people can get fare completely free such as on Election Day as well as during some special events like the opening of the K Line.

Demographics of Riders 

A majority of the riders in 2022 are Latinx/Hispanic at 58% followed by Black/African American at 14%. While most riders are between the ages of 25 and 64.

Why has Ridership been on the Decline?

In recent years there has been a decline in ridership for LA Metro, most had come as a result of Covid-19, but others have been to the other unaddressed issues with the current transit system. In a Customer Experience Survey conducted by LA metro it has shown that safety concerns has been one of the major issues among female rail riders, specifically regarding concerns over sexual harassment, crime, and racial/ethnic harassment. Other improvements in the same study that were noted were for addressing homelessness, cleanliness, and running on time. 

What Can Be Done?

In Los Angeles the way to help with the public transit would be by pushing for the reallocation of funding from the Highways in order to invest into public transportation. Additionally holding our leaders accountable to any promise they have on improving the system to ensure they are truly realized and accessible to the people. Not only will this help with reducing the greenhouse gases produced in the city and state overall, it can improve the overall health and connection of all communities.

Why is this Issue Important to Me?

One of my personal beliefs is making things accessible to everyone, and one of the major things related to this would be mobility throughout the city. This can mainly be through public transportation by establishing connections between different communities. Additionally, seeing how different our systems are compared to other countries felt a bit disheartening in terms of how far behind it is, even with in the waiting areas of bus stops and stations. 

Why did I Choose this Issue?

I choose this issue because I have many friends who use public transportation daily for them to go to work or school, and they would always talk about the issues the have while riding on the bus or train. Additionally other countries tend to have better public transportation systems because they were not built as an afterthought and were integrated into the community, unlike most of the United States were suburbs and the highway system made it difficult to public transit to be available. Additionally, for a period of time in the United States for about a few decades there hadn’t been any major rail projects in the United States which is why the overall infrastructure is behind. 

Community Response

The following questions were asked to members of the community about their thoughts on the Los Angeles Public Transportation system

“Why do you or did you use public transportation?”

“What are some improvements you would like to see in public transportation?”

“Are there any negative experiences that have occurred while you were using public transportation?”

“On a scale of 1-10 how would you grade Los Angeles’ public transportation system?”

Margie G.

Because only one of my parents drives and I have to go to school and work 

For them to be more accessible and having routes be more frequent than every 30 minutes. Also to stop when someone is trying to get on the bus. 

The busses are overcrowded as well as my mom waiting for the bus had been waiting for a long time because it was late and got assaulted 

A 4 for them being bad and somewhat dangerous when it comes to them driving alongside cars almost recklessly sometimes.

Amanda S.

I don’t have a car and can’t afford to have one with the gas, insurance and payments.

Better infrastructure to help relieve traffic, if there were a fast train that can get me to Riverside for my classes

Yes, I’ve missed trains and buses for being full all the time and have been physically harassed after a guy said something and slapped me. Another thing is that the presence of the police being on the train to give everyone a ticket, as well as some rude bus drivers are just a few. 

I would give maybe 5 or a little more because of them leaving me all the time when going to work. 

Favio E.

I don’t have a car and it’s also more convenient and cheaper than paying for gas, on top of that my college gives me a free metro pass

The cleanliness, they don’t keep up with that also more drivers. 

No, again it’s just the cleanliness I haven’t seen anything too crazy

ID say a 5 it’s gotten better but there is still a lot to improve like the amount of buses they run and how many they run

References:

Metro, L. A. (2022, October 27). Results of our 2022 customer experience survey. The Source. from https://thesource.metro.net/2022/10/27/results-of-our-2022-customer-experience-survey/ 

Metro, L.A. Fares, passes and discounts: Metro. LA Metro. from https://www.metro.net/riding/fares/

Missing Persons. (1982). Walking in L.A. [Song]. Spring Session M.

Salas, E. (2022, March 21). La Transit Authority's annual ridership, by mode 2021. Statista. from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1297553/lacmta-network-total-annual-ridership-by-mode/ 

Luke Dalton Elmendorf - The Diminishing Role of the Arts in Schools

The Diminishing Role of the Arts in Schools

Written by Luke Dalton Elmendorf

What are the arts in schools?

The arts are simply anything that could be classified as artwork. For example this is everything from theatre, music, traditional artwork, metal and woodworking, sculpture, and many more. Art in schools are programs/classes that can help students channel and learn about these various outlets. This would essentially be programs and coursework that help students to discover, learn, and participate in these various creative outlets.

Why Select this Topic

I decided to go this route for a few reasons. The first being that since a very young age I have been very passionate about music and the arts in general. Very often I found that growing up there were little to no opportunities in school that supported my interests and finding other individuals that were also interested was a very difficult task simply due to the fact that many of my fellow peers had not been exposed to or expressed interest in those topics. Secondly, for the last few years, I have been teaching a variety of instruments at various schools and currently an institution known as School of Rock. In teaching, I now see the other side of this issue that many of these programs are not adequately taught to the children of today even less so than when I was in elementary school. The arts programs have been continuously cut and made smaller and smaller with music often being one of the first programs cut and it absolutely breaks my heart.

Why are arts programs being cut?

First, I would like to make it clear that I am talking about the public education system, there are plenty of private schools that have their own curriculum and make their own decisions as to how handle the arts. Now, as to why they are being cut there are a few reasons as to why. The first being that individuals who run school districts may not fully understand the benefits as to what the arts offer to students. This would help to explain as to why over 7000 schools do not have or support any form of a music program. Secondly, budgeting. Simply put, the current model as to how public schools are being funded leads to schools having department cuts, and with arts being viewed as non-essential and misunderstood they are usually the first to go. These two reasons tell us why the arts are being removed being that there is a clear lack of understanding for the arts and what they offer, however it doesn't answer as to why there is this understanding in the first place. 

Why the arts are viewed as non-essential

Simply put, we live in a capitalist society. When people think of high paying successful jobs and career paths, our minds often go straight to jobs that have high monetary value and benefits. The arts are a unique field of business in that there are little to no barriers to entry, therefore anybody can release works in an attempt to enter the market. Due to anybody being able to release works this creates a highly competitive and volatile market as where it is hard to climb to the top and even harder to stay there. All of these aspects make the arts often times the first of extracurricular programs to be cut in schools.

How do people feel about it?

Contrary to what some may say, many people believe that arts should be in schools along with the government. According to Education Through Music, 88% of families believe that music is essential to child development and the creation of a well rounded education. The government also clearly feels this way is it is mandated by California law that music and art programs be taught however 90% of public schools fail to offer these programs.

The benefits of the arts in schools

Some of the benefits of the arts according to Jeannie Flores from EdSource in an interview with Julie Baker, the executive director of California Art Advocates, "Students with access to arts education are five times less likely to drop out of school, four times more likely to be recognized for academic achievement and four times more likely to receive a bachelor’s degree. And in this particular moment, arts classes can also play a critical role in helping students recover from “the dual traumas of systemic racism and a global pandemic."

How do the kids directly feel about it?

A brief disclaimer for this section. What made me feel most strongly about this was simply speaking with my current students and so I had decided to gain their testimony to support these claims. However, due to legality of them being minors I could not take their names and faces without parental consent and a I rarely engage with their parents, therefore, the names, faces and identities of my students will remain anonymous. I will type out our conversations as they were rather than summarize them.

Student 1

L (myself): Hey ___ do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your school?

S1 (student 1): Sure!

L: Great, well do you like school?

S1: I guess so...

L: That's good I guess *laughing*, It's okay if you don't, I didn't really like school growing up either...

S1: Ok *laughing*

L: Do you get to play guitar at school?

S1: No

L: Why not, don't you have music classes?

S1: When I was littler I did, but now we don't really do that stuff anymore

L: Why not?

S1: Hmmm... I don't really know.

L: Do you think you'd like school more if you could play in a band or something at school?

S1: Maybe.

L: Ok, well I don't want to eat up all of our lesson time so lets get to jammin'.

Student 2

L: Hey ___, how's it going today?

S2: It's going good.

L: Awesome, do you mind if I ask you a few questions about your school real quick before we get started today?

S2: Sure

L: Awesome, well, do you like school?

S2: Not really *laughing*

L: *laughing* Trust me I get it, I didn't really like school either. Does your school have any support for music and slash or arts programs?

S2: I mean we have a theatre program and some art classes and a band program but not its not anything crazy.

L: What do you mean by that?

S2: Like the art classes are kind of a joke and an easy A, the theatre program does a big play every semester and the band team just plays at like football games and pep rallies.

L: Ahh, does your school offer any of the AP art or music programs?

S2: There's AP art programs?

L: *Laughing* Yea, I took a few of the AP art programs at my high school but they didn't offer any of the Music ones.

*S2 then asked about the art programs for a while and then we began our lesson*

I did go ahead and interview more students however, my blog is already plenty long and I feel that I should go ahead and wrap this up

Conclusion

It was really heartbreaking to hear from my students that arts are being cut even more so than I thought, especially since I grew up in San Diego and assumed that many schools up here in Los Angeles would have an even greater support and affliction towards the arts given the nature of the strong art presence. Our schools and education system requires more attention as we need to supply these kids with opportunity to discover and learn about what the arts can do in order to provide a fully rounded out education. Some of these kids may be like me in the sense that they love the arts and simply need direction to learn and cultivate their relationship with the arts.

Sources Used

https://edsource.org/2022/too-many-california-schools-fail-to-provide-mandated-arts-education-lets-fix-that/679554#:~:text=California%20law%20mandates%20standards%2Dbased,music%2C%20theater%20and%20visual%20art.

https://etmonline.org/why-music-education/?gclid=CjwKCAiAvK2bBhB8EiwAZUbP1PwcOvqtwDM55si4bcq_hhi55F02l3nQyI-ki6EdAeUqyvxYzJVQiBoCZX8QAvD_BwE#

https://thevault.musicarts.com/the-most-common-arguments-against-music-education-how-to-counter-them/

https://www.savethemusic.org/blog/schools-cutting-music-programs/

https://www.petaluma360.com/article/news/arts-education-just-kind-of-started-disappearing-from-countys-schools/

https://digitalcommons.csumb.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2333&context=caps_thes_all