Every single person in the education system should experience a high-level art class during their educational career. I am slightly biased to this topic, seeing as I am a Studio Arts major at James Madison University, but regardless it is still important. Art is the foundation for almost everything we encounter.

Art comes in so many incredible forms, and if you fail to experience the "simpler" versions of art, then you may be missing out. Art is not just theatre, dance, music, and painting, it is anything and everything.

The chairs you sit on every day had to be designed and invented, then created for your use. That awesome building you pass every day was created by an architect who put in hours and hours of creative thought. The pencil you hold every day was created by someone through artistic thought. The novel you have to read for class, work or maybe even for leisure, was written with artistic ability. The TV show you just binged was created through the arts of acting, directing, and much more.

In Elementary School, I remember my art teacher so well. He was an awesome man named Mr. Herb who was crazy and so inspirational to my adolescent mind. He used to sit in his plastic hand chair every day at the start of class and sing with either his guitar or a keyboard. He inspired my love of art with his compassion for his students and his work.

In Middle School, I took art all three years with the same teacher, Ms. Moriarty. She was an expressive woman who would make us draw still life pieces in our sketchbooks at the start of every class. I learned how to look in-depth at the shapes of objects and see the true artistic value they have because of her practices.

In High School, I took art freshman, sophomore and then senior year. For the first two years, I had Ms. Polich. A quiet but clever woman who cared a lot about her students and their work. She would always praise her students while getting them to expand their projects and push their limits. My art teacher senior year, Mrs. Joswick, helped me find my passion for teaching. She encouraged me to help others in the class, and express my passion for art on a greater level.

Art teachers are a different breed of teacher. They are usually out of the ordinary but can be some of the most impactful people you will ever encounter.

Because of these classes, I look at the world through a different lens. When I look at my friends, I sometimes subconsciously catch myself studying their features and the shadows on their face, almost mapping out how I would draw them if they were a project of mine. When I see a building I investigate the shapes and structure that had to go into creating that building. Even when I see a landscape on campus, I take note of the different lines and colors in the scape.

Although I am in a much higher level of art than any non-artists would be, I still believe that beginner level classes such as Elementary, Middle and High School are of great value to students. Art expands your view of the world to embrace creativity. It opens the minds of children to color and shapes while helping them understand their surroundings.

In High School, art was a class where I could express myself through more than just an essay, or an assignment, but through paint, string, wire and so much more.

Without art as a fundamental part of my life, I would not see the world as I do, and that's why I believe it is so important for young people to become involved in any form of art. It's a way to grow as a human and see the world differently.