Thank you!

I wanted to take a moment to thank Professor Puntil-Wilcek.  I had a trying semester personally and the additional understanding and support was immeasurable.  To my colleagues, I want to thank you for your collaboration with the research topic and observation posts throughout the quarter.  It helped to know that I was not the only person struggling with the same issues (with research and also in my work environment).  I started a new job at the beginning of the quarter and quickly learned (through the observations of this class) that teamwork and collaboration was pretty much non-existent.  I am happy to report that I will be working for a well known center starting at the beginning of the year.  I do have to contribute this class to the methods of professionalism I utilized when making my decision to switch my place of employment.  Thank you again for the vast amount of information I gained from the content itself  but also from my peers.  Good luck to everyone in their future studies and I hope you all have a great winter break!

Internship I Conclusion

I learned a great deal about the importance of art and music curriculum in our educational system.  I did not find any negatives but adversely found a vast amount of information on how the arts enhance a child's development.  All developmental domains have been effected in a positive way.  Children learn more about social skills and the differences between cultures and ideals through music and art.  Also, emotionally children are able to express themselves more freely if given the materials to draw or role play their conflicts.  “Research shows that music improves spatial-temporal (abstract) reasoning, improves cognitive development, enhances critical thinking skills, and increases social development” (Cornett, 2011).  I plan on advocating for art and music curriculum in Internship II and hope to make a difference in the lives of children and educators alike.  

References

Cornett, C. E. (2011). Creating meaning through literature and the arts: Arts integration for classroom teachers. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson.