Jess - School Portrait

When I was in primary school, we had art class and music class separately to other subjects and very rarely were we invited to incorporate art or music into other subject areas (particularly maths and science). There was little room for real creativity in other subjects, as the emphasis was always on following the correct procedure.

I feel that when I was at school in South Africa the purpose of education was based on vocational ideals, seen as means of acquiring qualifications for a job (Marples, 2010, p. 38) and focused on academic subjects that were needed for entry into university. I also think that young people are aware of this, as there is no safety net for people who don’t get a job.

I feel that a curriculum in which education is for wellbeing would include a greater emphasis on the arts and creativity because it would allow people to express their individuality and education for wellbeing documentation stresses the importance of personal autonomy and being a caring citizen, and that these traits are desirable and necessary for person to thrive in society (Marples, 2010, p.44).