This I believe...

Art education could be the most important as all areas of education believe that they are the most important....But, I really think that in order to synthesize the information you are learning you have to create something from it. I think that is why art teachers most easily link themselves to history classes. It's easy to have  your students recreate something in order to learn about it even more than they have in their history classroom. However, we need to be building on the ideas, thinking deeper into the ideas behind the history instead of simply scratching the surface. Art can be used for so many things including synthesizing information, as I've been saying. But even more than that, it can be the basis for NEW ideas and concepts, it can be an emotional and physical outlet for students. Art class is a break for your brain, but at the same time you are learning more than you could imagine. Because it's fun. The most important thing we need to remember as art teachers is that we thought art was fun at some point in time (even if studios have changed your mind since then). And that's why we're here...at least a large part of it. I strive to get my students thinking about deeper things without even knowing that they're using their brains.