I once heard a college professor say that education is just a job factory. He seemed a bit disgruntled at the time. Maybe he was having a bad day. It stuck with me though. Really? Just a job factory. Nothing else?

Looking back on a work history of at least 50 years … Paper carrier, janitor, dishwasher, offshore fisherman, tugboat deckhand, pipefitter, ferry boat captain, shellfish diver, physical therapist, and woodworker … I think that, for me, the connecting thread through all of those “jobs” was a need to reduce each task to its most efficient and elemental performance — a work of art (or at least artisanship).

That perspective made every “job” interesting and instructive.

I tend to believe the studies that point to art as an integral part of a well-rounded education. That it fosters new and innovative thinking and to view things in creative and critical ways. It helps give us a sense of purpose and ownership. It helps to make our daily lives enjoyable. Art helps make life meaningful.

My children benefitted greatly from the excellent teachers in the Bristol Warren school system, not least of which were the music and theater faculty.

I am hoping that our town’s educational system can find a way to continue providing an excellent arts component to future generations of children.

Timothy Brassard
Bristol