Cultural Literacy, Arts Education, and Our Children

Orlofsky, Diane De Nicola, National Forum

We all have heard, at one time or another, individuals with "celebrity status" announce that having a child has changed their perspective on the world. The statement usually is followed by a message about their involvement in some philanthropic, charitable, or environmental endeavor. With the mild cynicism of a childless academic, I used to regard such disclosures as shallow, self-congratulatory, and as a means to garner publicity. Until now. As I gaze at my one-month-old daughter, all of my own ethical, spiritual, moral, and philosophical beliefs and concerns take on other dimensions. It is as if someone were shining a spotlight behind what I thought was a deep and rich value system, only to reveal additional layers of feelings, issues, and concerns that, for the child's sake, demand some kind of …

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Publication information: Article title: Cultural Literacy, Arts Education, and Our Children. Contributors: Orlofsky, Diane De Nicola - Author. Magazine title: National Forum. Volume: 74. Issue: 3 Publication date: Summer 1994. Page number: 7. © 1999 Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi. COPYRIGHT 1994 Gale Group.

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