I know that not every student will become an artist. That's not why I believe every student needs art. I believe art teaches students how to think, create, communicate, and understand the world in ways that are difficult to develop anywhere else.

• Art brings together many of the skills students need everywhere else. It requires creativity, idea generation, problem-solving, critical thinking, decision-making, communication, and the ability to take an idea and turn it into something tangible.

• Art gives students permission to think differently. In art, there isn't always a single right answer. Students learn to explore possibilities, take creative risks, make choices, solve problems without a predetermined solution, and be comfortable with ambiguity. These are skills that become increasingly important in a world that doesn't always provide clear answers.

• Art connects people and makes our communities richer. Art gives us ways to share ideas, tell stories, celebrate what matters to us, question the world around us, and create beauty. Look around—art is woven into nearly every part of the world we live in.

• Art helps us understand people. When students encounter artwork from different cultures, time periods, and individual experiences, they are asked to look at the world through someone else's eyes. Learning to observe, interpret, and consider perspectives different from our own builds curiosity, understanding, and empathy.

• Art teaches students that their ideas have value. Not every idea will work, and not every piece of artwork will turn out the way we imagined. But the process of creating teaches students to experiment, reflect, revise, and try again—and to recognize that there is more than one way to approach a problem.

• Art is a place for students to discover who they are. Students don't just learn how to make things; they learn what they notice, what they value, what they wonder about, and what they have to say. Art gives students a space to develop their own voice rather than simply finding the answer someone else has already determined.

My goal is not to turn every student into an artist. My goal is to help every student become a more creative thinker, a better problem solver, a more thoughtful observer, and a person who understands that their ideas—and the ideas of others—are worth exploring.