There’s a lot of talk lately about STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and STEAM (adding an A for the arts to the STEM acronym). STEM proponents believe that strengthening learning in science, technology, engineering and math will achieve an ultimate goal of keeping America competitive in the global economy, while arts proponents support adding the “A” knowing that the arts integrate with, connect to and make stronger all of the STEM disciplines. President Obama has said “Today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It’s time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and work to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology”, while his wife, Michelle, has said “The arts and humanities define who we are as a people. That is their power — to remind us of what we each have to offer, and what we all have in common. To help us understand our history and imagine our future. To give us hope in the moments of struggle and to bring us together when nothing else will.” Aren’t they both right? Ask a mathematician which subject is most crucial and you can guess what she’d say. Ask an artist and I’ll bet you could guess his response.

I, for one, having worked diligently and passionately for nearly 25 years to help children see and make the connections between and across all subject areas, know that each discipline is made stronger when viewed and explored through the lens of another subject. How do we understand engineering, if we can’t explore our spatial sense of how things are put together? How can we make sense of a dance if we don’t understand relationships? What does math mean without the symbols we communicate to express it? Are we saying that math, science and technology are more important than art, history and language? When we isolate our learning, we reduce our ability to make meaning from the natural connections between subjects. In the STEM and STEAM discussions, where are the humanities? Who will carry on our tradition of historical research, maintain our philosophical perspective, and manage our government and economy? Are our students so strong in reading, in writing, in comprehension, in language, that we can focus our sights on, invest money in and support more strongly math and sciences?

Rather than being a proponent of STEM or a proponent of STEAM, I am a proponent of SETMLPRHETDAML (science, engineering, technology, math, language, philosophy, religion, history, economics, theater, dance, art, music, literature). Okay, that’s crazy. Let’s just say I am a proponent of an integrated curriculum where all disciplines receive equal value and respect. Can you imagine the classroom where being able to critique a dance performance is just as important as being able to understand how gravity works? Where creating a piece of artwork is as important as learning multiplication? My two teenage boys would have had way more meaningful educational careers if the connections between all subjects had been validated and honored. I may be standing alone, but I’ll be standing firm in my belief that we could do away with both STEM and STEAM and simply honor, integrate, fund, support, value and teach all subjects equally.

Michelle Mazan Burrows is the Director of the A+ Schools Program of the North Carolina Arts Council. The A+ Schools Program is the largest, longest running, most successful, arts-based whole-school reform effort in the nation. Since 1995, A+ Schools been using the arts as a catalyst for creating connections and making school engaging, meaningful and enjoyable places to teach and learn. You can reach Michelle at michelle.burrows@ncdcr.gov or by phone at (919) 807-6503.