Art and Science.?

Question

What would be the advantages/disadvantages of homeroom teachers teaching science and art instead of trained teachers especially used for teaching Art and Science?

Answer 1

Teachers don't have time to be "experts" in all areas. Students suffer in schools where a non trained teacher teaches areas they are not certified in or do not enjoy. Teachers need to have students go to specialists to have planning time as well.

The only advantage is cost.

Answer 2

Cost!! If you can get a homeroom teacher to teach two subjects, then you don't need a specific teacher for each subject. In my opinion, this may be OK for elementary school, although I think art is a specialty that should be by itself. Science can be taught 'from a book' as it is concrete. Art is subject to creativity and skill. In my daughter's elementary school, each homeroom teacher taught their homeroom students Language Arts and one other subject. IE; her teacher taught Language Arts and Math. Then the students rotated for their other subjects: math, science and social studies. (There were specialty teachers for: Art, Music, Computers, and Physical Ed.)  This worked out great and gave each teacher a specialty plus Language Arts. Students started this rotation in grade 5. It also prepared them for middle school when they would get different teachers for different subjects.