Creativity is a very important skill for people to have. Like Sir Ken Robinson states in his article, I believe that every person is born with the ability to be creative in some way. Some people are dancers, while others are writers or singers. Even scientific and mathematical people can be creative. After all, they come up with different and creative ways to manipulate variables and solve problems. Sir Robinson argues schools need to foster this creativity more than they do. In my high school English classes, my ninth and tenth grade teachers drove us to write five-paragraph essays. While this skill was essential to our understanding of forming and articulating an argument, the five-paragraph essay became a formulaic writing format to fall back on when we needed to write and quick and easy paper. Unfortunately, my teachers stressed this format so much that my fellow classmates and I had difficulties in the upper level classes when the teacher encouraged us to stray away from the boring structure of these earlier essays. This is only one example of how a school can discourage creativity. Whenever a student speaks up and shares their opinions, their sense of creativity is at stake. Many teachers have brushed aside or rolled their eyes at a very unique idea because it does not to seem contextually fit (or is at first seen the wrong answer). This kind of reaction discourages students from speaking up in the future.
Instead, I believe we as teachers should provide ample opportunities for students to explore their strengths and weaknesses. I have never considered myself a very creative person, especially since I solve problems in linear and literal ways. It has only been recently that I have discovered that it is in my writing that I can be creative. It took a creative writing class and some free time on my own venting in a journal to be able to break away from some of the linear modes imposed on my in my high school. While I am thankful I have been able to find my creative side, I wish I had discovered it earlier in my academic career. Harnessing students' creativity should clearly start in elementary schools, which it often does. However, this creative process needs to continue throughout a students career- through middle, high school, and beyond. Like Sir Robinson, at some point students lose the passion for thinking outside of the box if they do not have opportunities to develop those ideas. I think implementing a variety of activities and encouraging everyone's ideas is one way to help achieve this growth and passion. Sir Robinson also planted some nice advice- to take a risk and let students be physically active in class. Provide some activities where students can collaborate or race around the room to help them find their strengths in every era. If we continue teaching in a passive sort of fashion, where students simply sit and listen to lectures, write papers, and take tests, than we are just breeding a bunch of, to quote Sir Robinson, "university professors." Without encouraging students to think outside of the bunch, we will create generations of people who are passive and cannot think about anything beneficial and unique. And the world's problems, well, those will only get worse. We need creative people to tackle this issues. As educators, that is what we must help do.
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