“What all children have in common is that they will take a chance. They’re not frightened of being wrong. I don’t mean to say that being wrong is the same thing as being creative. But if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original. By the time they get to be adults, most kids have lost that capacity…we are educating people out of their creative capacities”
This thought provoking quote is from Sir Ken Robinson’s TED talk concerning creativity and its place in school. He remarks that world wide there is a “hierarchy” of the subjects. Math and science are placed at the top, and the arts are at the bottom. He focuses on emphasizing creativity in our education systems, and creating equal status for all subjects.
Sir Ken Robinson (knighted in 2003 for his work in education) received his PhD from University of London. He researched the value of theater in education, which is the basis of his talks. He worked on boards (such as The Arts in Schools Project) to include theater and dance and other arts into the curriculum. He’s written several books, his most recent being a new edition of Out of Our Minds: Learning to be Creative and The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything. He was a university professor, as he discusses briefly in his talk, which is the highest level of education. Although this is not always the case, it is one of the positions in the teaching world that truly lends itself to creativity. Sir Robinson understands that creativity is not just the arts; it’s not just for the students. Creativity is also for the educators. The way material is presented doesn’t have to be in a classic textbook to practice sheet form. As Sir Robinson says in his speech, we think the way we are. There is more than just logic and linguistics to our approach to learning and problem solving. That realization is within itself intensely creative. It doesn’t directly attach itself to the arts, but realizes that there is a new way to create a learning environment. He respects his own creativity and believes in it. This is why he is so great at what he does. He inspires people and inspires their creativity through his writings, his interviews, and his talks. It is engaging, uplifting, and thought provoking. It is creativity in almost a perfect example.
I have wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I actually ran into an old friend, Tony, from grade school a few weeks ago and he asked me all the usual questions about college and the like. I told him that I was going to get my AA in child studies at West Valley College, and then I’d transfer to either Cal Poly SLO, or Santa Clara to finish up my BA in child development or education respectively. Tony smiled at me and said that he couldn’t believe that I still wanted to be a teacher after all these years (he believed it to be twelve years, I think it might be even longer). But my memories of my early education are very rigid. I learned to read, add, subtract, and spell very quickly in kindergarten and first grade. (Well, the last one is debatable.) There were the intensely strict art projects in which I often was scolded because I always cut off the thick black trim instead of having it be a part of my work. We didn’t walk around with black trims, so I had no idea why my angel had to have one. I had fun but looking back I can’t help but wonder why on earth any five to seven year old would want to spend their time that way. This philosophy proposed by Sir Robinson is fantastic for my desired field of work. I want my students to love walking into my classroom everyday, and I want them to come back when they don’t have to. I want kids like my little brother who can’t sit still to be engaged in class without being drugged. I know that sounds harsh but little boys will be little boys, let them run around. Teach to their energy! That’s what makes little kids so amazing, in my opinion. I love their boundless energy, that willingness to do everything and almost always with a smile. Why has that energy we crave as we get older frowned upon in a classroom setting? It’s unreasonable for kids to be told to shut off their energy for the school day. In early education specifically, it is the teacher’s job to nurture that energy and that creative spirit in the learning environment. And that is part of what Sir Robinson is saying in his work and it’s something that I’d like to make a reality.
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