I’ve included a link to Sir Ken Robinson’s 2006 speech at the TED conference about how education is teaching creativity out of our kids. The twenty minute presentation is funny and thought provoking.

There is much truth in what Sir Robinson says. However, he doesn’t address the problem faced by teachers who are constrained by school administration goals of standardized test scores. I’ve talked to a lot of teachers. They want to be more creative in the classroom. They want to have random science experiments and field trips and lessons that don’t follow a text book. Teachers are frustrated by their limitations. Why are we surprised that schools don’t teach “outside the box?” Teachers are allowed a tether that doesn’t allow them to stretch that far.

To some degree, it’s a matter of not enough hours in the day. And a 21-1 ratio of students to teacher in traditional public schools. But mostly, I think, the problem rests in expectations. Schools churn out test results and prepare students for the next level of academic expectation. It’s a revolving door.

Can classroom dynamics and artistic education change? Who knows. Perhaps we, as parents, should rethink our own expectations of schools. We can’t fully blame schools or teachers for lacking creativity. After all, when it comes to raising our children…We Control The Box.

Quote for the day:
Creativity is so delicate a flower tha praise tends to make it bloom, while discouragement often nips it in the bud. Any of us will put out more and better ideas if our efforts are appreciated. —–Alex F. Osborn