Schools Kill Creativity

Recently, I viewed a speech given by Ken Robinson in which he expressed his belief that schools kill creativity. His speech really made me think about the flawed structure of the education system. He explained that there is a hierarchy of subjects that places the highest level of importance on the maths and sciences, leaving the creative subjects like music and art on the bottom. When I was in high school, I was required to take Maths, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Earth Science in order to graduate. I was not required to take any courses that taught me how to balance a checkbook or how a loan works, how to make a budget or even how to make dinner. These are things I know I'll need to do at some point, where on the contrary, I'll never look at the Periodic Table of Elements again in my life, nor will I need to know how long it will take a marble to hit the floor after being dropped.

He talked about killing creativity. He gave the example of Gillian Lynne, who choreographed "Cats" and "Phantom of the Opera." When she was a child, her school informed her parents that she possibly had a learning disability because she couldn't stop moving. After seeing a specialist, her parents realized that she didn't have a learning disability, she was just a dancer. Later in her life, she opened her own dance studio, did choreography for many performances, pleasured millions, and is now a multi-millionaire. In the present world, we would have put her on medication and told her to settle down.

I encourage you to watch his speech. It was very intriguing, funny, but most importantly, it will make you think!

Ken Robinson Says Schools Kill Creativity