Sire Ken Robinson

Sir Ken Robinson stated, “Creativity is as important in education as literacy.” Wow! I definitely agree with this but there are too many people who would disagree. For this reason, creativity is being shoved under the rug in the world of education. While listening to Sir Ken Robinson’s podcast, I realized many things that hadn’t crossed my mind in a long time. For example, he explained that students are too often punished or looked down upon for the mistakes they make. If this consistently occurs, instead of learning from their mistakes and accepting them, students will be afraid to take risks and stop all together. If they are not prepared to be wrong, they will never come up with anything original. Students must understand that it is okay to be wrong. I think students see an emphasis in being right because most subjects we teach are totally objective. Aside from creating a story, math, science, history, government, geography, grammar, etc. all require precise and accurate answers. If students were allowed to use more expression through music, drama, art, dance, etc. they would feel more comfortable thinking creatively for themselves and creating an original piece of work. Sir Ken Robinson brought to my attention the hierarchy of teaching which is emphasized in every country around the world. This hierarchy begins with an emphasis in math, science, social studies, reading, and writing, with the arts at the bottom. Sadly, our public schools are ruling music, art, drama, and physical education out of the curriculum. We need these daily activities so students can continue to create and take chances. Perhaps dancing is the only way a student can capture his/her thoughts, by removing drama from schools, we are depriving that student of an individualized and well-deserved education.