Being kids can be an incredibly fun time in our lives. We don’t have a large amount of responsibility, math assignments don’t involve letters and we can eat ice cream without caring about getting fat. We have so much time to be creative and think in new ways. We don’t have to worry about real homework or a job, and our parents only make us clean our rooms once a week…maybe twice.
Education is an integral part of many children’s lives. The public education system in the United States is one that is constantly changing due to new ways of thinking and people who are passionate about educating the youth. Like Ken Robinson says, “Education is something that goes deep with people.” It is what sets the foundation for many in the way they live their lives. In his talk, Robinson also speaks of the hierarchy of subjects in school systems around the world. Math and science are at the top, then language, humanities and finally, the arts. With something as important as education, how can we discount something as important as art and creativity?
(If you haven't seen this video, check it out!)
People think differently. Children learn in different ways. Some are visual -- they need to see examples of what they must do. Some are verbal -- they just need it to be explained to them. Some learn best by practicing or going through certain concepts with the teacher. You cannot teach all 1.3-million children in the public system the same way and expect the same results. How can a child who learns by doing be expected to sit through eight-hour days chock full of lectures and be successful?
I feel that, as someone who grew up in the public education system, I was both encouraged and discouraged from thinking in different ways. Robinson talks about how children are “not frightened of being wrong.” When does the switch happen? When adults (and some kids) are wrong, someone now takes a video, plasters it all over YouTube, and that person becomes the laughingstock of the internet for a few days. Though that can be hilarious for a lot of us, it makes me wonder what happened. What happened to our ability to be wrong, but come up with original ideas in the process? Obviously, being right is important in many aspects of life. This writing is not to say that homework doesn’t matter or that you can just guess your way through life. However, being wrong isn’t always as horrible as we make it seem.
Teachers also lose some of their creativity with all the rules and regulations they are being forced to follow. I am incredibly thankful for my education, as it has gotten me where I am today, but some of my favorite teachers were the ones who went the unconventional route. I want to thank them for their amazing ability to force my thinking down paths that I had not previously considered.
I encourage you to be wrong today, at least once and embrace it. Even if it’s something arbitrary like how many calories are in that piece of cake (no harm was done there) or the size of your best friend’s feet. Maybe you’ll discover something about yourself in the process.
