Oh my god! They killed creativity! You b...

Ken Robinson's Speech on how schools have been killing creativity

An interesting video and viewpoint. Do schools really kill creativity? And if so, do they also place too much emphasis on the subjects of math, science, and literature?

One of the main arguments coming from supporters of arts in our schools is that music, visual, and performing arts help students perform better in other subjects (for instance, the subdividing of notes and timing issues that any student in a school band manipulates in their head on a daily basis has been shown to increase math scores.) However, this should not be the reason schools have strong art programs. If we only incorporate art into our curricculum as a means of improving cognitive abilities in other subjects, art becomes secondary to these other subjects.

But do schools really kill creativity? My high school certainly didn't kill mine. I had many opportunities to participate in the arts back in Rolling Meadows. I played in the band for two years, took an excellent photography course, ran track and cross country (which Steve Prefontaine would argue involves an element of creativity) and still had plenty of time left over to listen to music, organize poster projects, make videos, and occasionally write for enjoyment rather than for a grade.

However, I know that this is not the case in schools across the nation. Music programs are disappearing, extracurricular activities that run on creative minds are being dropped, and the overall focus of education has shifted toward producing robots that make money (people). Imagine how boring life would be if this trend continued. Nobody would learn how to dance, Football games would have no halftime shows, and nobody would ever crack a joke in class. In my opinion, wedding receptions are a lot more fun when you can see your parents dancing to Baby Got Back and My Humps, football games are more entertaining when the school band recreates Fantasia between endzones, and the only way most students can get through class without falling asleep is with a little bit of humor.

Ken Robinson's solution to this problem involves a worldwide reconsideration of what it means to be human. I say we just clone Jack Black a few million times and have him teach Rock History in every school ever.