Does School Kill Creativity?

Restored from the Empower Network archive (2011–2017), lightly edited to meet our current advertising standards. Views are the original author’s.

“Creativity is as important in education as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status”. In this Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson explains how our public education system around the world have been designed to educate children “out of” creativity. However, if we are to anticipate the demands of the future age, creativity is one of the most important gifts of the human mind that should be encouraged and developed in schools.

“What we do know is that if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original”. Robinson relates a story of how children are not afraid of being wrong, and thus their creative minds flourish because they are not afraid to just “go for it”. However in school we are taught that mistakes are bad and are rewarded for perfection, thus cultivating a culture where as adults we are absolutely terrified of going out and being wrong, which as a result severely limits our abilities to be creative.

The reason for this system of learning is because it was first established in the 19th century during the industrial age, where students were taught skills that would allow them to get a steady, secure job. Still to this day, our universities and public school system place subjects like the Maths and Sciences as top priority and proof of academic worth, while the arts – particularly drama and dance are placed at the lowest priority and are often looked down upon.  

We use all of our senses to view and understand the world around us – which means that many of us learn through a variety of different ways and through different senses as well. Creativity needs to be recognised as an important learning tool and cultivated in order to encourage more innovation for the future of our world. 

Personally, I’m a University Graduate with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and I can really relate to the message of this video. I have always been incredibly creative and artistic, poor at subjects like Mathematics and Physics, and as a result had a very hard time staying motivated and focused throughout my many years in school. 

Today I still struggle with the traditional concept that life is about going to school, getting a job, buying a home, starting a family and working till your 60. Instead of “following the norm” I travelled after graduation, worked and lived abroad, and have decided to start my own business that will ultimately provide me with more flexibility and will allow me to live my dream life. 

I’m not up for working 9-5 till I’m 60. Some people might be, but that’s not the kind of life I want to live. Ask Yourself: Is that the kind of life you want to live?