Do Schools Kill Creativity?

I was first introduced to the Ken Robinson video on creativity during the gifted education course last winter with Mary Kelsey, and I can honestly say that the message is still as profound as it was then. Robinson makes a great point when he states that everyone is born an artist, and that the education system is responsible for changing that. As a society, we've grown accustomed to placing emphasis on the maths and sciences - where there is little room for creative thought and interpretation. This stems from the need to measure via standardized testing and slapping a number on someone to mark their intelligence level. Although this mindset is not likely to change over the course of our careers, it is up to us, as future educators to re-energize mathematics and inspire students to think critically rather than through rote memorization.

 The second point I would like to highlight is the idea that young children aren't afraid of being wrong or making mistakes. After hearing Robinson tell the Nativity story I could immediately recall an example as recently as this semester where a question was posed to the class and I didn't answer in fear of being wrong - in fear of being laughed at or mocked by other students. I'm not a self-conscious person, and I'm definitely not afraid of making the odd mistake or going against the grain - however, somewhere along the line I must have been embarrassed in front of my classmates or mocked by one of my peers. This is where the teacher must take the initiative and provide a healthy classroom atmosphere where students aren't afraid to be themselves and make mistakes.