by Darya Cotova
October 22, 2004
Creativity is crucial, as is a unique thought process of every person. Without this concept, no problem would ever be solved. It is what leads to every single event in the world, both positive and negative. Many schools, however, have not done quite enough to assist young people in defining their creative reality. It seems that many aspects of the education can and should be altered in order to nurture every person as a more creative and positive individual.
Reality is not just what happens in the visible frames of this world, it's also what goes on in every person's mind; all of their thoughts, ideas, and images. Many people's mental reality had not yet been shaped in a way that would suit their personalities, wishes, and plans. They haven't yet figured out their own way of thinking creatively, and applying it into multiple aspects of their lives. The majority are students, attending schools. They are found to be constantly complaining that the things they are asked to do at schools are pointless and boring.
That, of course, is an exaggeration, but of something that is not entirely away from truth. From personal experience in a number of schools, I can assume that the public education does not promote creativity and uniqueness in enough ways to make the educational efforts pay off. Everything should be shown in its variety, to help students realize the countless possibilities that follow every idea. This is what is not done enough in the modern-day schools. It is well-known that there aren't many different ways to present the principles of math, but even art classes tend to get rigid and expectant. a lot of people who had not yet completed their education would probably agree that their expected actions are constricted, and that things are expected to be done a certain way. The imaginations of students are simply not freed. Their thoughts aren't challenged. They are not moving on from their present sports, and their comfort zones are not expanding.
Countless hours in high schools are dedicated to exploring the themes of conformity, gender roles, stereotypes, and the effects of the outside world. But just by knowing what a stereotype is, or what different kinds of stereotypes had been invented, no one can set out to work against their negative incarnations. In fact, the more a person has learned about stereotypes, the more difficult it might be to overcome them, because that concept becomes more and more present in his or her life. Instead of having students write down a list of things they find unique about themselves, teachers get them to read countless material and statistics on roles of girls in media, and their typical representation. That neither helps nor inspires, or challenges the brain. We all know by now that stereotypes are there and that they can be overwhelming, but when are the teachers going to ask "So, what would you do about it?", and honor every opinion?
The most inventive and creative people have not learned to be that way by discussing stereotypes and conformity in schools. They achieved their creative dreams and contributed to the world by figuring out the exact parameters of what they want to do, practicing to expand their skills and talents, and eventually embarking on work towards projects and embodiments of their ideas. That is the sort of process that schools should be striving towards. Sure, many students are very creative despite the rigidness of their education format, and know what they would like to do at least approximately, if not exactly. But there are just as many if not more that are unsure about the sate of their personal reality, or their place in the world, because they have not received enough assistance in figuring any of that out. They had, however, been treated with a plenty of information that they are either uninterested in, or unsure how to handle. Such circumstances will not lead to extremely productive results
While the majority might stay within the guidelines if not below them, some students are either judged, or are presented with lower marks, simply because they had incorporated too much freedom into their projects. What instructors and teachers should be focusing on is a non-judgmental and more creative approach to the majority of school subjects, with assignments that challenge the imagination, and material that elaborately promotes personal uniqueness in its most positive sense. This is a lot more difficult than it may seem at first, because taking up a question related to assigned material, hearing expected an expected answer, and then moving on to the next question is so much easier than leading a discussion that would involve the entire class, spark some people's interests, and perhaps inspire and enlighten. It is also extremely important to let go of any personal biases, inhibitions, and mind barriers in order to make way for a wider range of newly creative minds in and outside of schools. Many of the school officials are making it difficult for the students to surpass narrow expectations because of what they personally believe is incorrect or unacceptable. There should be a limit as to what is allowed, but that limit should concern the prevention of harm, not creativity.
If the older population succumbs to invisible barriers and does not do very much to promote the expansion of creativity and individual formation of thought processes, how will younger people learn to form a unique reality in order to contribute to the world creatively?
Darya Cotova is a co-op student from Humberside Collegiate. She is learning about journalism at Canada Free Press.
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