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April 15, 2005
Stifled Creativity
Conspiracy Theory #1
In my North American/Canadian upbringing, I'm not really sure that creativity was encouraged. In fact, I feel that it was DIScouraged. Opportunities to create in school were tokens of good will; bait to draw you into the common curriculum. Post secondary courses of study gave you templates for creation and frowned upon anything that didn't coincide with those guidelines. Finally, the jobmarket searches for clone workers rather than independent thinkers. In every facet of life, our strategies are less reliant upon genius and creative thinking and depend more on current trends that can (in reality) change like the weather.
Excercise tha grey matter. What do U think?
In grade school, I remember studying visual art, music and creative writing among other subjects. These subjects are ripe for developing student creativity. More often than not, however, we were told what to draw. We performed almost exclusively from sheet music. We would submit our stories only to have them returned completely rewritten. Opportunities to develop creativity were there but were the exception rather than the rule.
My university/college experience with regards to fostering creativity can be summed up by one class in particular; music composition. The teaching strategy was to show you how an established composer wrote (say a) fugue and tell you to compose a fugue just like he/she would have. The result would be 20 or so fugues that were supposed to mimick Bach's technique but really just fell short.
In reality, life after school isn't much different. A consultant studies and records trends in a particular market. The boss translates these market studies to the workplace and the worker puts them into practice. There seems to be less and less room for individual treatment of these practices as the establisment becomes more and more convinced that there is a way and that that way will remain the same forever :S
I feel that this is where today's system fails. I constantly hear that technology is changing our world at an exponential rate, yet strategies and practices are becoming more static. While many in power seem happy to bury their proverbial heads in the sand and wish to stifle the public's creativity in an effort to stall change, the change is snowballing. Whatever rude awakening we are approaching, it will take creative thinking to sidestep it. Those fighting the change will be forced once again to embrace those who have the genius to implement it.
Posted by i220 at April 15, 2005 08:16 PM
Comments
So totally agree with you !220. Reminds me of John Lennon's song, "Working Class Hero". We are all pushed through elementary school at such a fast pace. I worked in the California public school systems and they push the kids so hard. These days kindergartener's all have hugh back packs that they push on wheels, they have so much homework. Kindergarten's no fun as like when i was a kid. One school i taught kindergarten, there was a little 5 year old that had ulcers, he was so stressed out and couldn't keep up. All of his creativity was smashed by the school system. Teacher's are overwhelmed and overloaded. Then high school is a joke. Instead of having trade schools and finding out what the teens are interested in, they push you through 4 years of bullshit, which you will seldom use in the real world. So many teens drop out of school, cause they are so f---king bored. Now let's talk about college and the universities. I took a journalism class last year, just for the fun and relaxation. Man, i couldn't believe it. The class was in the computer room. You never got to look at your classmates or communicate with them. The instructor was a redneck republican that was so biased and close minded. If you didn't believe the way he believed, he would flunk you. The price of college is so high now in California that only the rich can afford to go. It's nearly impossible to get financial aide. Students in the class i took were so broke they couldn't afford to buy books and were stealing books from other students. The stress was insurmountable. Then you graduate and you're lucky to make $8.00 an hour. It's a bitter reality.
But what you are doing, !220, is so righteous, even if your website doesn't make money, you are doing it your way. You are using your schooling that you got for your own happiness. That's what i do, i created my own free-lance business and i do some tutoring for college students. Don't charge much, do it for my own happiness and to help starving students. The times i've had my own self-employed business's are the happiest i've ever been. I had my own landscape business back in the 80's, and then after i got hurt and couldn't work a full-time job, i created my own public relations business. Worked for small business owners who were having a hard time making it.
So power to the people, who says we have to play the corporate mind fuck games? create your own business and your own magic.
angel
Posted by: ANGEL at April 17, 2005 04:07 PM
sorry, !220, i should have gone to the comments section to write this.
angel
Posted by: ANGEL at April 17, 2005 04:09 PM
"Teacher's are overwhelmed and overloaded" Quote.
You said it sista! Teaching in the Cnadian public school system has become a job to dread. Parents hate you. The board is always evaluating you and trying to issue control. Financially it is getting steadily worse; if the $ isn't getting cut then the job load is increasing. Parents need to trust and demand more from their school system. School administrators need to fight the system and support their staff. Kids need to realize that teachers ain't perfect - educate them on the difficulties of teaching - it is so very under-rated and we will all need teaching skills at some point in our lives. Teachers - keep working hard and don't succumb to the pressure. It's so easy to rest on your laurels and say - well fuck them they don't appreciate anyways but you gotta werk for you and those kidz. Sometimes, I think that teachers are the only ones really in it for the kids :(
TA
Posted by: TeachersAide at April 18, 2005 07:48 AM