A world where "creativity is as important as literacy"...

Today I watched a TED talk video ("Do Schools Kill Creativity" Video) for a professional development opportunity. It really made me think about some of the students that were in my class this past year. Sir Ken Robinson brought out many topics that are plaguing today's public school systems.

One of his most profound statements is that "Creativity is as important as literacy." I do believe that literacy is of the utmost importance for an individual to be successful and live a life that he/she wants to live, but I also believe that creativity is just as important.

In the video he talks about how our public education is geared toward educating each student as if he were going to be a university professor. However, we all know that this is not going to be the case, especially in a society that is ever-changing and where new jobs are being created all of the time. He speaks about an example of a child who was a dancer from the beginning, and when given the opportunity, she excelled in this area.

This past school year, I had the opportunity to work with a wonderful student who most likely will not be a "university professor". This young man created a Lego bubble gum machine that actually worked when you put money into it. He has created his own virtual reality goggles. He won Honorable Mention in an international inventor's challenge and excels at all things STEM.

However, because of today's legislative expectations, this student is not usually seen as successful. He has difficulties in reading, writing, and math. He does poorly on multiple choice questions and he is usually one of the last ones finished. He has never made the Honor Roll. Yet in my mind, this student has more creativity and potential than a student who makes 100s on every test but does not understand the value of making a mistake and learning from it. I hope this student is never broken by the current mode of testing, testing, testing. I hope his creativity and love for engineering continues to flourish. He is brilliant but in ways that are not measured on multiple choice tests.  His mom tells him that his mind is like riding a roller coaster.  His thoughts may have to go through some curves and loops, and it may take longer than going a straight line, but he sees things that many of us do not.  He is a problem solver and we need to value that.

I absolutely love being an educator. I love it. There are days where it is a struggle, but ultimately, I wouldn't want to do anything else. However, I long for a day where schools do focus on educating the whole child and where learning is not expected to be one-size fits all. After all, we only need so many "university professors".

This story was shared with permission of the child's parents.