SchoolsStifleCreativityAbstractCreativityisessentialineveryaspectofdailyworkandstudy.Schoolsshouldencourageandteachstudentstousetheircreativethinking,whichshouldhavebeenoneofthepurposesofpubliceducation.However,creativityisstifledand,notsurprisingly,schoolsthatcomplywithrigideducationsystemaretoblame.Keywords:education,creativity,intelligence,academics,schoolsystems,standardizedtest,divergentthinkingPicassooncesaidthatallchildrenarebornartists.Weallapproveoftheideathatchildrenhavetheircapabilitiesorinnovation,butsomehowtheylosethemwithgradualgrowth.Ibelievepeoplegeteducatedoutofcreativity.CreativityexpertSirKenRobinsonsaid,“Wedonotgrowintocreativity,butwegrowoutofit.”Itmainlyrootsintheeducationalsituation.Hechampionsaradicalrethinkofourschoolsystems,tocultivatecreativityandacknowledgemultipletypesofintelligence.Inhisspeechabouteducationandcreativity,withampleanecdotesandwittyasides,Robinsonpointsoutthemanywaysourschoolsfailtorecognize--muchlesscultivate--thetalentsofmanybrilliantpeople.Muchofthecontentofhisspeechwasreflectiveofthewayeducationhasbeenstructured,whichwasconsideredaskillingcreativity.Mr.Robinsonhasmademerealizethatwhatschoolsteachisinbreachofcreativity.Itiscrazytothinkthatweareteachingkidsforafuturethatwecannotevenbegintomakepredictionsabout.Forsomereasonschoolsystemsaresodedicatedtoteachingfacts,whichleadstoafactthatchildrensearchingtextforfacts.SadlythemajorityofthesefactscanbefoundwithaquickGooglesearch.Obviouslyinsomecircumstancewecannotfindanswersorwearenotsureaboutwhatthefactsare,butourschoolsalsoteachpersuasivelyintheirbasicidenticalway.Forinstance,howdoweeducateourchildrentotaketheirplaceintheeconomicsofthe21stcentury,giventhatwecannotanticipatewhattheeconomywilllooklikeattheendofnextweek?Howcanwedothat?Notonlydoschoolsdowhattheydidinthepast,buttheyalienatemanykidsbycriticizingthemstupidboys.Sowhatisthewholepurposeofpubliceducationthroughouttheworld?Mr.Robinsonsaidthepurposeistoproduceuniversityprofessors.ToacertainextentitisreasonablebecausegenerallypeoplethinkchildrenarenotgoodenoughiftheycannotgetallAintheirexaminations.Onceaddictedtosomespecialinterestlikehobbiesconcerningcomputerormusic,theywouldbeforcedtogivethemupandsticktostudyallthetime.Undoubtedlycreativityiskilledinthenameofpropereducation.Asthedevelopmentofeconomy,nowtheworldbecomeseconomicglobalization,whichmakesdominantsystemsofeducationbeingrootedinthevaluesanddemandsofindustrialism.Itseemsthateveryeducationsystemallovertheworldhasthesamehierarchyofsubjects.Theschoolspaymoreattentiontomathematics,sciencesandlanguages,andtheartsarealwaysatthebottom.Thereisnodenyingthefactthatlearningmathematicsandsciencesaregoodforustomakeourlivinginthefuture.However,studentsspendmuchtimejustonmechanicalpractice,whichnotonlycannotimprovetheirintelligencebutalsolosetheircreativitygradually.Haveyouevernoticedthatmanysocial,economic,spiritualandenvironmentalchallengeswenowfacedependontheverycapacitiesofcreativity?Therefore,educationsystemshouldbeaboutdevelopinghumanbeings,andhumandevelopmentisnotmechanicalorlinear.Itshouldbeorganicanddynamic.Ineducation,theemphasisonstandardizedtestingsuchastheSATinUSAandcollegeentranceexaminationinChinaistypicalexam-orientededucation.Underanobsessivecultureofstandardizedtestingandtightfinancialpressures,manyteachersjustfocusontherightanswertothequestionespeciallyonthem...
