After first reading the article, Creativity Crisis, my first impression was that the United States was headed in a bad direction, creativity wise. I needed a real life example, something I could relate to. I asked my mom, who teaches kindergarten at Joseph Sears School, what she thought about the article and this is what she said.
My mom was very intrigued by the article and how it almost perfectly reflects what she thinks is wrong with American schools. I always here my mom talk about how she never has time to let her kids have fun. There is a schedule almost as heavy as middle school. She even complains on the fact that her class doesn't have gym or recess everyday. Some days are only filled with curriculum. Many of her parents, whose kids are already excelling in her class, are asking her to tudor her kids beaches they feel they aren't smart enough.
As the article mentions, there is only one answer in the curriculum she is handed. She has to come up with material in which her kids need to think of more than one answer in order to engage their minds. She knows that some things only have one answer and that it would be to much trouble to create more answers but she does anyway.
My mom wishes some scientist would come to her school and experiment with her kids to let others know that the current teaching system is not beneficial to the kids creativity. Hopefully one day someone will convince her school that they need to change their ways.
No recess for kindergarteners? What kind of a world is this?! I think Kindergarten is way to early to be shoving kids into the confines of standards and statistics. I think there's this race to be the "best" at things in school, fueled a lot by parents, and in their zeal to do good, parents and students forget to be great, because being great isn't about just being good at things, it's about thinking outside the box, and being willing to be stumped until you figure out a solution. It's about creativity.
ReplyDeleteI too felt that the article was very interesting, however my parents are not teachers and I wasn't able to ask what their opinions on it were in a way that would benefit my understanding of schools. They would probably give me an answer very similar to one I would give since we're both looking from the outside in. This is why I am happy you asked your mother, because it gives me added exposure to the beliefs of teachers on this matter.
ReplyDeleteNormally I would not be surprised by your mother's response. I would expect teachers to say that the school system is too organized and that there is very little room for creativity. What surprises me however, is that your mother states this as an elementary school teacher. I would have expected elementary school to have a very creative lesson plan. I am shocked that it doesn't. I too would like to see the test results of a creativity test on your mother's students.