Do Schools Kill Creativity?

by Jena

My oldest son Peter likes to think and learn about education.  One day he ran across this video on ted.com by creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson. The website describes it this way: Ken Robinson "challenges the way we're educating our children. He champions a radical rethink of our school systems, to cultivate creativity and acknowledge multiple types of intelligence." He's not a home schooler or a home school advocate, as far as I know. He's an academic, speaking to the establishment. But he's anything but boring. Trust me, if you are on this blog, you will love this guy. Just listen to the first two minutes and you'll be hooked. The video is about 20 minutes long. Get some hot chocolate, a cozy blanket, and enjoy!

Jena began homeschooling in 1994. Her three children are now teenagers; one is graduated and attends  the University of Chicago on a full ride scholarship, the next one is 16 and pursues life without school in the arts, and the youngest is a freshman, trying out public school for the first time. In 2005 they bought a 7000 square foot church building and converted it into their home. You can read more about their adventures on her blog, yarns of the heart.

Comments

[adoptingmama]

The video doesn't seem to be working.

I found it on ted.com, here's the link...

http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html

[Sarah Chia]

I saw this a few years back and laughed throughout. He's such a great presenter! And his point is right on. So many things that he says were key elements to why I started and continue homeschooling.

Unfortunately, I was schooled as a child, and I have a hard time sometimes coming up with fun, creative, and physical ways to engage my child, and to take advantage of her natural bent toward learning.

[Martial art schools]

Well much of what’s taught and graded in school is memorizing of useless facts that people won’t remember two years later.