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Adrianna Laferriere
Mrs. Pettay
ENG 111
22 January 2016
Schools Limit Students Creativity
Schools across the globe have created a standard of learning in which creativity is not of
significance, but merely a hobby or outlook for the kids that do not fit in. In his lecture, Ken
Robinson discusses the importance of being creative and stepping outside of the borders that the
education system has set. Ken Robinsons TED Talk lecture of Do schools kill creativity?
provides evidence of the impact a school has and will continue to have by limiting their
creativity. Schools across the world focus on generalizing students to stay inside the box and
shape their realms of creativity outside of a uniform society; this limitation on creativity or
being different should not be allowed by school systems across the world.
Since the creation of the education system, schools have worked towards teaching future
generations how to prosper and survive in the real world. In the past century, school systems
have stopped teaching students how to write in cursive, learn how to do math without a
calculator, learn how to balance a checkbook, or how to pay taxes. As stated by Ken Robinson,
our task is to educate students whole being, so they can face the future how they would see it,
allowing students and future generations to become a part of something bigger than themselves.
This lack of real-life knowledge from the school system has prevented myself, my peers, and
future generations from knowing how to survive. The education system across the world has
primarily focused their efforts on creating a competitive learning atmosphere to prepare the
student for getting in to college, being successful, and the competitive world of a real-life career.

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As he discusses the story of a girl who was considered different because she count sit
still, Mr. Robinson addresses the most crucial moment of his lecture: being different is not
considered a bad thing if its the most enjoyable thing you do. The story of this girl shows that
she was born a dancer and clarifies his point in saying that all kids have tremendous talents
because it was what she loved doing since she was a child, it didnt matter what anyone else had
said. This strong point in the argument had shown that the specific standards set across the world
for the education system do not encourage creativity but instead diminish the natural innocence
of creativity that children are born with. Ken Robinson clarifies the notion that our education
system is predicated on the idea of academic ability based on the known standards set by all
school systems to teach with more of an importance in core classes rather than fine arts classes.
School systems should put the same level of importance to the arts as they would to a core class.
Ken Robinson made points throughout his lecture discussing that being different or
creative is the key to being successful. In my life, I have also been pushed into the uniform box
of standards of living. This box has prevented me from being creative as well as giving my all to
something I am truly passionate about. As a fine art, he music that I perform in band class is one
of the true motivations in my life., my true escape from reality. In concurrence with Ken
Robinson, the school has limited my ability to express my creativity and expand my knowledge
in my fine arts class because it is not considered of equal importance as a standard core class
would. The school system has provided their students with an academic education but has limited
the ability of students to show their creative capacities in all aspects of life. Ken Robinson
focuses on the main points discovering that being different is okay as long as you have yourself,
being creative is the most interactive way to learn, and that education is based on what is
obtained and not from what standards were set.

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