Sir Ken Robinson: The Importance of Creativity

Sir Ken Robinson speaks out about the way he feels public education is affecting the children. He believes the public classroom is stripping children from their creativity in order to fit them in a mold that was created during the industrial boom. Educational systems were created to give students the skills they would need to acquire a job which meant language and mathematics was the most important subjects. Sir Robinson also believes the job market has changed due to technology that was created by the people that thought outside the box. Robinson questions if the job market changes, should the educational system should change as well to better prepare the children for the jobs of the future.

In his speech, Robinson stresses the fact that all children are creative and they grow out of it as they become adults. Children are pressured to follow the academic plan set for them rather than encouraged to explore their creativity. If a child seems to stray from this academic plan, they are labeled with having a learning disability. All children learn by different methods and the school systems are set up only to cover one method they deemed right. A child can only reach their full potential if they are allowed to explore every inch of their creativity. Therefore the school systems are not allowing children to reach their full potential that will allow them to suceed in life.

Robinson also talked about the change in the career market. Several jobs used to be located in factories but technology has changed that. People now have the time to explore arts and athletics as serious careers. In the past, it was nearly impossible to be a successful musician, it was consided a suicide career. In the world today musicians, dancers, actors, and athletes have the best paying jobs. The job market is craving for more creative minds to create and entertain.

The world around us is changing due to technological advances and the school systems should change as well to better prepare the children for their futures. Majority of jobs are no longer located in factories and college proffesors are not the only people that succed in life. Children should feel free to express themselves through different outlets without the fear of being different. If children do not embrace their gifts and abilities, they will lose them. Great inventions were created beacause someone strayed from the path and blazed their own. Education systems should embrace creativity beacuse without it, society will never make any progress.