Thursday, November 13, 2014

Blog Post 11/20- Period 1 and 5

http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity?language=en

40 comments:

  1. I found the video very interesting but far reaching. Everyone would like an education system where we produce creative geniuses who will change the world in the way such as Steve Jobs or Mark Zuckerburg. However, this is unreachable. What we have now, in America, is a pretty good system. People can find flaws in everything, and there are downfalls in everyone's educational system. The statistic of how America is so far behind in so many subjects compared to the world is proof of how we are trying to make more intellectual and creative students. When you compare America to countries at the top of science or math subjects (such as China) we fall far behind. However, when you compare one of these students to a student from the American system you will find that American students appear to now be the creative geniuses that everyone was trying to get. In summation, my point was supposed to be that you can't have everything. It is impossible to have everyone to be Incredibly creative while also being the top tier academics. Our system is better than it is said to be.

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  2. I agree with this TED talk, in which I feel that this education system is killing the creativity of students. Every single student is expected of the same exact thing, and there is very little to no room for change. Each student is built up like a robot and is taught exactly the same. While this is going on, there is absolutely no room for creativity in this mix. Colleges these days aren’t looking for the same person, but different people that can do different things, and can specialize in different and abstract things. Schools aren’t accommodating to these things, and there needs to be a change. On the other hand, we have had some students who take other things away from our education system. Some aspects of our system contain some creativity, and it can be found.
    Chris A. -Period 1

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  3. We all would enjoy an education system where we can create great minds with free will. There is always compromise because there is no real practical way we can give an absolute creative freedom and still teach students fundamental aspects of their education. However, compared to other education doctrines around the world, the United States has one of the most flexible education systems in regards to creativity. We encourage students to think outside the box. We give them the tools they need to solve real world problems with little to no help from an administrator. Of course some students may need the extra help when it comes to this freedom, but we are just as accommodating to those students as well. Our education system is taking criticism that just is not fair. We are the leaders in academic freedom with music schools, trade schools, art schools, and other universities that offer great higher learning potential.

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  4. Although many would love to increase children's creativity in schools, many programs, such as the arts and music, are being cut or receive much less funding. This may because we, as Americans, have a specific view of intelligence and intellectual ability that doesn't take into account one's creativity. I don't think we should hamper the development of creativity in children, but try to stimulate it. Although I don't agree with Ken Robinson in that we should teach dancing, as much mathematics, I believe there are many ways we could improve our education to allow for more creativity. Students are often told that there is only one way of finding an answer. Students have become to fear being wrong or making mistakes. This causes them to not "think outside the box" on many issues. The United States may offer more academic freedom or fund more arts programs than other countries but, that does't mean our education doesn't limit creativity. Students are often so focused on college that they do whatever they can to get the best grades or the best standardized test scores. They spend little time on thinking abstractly on certain issues or rarely become acquainted with the fine arts.
    Isabel B period 1

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  5. I found this video to be very interesting and I do agree with a part of what the Ken Robinson talks about. In the education system it is clear that it is hard to establish a creative mind, or to just be creative in general because of standardize tests and courses. This however could not realistically be changed in any way. You can always find a flaw in even the most perfect systems, which there sadly aren’t any. It would be near impossible to teach creativity for one of two reasons; it would take away from fundamental education, and you cannot simply teach creativity. How would it be possible to teach creativity while also teach students to write in a certain way. While everyone would like to have both things, I think the American educational system chose the better of two things, and that is exemplified in the creative minds we have produced (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates).

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  6. I most definitely agree with Sir Ken Robinson about our education killing our creativity. Like what Seraphin mentioned, we are told from the beginning that the only reason for each class is to prepared for these annoying standardized tests like the SAT and the ACT and the countless subject tests we are required to take, we lose our creative side and become these boring human beings with nothing more than countless facts that we will probably never need to know after the tests. In Branford, and in most high schools, students are required to take at least two fine and practical arts credits, and I think that it helps us showcase our creative side in many different ways. Not only does it make us a more well-rounded student but it also helps us take our mind off of the overbearing academic course load and lets us relax and be ourselves and just express ourselves in whatever way we want.

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  7. Ken Robinson is spot-on about education killing our creativity. From a very young age we are told by our teaches and parents that being creative is nice, but it doesn't benefit us at all. As a 4 year old we were given hours of time at school to draw and make music. When asked what they want to be when they grow up, many kindergartners will say they want to be an artist, a dancer, an actor, a singer, a fashion designer, ect. Then, around middle school, we are told that maybe we should consider other jobs such as finding a career in computers, teaching, engineering, law enforcement, medical/social science, ect. By the age of 14, it's clear that we must spend the rest of our education learning to fill our minds up with facts, numbers, and developing skills that will allow us to absorb as much information as possible. Robinson talks about our education system and students, "they live in their heads, they're disembodied...they look upon their body as a form of transport for their heads...[the education system] came into being to meet the needs of industrialism." He also says "the consequence is that [of the education system] many highly talented, brilliant, creative people, think they're not." Creative students are shot down by school; education forces them into someone that they are not.
    Remi S
    Period 5

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  8. After watching this video I have to agree with Sir Ken Robinson on his views of schools that are killing creativity among students. I found this video to be very straightforward and on point with facts about how our minds need creativity to express our inner selves. Creating an academic system that benefits creativity of the mind would be in everyone’s favor. But, since schools now only focus on main subjects many arts programs are being cut off due to the funding of academic programs and funding for the schools. Many people who work in education have a specific idea of what they believe how a child should be learning and retaining things. Those ideas probably do not involve using creativity as a basis for a child’s learning. In the TED Talk with Sir Ken Robinson he says, “Intelligence is diverse, intelligence is dynamic, intelligence is interactive, and intelligence is distinct”. I believe that creativity and intelligence should be expressed in many ways beyond the thinking and learning in education. Instead of teachers showing different ways of learning new things they believe that there is only one right way to do something. And that way is their way. Students become afraid to speak up if they don’t understand something or if they get a wrong answer. They aren’t allowed to think beyond what people have told them. Students are now so focused on getting good grades and getting in to the right college that they don’t have any time to stop and think. It might take a long time before people realize that we need to have change in the way we learn things. But when it does that would benefit everyone later on in life.
    Ariana D Period 1

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  9. I definitely agree with Ken Robinson's view that schools kill creativity. First, schools teach us that our talents are useless and that we must only do what will bring us the most success in the future. After insulting our ambitions, they set unrealistic, precise intellectual expectations which if not met perfectly are considered failures. Ken make a good point that we are part of a generation that is afraid of making mistakes, but how can we learn if we don't make mistakes? Mistakes and failures are the platforms for determination which increases our ability to develop new ideas and make discoveries. He also mentions that Intelligence is diverse. we all think and learn at different rates and in different ways. Schools expect everyone to test well in everything, which is simply impossible. Students who are creative but do not test well live their life believing they are not brilliant. What we are left with is a bunch of people who believe there is only one right way to do things. Here it is evident that schools have killed creativity.
    Erika M.
    Period 5

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  10. I strongly agree with the statement that school destroys our creativity. As Robinson mentioned, we are not using our brains to their full capacity in school, and the way to do that would be extending our creativity. What school does now is it basically gives us information that we need to memorize, to then later be tested on. Some may point out that we should be interpreting all of this information and understanding it, rather than just memorizing it to then forget it later. I agree with this and wish it was doable, however it is nearly impossible to do with the amount of things given to us in which we are expected to know. I'm not complaining about classes being too hard and demanding, for I think that they should be. My point is that all of it is just knowledge to get us to the next level; the next level being acing the next standardized test we have to take in order to get into a great school, which we have to do in order to even begin to have a successful life. Yes, there are creative classes given in schools as an option, but they are kind of hard to take when there are a bunch of credit requirements that must be reached in other "more important" classes such as math and science. This leaves only the few students who are strongly interested in the arts taking the art classes while the rest wouldn't imagine having to take a class in that field. Yes, it may be a little bit far from reach to start making students become more creative all of a sudden, but I think that once we all realize what it is that we should add to our education systems to do so, it will improve the way humans are in the large scheme of things.

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  11. School is killing creativity. Whether you are only allowed to write one page for an assignment or you can only do something with the examples that are provided, school bans creativity. When my younger sister was in first grade, her teacher banned her from reading Harry Potter because she thought that the books were too advanced. To this day, I cannot get my sister to read the Harry Potter series because of this experience. This sort of reminded me of when Ken Robinson was talking about the little girl drawing in the back of the classroom. In high school, everything is based towards getting into college. In college, everything is based on getting ready for the "real world." There is no wiggle room left for people to be creative. In high school, there is a lot of build up towards the SATs. People feel as though this one standardized test is going to make or break their future. Intelligence is diverse, as Robinson spoke about. One test, that has no creativity involved in it, should not be the deciding factor for college. Even AP classes teach only for the AP test. Schools teach only for the future. There is no creativity or learning to actually learn involved.
    Ellie B. Period 5

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  12. I don't necessary disagree with the point that schools kill creativity, but I would bring up the point that there are a variety of programs schools have that allow for students to think outside the box. For example, in Branford, there are a plethora of electives that are being taught that range from graphic design, to music, to engineering. To say that it is the education's fault is simply ignorant. It may be because some students do not show the initiative to search for them. Having a mix of the arts and the core classes results in a more diverse student body. Don't get me wrong, I definetly believe that fearing to fail is a part of our lives as students but I think that belief can be minimized if we want to.
    Tom S. P1

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  13. I completely agree with Ken in the way schools kill creativity in young children. Look at elementary schools, we listen to music and draw and read fun stories. Ask any kid that age and they want to be a writer, a singer, a dancer, etc. But once they hit middle school, that's crushed. We are told that yeah, those things are nice, but are they really going to be useful in getting a job? Out goes the music and the drawing, and in goes the facts that will be "needed" if we want to succeed. They try to gear us away from the arts, saying we'll just end up as a starving artist, doing plays at a community theater and working three jobs just to scratch by in the "real world". I still avidly remember one of my teachers almost laughing when I told them I wanted to pursue a career in writing. When I later asked them why they were so rude to have done that, they said, "Do you really think you could become a writer like J.K. Rowling or Judy Blume? I'm sorry but your chances are slim to none" I kid you not when I say I was so horribly insecure about my writing for a good few years until I realized, "Why should I care what this teacher thinks?" Being creative is an escape from reality for everyone, it's just squashed in the modern schooling system
    Kylee D P1

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  14. School does kill creativity. Ken Robinson is 100% correct about this. School teaches us what they think that we need to know for the real world and for college but some of us aren’t going to do these things in college. Also as he was saying we all learn differently. The ballerina learned when she was moving around and dancing. That’s how she understood things. Schools don’t offer a dance class unless you go to an arts school, but some kids will never know that they have these fantastic abilities because they never have the chance to try or will never go to that kind of school that lets them know. I think that for the most part creativity has been dimed in school and put kind of on the shelf because they think that all of the academics are way more important. They are important but I think that creativity and trying new things are important too. Schools ask us students to succeed in areas that not all of us can succeed in, and I think that its not fair to those who can only learn through other ways but their whole life they just think that they are un able to do anything and that they aren’t smart because they don’t have the opportunity to express themselves in a way that they can. There are programs that the schools offers to students but sometimes you just can’t take them because you don’t have enough time in your schedule with all of the academics that are being taken. Overall I agree that the school systems are killing creativity.
    Shannon F P5

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  15. I believe Ken Robinson is correct when he says "education kills creativity.". Education systems might not be entirely to fault though, instead I feel like the students in the education system are at least equally to blame. Kids nowadays often are the ones who shoot down the creative students just because they're not like everyone else, so naturally kids just conform and become normal because let's face it everyone just wants to be liked. So when it comes down to it yes the education system is at fault for putting every kid creative or not in the same class, but really the kids are at fault.
    jake j 1st

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  16. I agree with Ken Robinson and that schools kills creativity. We are constantly told to memorize information and facts that won’t have any connection to our life outside of the class. Students are then asked to be tested on how well they memorize the information, and it doesn’t really matter if you actually understand it. In high school, we are being prepared to make it into college and then in college, into the real world. With all the focus on this, it prohibits students from being able to leave time to express creativity. We are encouraged to fill up our schedule with all classes like science and math, but there isn't really much encouragement to take many art classes. Although our school offers a lot of art and and singing classes, students aren’t given as much of a chance to take them as they are a science class. This Ted talk made me question how much time for creativity our school offers and what could be done to increase the amount of creativity among students.
    Emma D. p1

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  17. I wouldn't completely agree with Ken Robinson but I do believe that a lot of his points are right. There are definitely education systems that solely provide the necessary tools to inspire children. Most schools include a large variety of electives that allow students a chance to explore more then the basic curriculum. Allow they do provide these things, Robinson is right in saying that "education kills creativity." Schooling teaches kids nowadays that you MUST go to college and after college you MUST get a good job and in order to do all of this, you need to get good grades. They stress this idea so much that it leaves kids uninspired to try new things and just focus on getting the "a" so that their future isn't a total failure. They manipulate kids minds into thinking that going down the path not taken will only leave you desperate and un-successful in the future. As Robinson explains, it is so common to view people with ADHD or ADD as problems and that by giving them a pill they will be fixed. Even parents trust these doctors thinking it is the right thing to do, the normal thing to do when in fact, this also kills creativity. The idea that education is everything makes people believe that changing someone through drugs is the correct thing to do instead of letting them live their lives. At the end of it all, while education systems provide a variety of different electives, it is still slowly killing creativity in kids throughout America.
    -Shelby Olivieri/Period 1

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  18. I partly agree with Robinsons' accusations of education systems shunning creativity. In school there is a very large emphasis on standardized testing and shaping all kids into the same mindsets. We're all expected to be able to thrive with the same learning techniques and process while still maintaining a sense of individuality. However, I haven't had many experiences with teachers trying to wholly get rid of my creativity, in fact most of the teachers I have had encourage it. Even in chemistry my current teacher encourages the class to use our creative minds to problem solve and come up with explanations in different situations. I think that what Robinson is overlooking is the demand that some core classes issue for students to use their creativity, like how students are asked to come up with real world examples for math problems. The fact of the matter is there's no real way of measuring creativity so you can't give out a test to find real statistics on student creativity. I don't think school is the problem some kids have with loosing their individuality and creative minds, I think society is. Society pushes even harder to shape every person into the same mold than schools do. In society, creativity is often looked at as weird. I know many people who are very creative even if they don't out rightly show it. Maybe people are just afraid to show their creativity and burry it under the rational minds that society and school alike tell us to have.
    Becca G. p1

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  19. This TED talk made me recognize some of the flaws in the educational systems throughout the world. As Sir Ken Robinson says, creativity is important as literacy. Yet, at school, it seems that students are being educated out of their originality. Truly, we are not prepared to be wrong. We are often told that making mistakes is the worst. Nowadays, intelligence is purely focused on one’s academic ability. However, as pointed out in this video, there is far more to an individual’s intellect than solely good grades. Why shouldn’t dance and music be valued the same as mathematics? Some say because math skills are generally more useful in the real world and it is too difficult to find careers in the arts. Yet, this wasn’t the case for Sarah mentioned in the clip. This girl was hopeless at school and was even thought to have a learning disability. When she went to the specialist to see “what was wrong with her”, the mother was told to take her to a dance academy. Here, she thrived and went on to open her own studio, and even she staged many successful productions. She was a multi millionaire. Therefore, I think it is important to realize that different people succeed in different environments, yet the school systems are so regulated. Our current systems tend to eliminate the richness of a human’s creative capacity. Human imagination is truly a gift. High schools should educate a student’s whole being instead of just preparing them for a university entrance.
    Carolyn C. Period 5

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    1. Sorry, the girl's name was Jillian.
      -Carolyn

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  20. I agreed with a lot of what Ken Robinson and thoroughly enjoyed how he presented his information. Though there are programs and classes that allow students to expand a bit, education systems in general aim to produce one mold of a person. Whether it be through ADHD medication or Common Core requirements, students are forced to be very similar to each other. They have the same goals- to get good grades, get into college, and get a well-paying job- when, in reality, the world is full of opportunities at all different levels that don't require them to achieve all of those goals. It's like the oft-quoted Einstein quote "Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid." There are different ways to be smart and different ways to be successful. Maybe it is time all of the world's education systems and our society as a whole start understanding that.

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    1. *a lot of what Ken Robinson said
      I also meant to add that I enjoyed how he used jokes and funny and thought-provoking anecdotes to make his point.

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  21. I agree with the TED talk. Having a structured system in which each child knows going in the first day of school how his or her classes are generally going to be like is disgusting. It takes away the interest and pushes students away. Having a structured system also kills creativity. Sure, the core classes, such as math, are bound to be structured, but the rest shouldn't be. The majority of a students classes should be ones that he or she choose because he or she is truly interested in them. Not because society deems they should because colleges want them to. Students goals are no longer to learn, but to get an A so they can get into college and "be successful". I can honestly say that i don't remember half the stuff i learned in classes that i have gotten As' in. I never touch the material a second time unless I have to for my grade. This sort of system doesn't encourage creativity at all. It stifles it. How can a student be creative when all he or she is doing is shoving their face in a book to make sure they "ace the next test". Two quotes from Albert Einstein that show this are "The only thing that interferes with my learning is my education" and "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
    Chad C. Period 1

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  22. I agree with Sir Ken Robinson that the American education system has many flaws and hinders the capacities of our creative minds. In this clip he states, "Kids become frightened of being wrong- we stigmatize mistakes, and now run an education system where mistakes are the worst thing you can make." He follows this claim with arguments that the current American structure educates kids "out of" their creativity rather than advancing it. He passionately supports the ideal of Picasso, that we are all born as artists. As many of us agree, this is a growing issue that needs to be corrected. However, devising such reform is not so simple. Perhaps, hours of dance class or singing lessons is not the answer, but it is critical that we strive to maintain our inventive capacities and imaginations. Otherwise, we will turn into citizens who lack the ability to "think outside the box," explore differing viewpoints, or make firm standpoints for what we believe in. I agree with Sir Ken Robinson that the American education system has many flaws and hinders the capacities of our creative minds. In this clip he states, "Kids become frightened of being wrong- we stigmatize mistakes, and now run an education system where mistakes are the worst thing you can make." He follows this claim with arguments that the current American structure educates kids "out of" their creativity rather than advancing it. He passionately supports the ideal of Picasso, that we are all born as artists. As many of us agree, this is a growing issue that needs to be corrected. However, devising such reform is not so simple. Perhaps, hours of dance class or singing lessons is not the answer, but it is critical that we strive to maintain our inventive capacities and imaginations. Otherwise, we will turn into citizens who lack the ability to "think outside the box," explore differing viewpoints, or make firm standpoints for what we believe in.
    Raissi Bysiewicz- period five!

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    1. I was having trouble posting this, and accidentally copied it twice. It is supposed to end after the first, "...make firm standpoints for what we believe in."
      Raissi B

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  23. I agree with Ken Robinson with what he was pointing out. I believe that we should all be introduced to all various subjects and topic. From that point on, we should be able to choose to focus on the we like the most. It's basically college but getting to choose those classes earlier on. Everyone learns differently and different things interests some more than the others. I'm more of arts including writing person. Robinson says," At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts. Everywhere on Earth. And in pretty much every system too, there's a hierarchy within the arts. Art and music are normally given a higher status in schools than drama and dance. There isn't an education system on the planet that teaches dance everyday to children the way we teach them mathematics." I completely get what he is saying. In my old school in nepal,we had a general feel of every subject. There was many arts and crafts classes including dancing. There were many art competitions which included dancing/singing but we also had the other side such as writing essays competitions. I loved how there was a little of everything that was offered. I didn't feel like I was forced to learn to love math or science. Of course, arts isn't for everyone and some do love the general subjects like math. As we got older, we were taught that these basic classes ( english, math, foreign language subj,science and social studies) are the key subjects to build on a career. I do agree that math, science, english, social studies are important but I don't understand why the foreign language subject was standard during middle school. I think school does kill our creativity but at the same time, I can't speak for everyone.
    Shradha S P-1

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  24. I think this is accurate. I especially agree with the area in which he talked about mistakes. I think that all adults will punish the young, or even other adults for that matter, when they have made a mistake. We start to silence our ideas for fears that they won't be good enough, or wrong. The more this happens, the more we put ourselves deeper into self doubt. Imagine all the big thinkers there have been in the world. If they had hidden there ideas, for fear of being wrong and criticized about it, where would we be? We all have so many ideas that get squandered. One thing he mentioned Picasso saying was "I believe this passionately, that we don't grow into creativity, we grow out of it. Or rather, we get educated out if it." I feel like this is extremely true. It's just like doing an assignment in a different light, and then failing because you didn't do it quite like the teacher did. Overall, I think that what Ken Robinson said really ends this off nicely; "What you have there is a person of extraordinary dedication who found a talent. And my contention is, all kids have tremendous talents. And we squander them, pretty ruthlessly."
    Skyler Unitas P.1

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  25. I definitely agree with the statement that education kills our creativity. More specifically, I agree that our education system does not make for a good work force because we are all taught a fixed curriculum that are not tailored to individuals. I feel individuality is a huge part of creativity. I do not feel that one or two arts classes per day is enough, and that more needs to be done to incorporate creativity into daily schedules. Additionally, we spend so much time in the classrooms preparing for these big standardized tests that have potential to decide what type and level colleges we can go to. In school we should be able to express our creativity in many more ways than we do now.
    Sam Coleman- Period 1

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  26. It really stood out to me when Sir Ken Robinson said, "If you're not afraid to be wrong, you won't come up with anything original." This means that to be creative you must come up with ideas of your own, because it's more important to be original than to be correct. And who defines what is correct or not? When Sir Ken Robinson points out that we educate one side of the brain more than the other, and often instead of the other (the left is the focus in public schools), I agree completely. Our society discourages success in the arts. While being an artist of any discipline may not be job lucrative enough to support one's family, there is nothing wrong with being creative on the side. We are turning into a society that neglects an entire half of their brains (the right side).
    Katey Yale P.5

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  27. The reason for all of these descrepancies in what is prioritized in school is the end result, as Robinson was saying. Of course I believe that dance and theater are important, but it's much more difficult to become successful in that are than it is in places such as science/math environments. If we were all able to be successful at the things we love, then a whole lot more people would be happy. Part of the problem is that we glorify being adequate or better at math, and while we do the same for actors and dancers, we don't seem to attribute their success to anything. Because of the internalized prejudice against people proficient in the arts, we are left to hype up the sciences. There is something admirable that people generally see in those who strive to want to learn more about the world around them. Theater and dance and are equally valuable and different, and it's time we as a society allow people to do whatever they please, as long as they love it.

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  28. After watching TED talks I agree with almost everything the speaker spoke about. Our educational program today is made to get students to the next academic level, not to learn because the student wants to learn. With this process when does it ever stop? Also, the pressure put on students to succeed extraordinary, but are they even succeeding? In my opinion there is no set definition of success, everyone has there own because everyone has different things they want to achieve in their life. If we rethink education and create a system where creativity is excepted instead of being denied, maybe it could not only make our world a more creative place, but formulate more ideas to help end present and future issues.
    Abby Atkinson
    Class:5

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  29. I couldn't agree with Robinson any more on how schools are killing creativity. I believe that the youth and what they become will play a big role in the future. Their creativity will determine what they will end up as. Schools should help students find and embrace their talents they are born with. The schools only focus on the main subjects and not student's creativity. Schools do not take students talents seriously and take them for granted. Children do not only need to know subjects like mathematics and science to become successful. An example of this is one like the girl Robinson mentions in the video when she has ADHD and become a successful dancer. Schools should value talents like these because children and excel and become successful. Bottom line is schools should value children's creativity and not take that away from them.
    Mike A. period 1

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  30. After listening to what Ken Robinson explained, I realized that the education system does kill, or at least severely damage, creativity. This is because the standard ways of teaching a child do not allow kids to think for themselves and create their own ideas through creativity. Ken talked about how the public education system is primarily focusing on the "brains" of children and their knowledge about certain subjects such as math, language, and science rather than others, such as the arts. He mentions that most children are told, from the moment that they are born, that they mustn’t ever try to pursue a job in the arts because it won’t give them a steady line of work later on in life. School systems focus too heavily on forming the minds of their students so that they will be able to plan for the future (which we cannot), as Ken said. I firmly agree with Ken Robinson’s points on the issue of the education system because I think that if given the opportunity to become more creative, students would be able to prosper and share their true talents with the world.
    Jillian M. Period 1

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  31. I agree with Ken Robinson that school kills creativity. I believe that school kills creativity in students and teachers. To start, I believe that school kills students creativity. Students are always being told what to do and where to go in a school day. Most of the time, students who "think outside of the box" and do something different, seem unusual. Society views that person as someone who isn't doing what's normal. Students are always given the information that others believe they should learn. School gives students no time to learn what they really want to learn. In addition, they are always being told how to learn something. For example, students are always told how to review something by following the instructions on a worksheet. I believe this kills their creativity to learn the best for them. School also kills teacher's creativity. Teachers are always being told what to teach their students and how to do it. They must follow specific guidelines as to how they must teach the future generations. This kills their creativity because it Doesn't allow them to create their own ways for students to comprehend new materials. Overall, I strongly agree that school kills creativity.
    Alyssa S p.1

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  32. He makes a really good point in saying that school just ignores or demonizes certain classes or learning when it come to the kids and promotes other things that might no be the correct choice for that particular student and if a student goes through a minimum of 12 years of school without their particular talent being taught it could potentially kill creativity and that is the problem because while we need school it is potentially hindering us from discovering what we can really do but at the same time we cant expect school to be to offer every possible class because that is just unreasonable so while he does make good points I also feel that it is somewhat up to us to explore our creativity on our own.
    Tyler R P.1

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  33. Robinson makes a good point: being wrong holds us back because it's seen as a failure in society. We fear failure; We want to be successful. Having more eccentric, artsy occupations can be the more difficult route to take compared to academic achievements. Schools tend to focus on persuasive and argumentative thinking for "core subjects," so if you want a class that promotes creativity, you have to go out of your way to make that happen. Majority wise, what classes are crammed into our eight hour schedule aren't promoting creativity; there just isn't the extra time in a class because it's necessary to understand concepts and there isn't enough space in our schedules.
    Meredith J. Period 5

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  34. Ken Robinson made a good point. Schools downgrade creativity. Robinson said in his speech "At the top are mathematics and languages, then the humanities, and the bottom are the arts." I interpreted arts as like creativity, and the ability to make something special. I can connect to this because in a lot of my classes, I feel like I have to follow a rubric for everything. If we let students think for themselves and add some creativity, schools could produce more thoughtful workers.
    Scott K. Per.1

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  35. I love this Ted talk. I have thought for a while now that schools don't pay enough attention to creativity. To back myself up I would say how essays now don't have anything to do with us personally. You write an essay to get a good grade. That goes for all aspects of school not just English. SAT is a standardized test and everyone wants to get a good grade to go to college and that's it. But he mad some new points that I never really thought about. My favorite would have to be the story he tells in the start where the young child messed up his line because that was what he thought it was. He went on to say that if we live in fear of messing up then we will never have the ability to do something great. Picasso's paintings were considered radical and ugly all throughout his life, and yet today he is one of the most famous artist that ever lived. Do you think he worried about what people would say? No he did it for himself and if we truly want to be creative we need to teach kids that it's okay to fall flat on your face if you're willing to pick yourself up and try again.

    Marissa S. P 5

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  36. I really enjoyed this TedTalk; I thought it was extremely powerful and I agreed with almost everything the speaker said. It makes me deeply sad when I think about how many people truly detest school. It's terrible that from such an early age, we disregard the vast differences in children's interests to teach them a single curriculum. I wonder how many of my friends today who dread waking up every morning would like it better if school catered to them and taught them the things that they cared about and could use. I understand that we need engineers and doctors and scientists in our world and I would never minimize this. However, we also need artists and dancers and poets and athletes and musicians and chefs, and when we prioritize skills, it is a disservice to all the potential creativity that children and people possess. People produce better results in work when they truly enjoy and care about what they are doing. This TedTalk made me think a lot about our education system and how lacking it is sometimes. Perhaps what America needs is more specialized schools and more art schools and more music schools, beginning at a younger age. I think general education is important, but it's also important to foster individuality and uniqueness. It makes me sad to think about classes like Physics this year, because it reminds me of my own shortcomings and the shortcomings of my education. This class requires me not just to memorize formulas, but to really solve problems, creatively, on another level. Because this is so unusual in my past education history, I find myself often unable to do well and truly grasp the ideas and it makes me extremely frustrated at this failure.

    Lily

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  37. I deeply agree with this Ted Talk. Schools kill creativity in more than one way, and i've experienced it first hand. While it is true that no school can make every student a creative genius, there's certainly plenty of room for improvement as of where schools stand right now. The common core of schools across the nation surpress the individualism of students. Instead of creating ways to allow students to embrace their special talents, they're forced to do everything the same way as everyone else. Undeniably, we're all very different people, and schools should have the ability formulate learning strategies special for individual students.
    - Rome

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