I stumbled upon this video recently, where Sir Ken Robinson speaks about creating an education system that nurtures creativity, rather than undermining it. He points out the many ways our schools fail to recognize the talents of many brilliant people.
“We are educating people out of their creativity” — he says.
Now I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, and this question has been bugging me…
If our children are being born with higher degrees of consciousness than we are — could our present way of living and education be holding them back from their true potential?
Your reply to my last email about Indigo children left me stunning. So here is another one. Keep the discussion alive and tell me what’s your opinion on this. Please leave your comments below the video.
My name is Burt Goldman. I’m one of those “lucky people” who discovered a secret early in life. For the last 50 years, I have been traveling the world and meeting and studying spiritual masters from every inch of our planet. Now, at the age of 82, I’m ready to share with the world what I have learned. I started this blog to be able to share with you my most valuable teachings and insights I have gained over the past few decades. Here, you’ll find plenty of valuable information on meditation, energy healing, spirituality, and my latest revelation, Quantum Jumping. I look forward to connecting with you and I sincerely hope you enjoy being a part of this blog.
I agree with you 150%. All children are born with the abilities of an awareness around them. It is the parents and school systems that kill the subconcious from being able to accept the truth. Many people laugh at them if they say anything that the majority of people feel is the norm. I have always been open and accepting of my 3 son’s all 3 have the abilities to that inner voice as I do. I did tell them not to talk openly about there abilities due to closed minded people. Anna
[…] This is also thought provoking, and leaves your previous beliefs of intelligence and in the gutter, you almost feel ashamed after this article, I would imagine especially if you have a kid which you’ve put on Ritalin. […]
Logical and innovative thinking and delivered with a WONDERFUL sense of humore! Thanks.
WOW! This fellow is good. My children are very young, just 11 and 9. I feel as a mother, I am confused to how I should raise my children. This world is changing so fast, we as parents need to change our way of thinking. Indigo children. crstyal children are on the raise.I fel I need to educate myself more on this topic, because not only does it fasinate me but it holds a lot of truth. I need to find ways to how I can help my children grow into better adults. Thanks for opening my eyes.
I have worked at a very creative school with lots of creative pupils. If people feel safe happy and are allowed to practice their ideas with tools and tasks and their own imagination you can have a wonderful school. Sometimes envy and negativism lack of equipment a unhealthy bad building etc makes it hard though.
You have to make both pupils and teachers feel safe happy and also healthy.
People need self confidence etc and they need to allow themself and others to practice things in their own good time in their own pace. People need to learn and practice communication.
The school itself needs to have a nice building and nice beautiful surroundings etc.
Teachers most be allowed to teach in a good atmosphere.
Teachers education probably is rather good for small children and creativity practical learning by doing subjects and art and music drama and dancing etc for small children especially but for older their seem to be a lack of methods for teaching self confidence and imagination etc. For children to understand they can learn new topics by actually thinking good things. To actually try and practice and trying ideas and methods different tools and different solutions and being allowed to come up with new ideas etc is so important. Schools should be good places. An allowing place. A beautiful place , a place to try things and to have fun to be allowed to do new things.
The staff and parents teachers and pupils should allow pupils and teachers to be special and individual and different to be creative.
Carina.
Everything sir Ken tells us is absolutely true… Unfortunately! I remember myself when I was 13–14. I was much more smarter and in many more ways. I was creative and imaginative and knew no frontiers for my thoughts. Who emptied my brains in the meanwhile? Obviously, the schools I followed (I’m a surgeon!). I’m 44 now and I’d give anything to feel the power of mind I had 30 years ago. And I witness the same thing happening to my 16 y.o. son. We’re now trying to improve ourselves through the method of Jose Silva. Trying to get where we once were…
I couldn’t understand some parts of this article ols Kill Our Children’s Creativity? | The American Monk, but I guess I just need to check some more resources regarding this, because it sounds interesting.
I read similar article also named s Creativity? | The American Monk, and it was completely different. Personally, I agree with you more, because this article makes a little bit more sense for me
I am an educator in BC Canada who focuses on creativity everyday in everything I do. The system does need to change… but educators have a very important role to play in creating this change. Number crunching, ranking schools and government exams do nothing but stifle creativity. I walk to my own beat teaching in a way that fosters the maximum of creativity I can squish into a day. Often times, I have to break down years of conformity to get students back on track, believing in themselves and their potential as individuals. As educators we need to be educating for the future not the now, this means equipping students with the skills to deal in a changing world. The following is an article I wrote suggesting our strong leaders of tommorrow might just be our artists of today.
The Artist as Leader
by Lisa Chase
Recently, upon taking a class in process painting, an awareness of the similarities of both artists and true leaders in our society became clear. It is the work of artists who reflect our world back to us through their creations that changes the way we look at the world. And, it is leaders in our society who help us to grow in new directions.
Leaders take risks. This might mean going down a path that no one else has ever traveled. In today’s world, there isn’t much room for comfort or imitation. Macintosh, 3M, or Hallmark did not gain success by following mainstream ideals. By definition, creativity means to think outside of the box, or to depart from the familiar. Successful leaders as well as artists do just that; both depart from the norm. It is a means of self-empowerment to find new ways in a rapidly changing world; a world where continuous learning and growth is necessary. Throughout history, our stories reflect the strong leaders and artists who ventured out, who found their own voice, and in doing so lead with great passion.
Research suggests that being a strong leader demands that an individual has vision. An artist too must have a vision when they create. Often a piece of work is first perceived, then conceived. Both artists and leaders breathe life into their vision by immersing themselves in it. An artist/leader is one who “lights the way”, for others to follow. A great leader, leads not by defining the world for others, but by arousing in others deep , probing questions, and thoughts and feelings which challenge our definition of our self and our world.
For leaders, communication plays an important role in working with others. And, for artists, ones ‘soul’ purpose is to communicate ideas through a given medium, be it painting, writing, music, or a dramatic performance. It is through this medium that a relationship between artist and audience is created. However, an artist/leader’s most important relationship is first with the self. For from the relationship with the self flows all right relationships with others. A strong sense of self, helps the artist/leader to find and have the confidence in expressing his/her own inner voice. This deep relationship with the self helps to connect individuals with the fabric of an organization or with society as a whole. And, by marching to the beat of our own drum, leaders and artists find the strength to lead in our ever changing world.
To be a strong leader, one has to be prepared to take risks; to say what needs to be said, or do what needs to be done. This is also true of the artist. No masterpiece was ever conceived without first taking a risk. Leaders and artists, by nature, challenge pre-conceived notions. By living their passion, they break the fear barrier and tap into life’s energy force. And, in doing so they help others ignite their own creative passion.
According to General Electric CEO Jack Welch, “ leaders probe and push with a curiosity that borders on skepticism.” The same can be said for artists as they play, experiment, stretch boundaries and explore new paths in their artistic endeavors.
Leaders and artists both realize the importance of celebrating their successes. This is why our world is graced with museums, book stores, radio stations, art galleries, and musical and dramatic performances. Celebrating allows leaders and artists to recharge their batteries and begin the cycle of creating all over again.
As a society, we have not placed enough value on our artists; but as our world continues to change, we just might find that it is our artists who have what it takes to be the creative leaders of tomorrow.
I do believe we are educating our children out of their creativity and teaching them to be frightened of being wrong! I hope to bring some creativity back into after school tutoring.
Absolutey awesome and inspiring!!!! I wish we as parents had access to such insight when we were raising our kids.
But I feel fortunate to be able to forward this to my children who hopefully will take into consideration the points in this talk when they raise their own children.
Thanks for sharing this with us..
Execellent talk!
It helps me to think a different ways to raise my 2 kids. Parents and teachers should know this for better awareness of educating the young.
Thank you
Terence
How profound ! I actually cried as I heard this video.
I have no childern, although I was able to understand that I am a product of this way of devaluaing creativity.
I am also an artist, and was told that I would be a starving one, had I choose that for a career. My degree is a BA in arts, which is complelely useless without a masters, also have an LPN lincense, and a CDL. My education is the result of being a product of society, to make a living. I am very grateful for seeing this viedo. It has calmed a part of my being that has been unable to rest for all my life. Thanks, keep up the awesome work!
It is very important problem which has great influence for the future of next generations and has to be considered immediately publicly by parents, decisive bodies and scientists all around the world. We, as present generation, awake to the danger of diminuishing human being dignity and its potential, are responsible to introduce Hippocrate’s rule “not to do any harm” into education.
It is great news that thre are now visionairies, like Sir Ken Robinson, appearing in education.
Education needs to be more holistic with sports/physical activities taken everyday! Also, an increase in the status of vocational courses. It is rather ironic that people who are considered well educated are unable to make anything of any practical use and have a sense of superiority over those who can.
With the advent in our understanding of how the brain/mind actually works we are on the threshold a very exciting time in human development; but on the downside, there will be considerble resistance to change from powerful vested interests; teachers, educationalists and political bodies.
It’s interesting how long it has taken for this subject to be seriously addressed by qualified professional educators.
I suspect most parents ae intimidated by school systems and child psychologists, who write owners’ manuals for mothers and fathers, complete with charts of what is “normal” for each age — 6 months, 12 months, etc., etc. Many frustrated children are victims of standardized expectations.
Further, funding for the arts has been filched by the pedagogues, technocrats and accountants in charge of public educational facilities. It’s no wonder todays teens are indulging in graffiti and memorizing hip hop “songs” — in the absence of music and art classes they’ve formed their free-form way of expressing themselves in “Lord of the Flies” fashion.
Fortunately for me, the school system I grew up with offered music and art classes as part of the required curriculum– and this was in the depression. Our grade cards included these classes and the grades were taken seriously. When I was in second grade I suggested we write a play. We did, with the teacher’s enthusiastic approval — wrote the dialogue, painted the scenery ourselves, learned the parts and performed it at the Junior High School “Lyceum”. And in the cities there were things like settlement houses in which under-employed professional artists of all varieties nurtured hungry kids who needed more than a square meal.
My four children are all creative. My eldest knew every color in the 64 crayon box when she was 2. I gave her a sketch book, explaining that it was her very own and she could draw anything she wanted on every single page. It took less than two days to complete her book. My favorite, the only one I didn’t recognize, looked like a thin crescent moon with a fringe on its outer edge. I made a terrible faux pas — asking her what it was. She looked at me as if just discovering my terrible limitations and announced solemnly, “Why, Mama, that’s a banana with a whole lot of legs.” Quickly recovering, I squinted seriously at the page, turning it a bit here and there and smiled, “Of course it is. I was just looking at it wrong.” Her fears of my retardation were thus quelled.
My second daughter’s 1st grade teacher called to report that she had been having trouble with Mindy. I was astonished and told her I couldn’t imagine it. Mindy was a total delight. I queried her as to proper behavior, congeniality, willingness to share, completion of assignments, etc. She assured me it was none of the above. Frustrated, I asked her to give me an example of the kind of problem she was having with Mindy.
“She just won’t conform.” She announced with considerable conviction.
“Could you give me an example of how she doesn’t conform.
I asked, deciding I needed more information.
“Here’s a perfect example,” sez she. “The other day the class was making turkeys and Mindy had the prettiest turkey in the class. But, I swear, I only turned my head for a minute, and in that minute Mindy took her brush and stuck it in every color she could find and put theose colors all over the turkey’s tail.”
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.
“IT WASN’T THE TURKEY WE WERE MAKING!!!!” she snarled.
“If that’s what you mean by not conforming, I’m not about to force her to restrict her creativity. I’m not raising any sheep!” I countered firmly .
“I think I’m beginning to see the problem here. We’ll have to see about that.” she stated in Grand Inquisitor tonality, and quickly ended the conversation.
Inasmuch as homeschooling was not allowed, I diligently provided cultural enrichment courses at home in the form of fun things to do.
My son, after a very vocal protest at being left out of the fun, painted his first watercolor at 14 months. Despite the conventional wisdom that children are incapable of even holding a normal crayon until the age of 6, he had no trouble learning to dip the brush into his very own pint mayonnaise jar, roll the brush to a nice point and choose his colors judiciously in creating his fascinating creations of tiny squiggles. We later learned that he is nearsighted.
My youngest daughter exhibited perfect pitch at 9 months. Having sung since age 2, my attempt to teach her to say MAMA came out sing song. She responded with Da Da,but in the same exact notes. I changed to different notes and so did she. Having changed the tune sufficiently to be convinced I wasn’t imagining things, I reported to her father that we had a singer in the family. At first he didn’t believe, so I challenged him to check it out himself. About 15 minutes later he breathlessly apologized, and announced further that she had produced 3 perfect tones, not just two!
I doubt that many of today’s parents, many of whom are working two jobs to just get by, could devote the time and effort to such endeavors. However, it might be possible to form creative “salons” where pre schoolers and primary grade kids could have the opportunity to explore their creativity with volunteer adult facilitators. It wouldn’t cost very much but time, imagination and love.
Sorry about the length of this, but it really needs to be said, for the sake of young parents and the future scions of our society.
I’d like to add one serious consideration, which doesn’t seem to be addressed anywhere in the entire educational literature. The most valuable qualities in our great leaders, authors, artists and performers, inventors, philosophers, etc. are a bloody nuisance in the classroom! Teachers have quite a time dealing with independence, self determination, integrity, critical discernment, personal integrity, imagination, experimentation, innovation (finish the list) .… all will test the patience and energy of the best of us. But that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? You can’t raise a docile, willing, compliant class member and then suddenly throw that innocent hot house flower out into the hurly burly, violent, greedy, demanding world of no set rules, no teacher, no monitor, and expect him/her to do a 180, going from child to adult without a bobble. It’s not merely unrealistic — it’s downright crazy!
There’s no “quick and dirty” solution, but it deserves our highest priority.
Thanks for providing the space and listeners.
Mary
Yes these children exist!
I have one myself.
I also have a new child. I believe he is a STAR child.
My wife and I were talking and she wanted another child.
A few months later.
I asked if anyone wanted to come and live with us. Many times during a 2 day period.
Gues what! 2 weeks later we were pregnant.
he is 8 months and knows what I am going to give him before I offer it to him.
But These children do exist. The problem is in teaching them who they are.
M San Jose Ca.
Its important to know your purpose of life on earth.you feel happy if you are let to do what you like most because then and only then you will be creative by expressing your passion wich comes from within . I thing the teacher should be humoristic just like mr Robertson so that the class does,nt get boring .… Marios varnavides .
You can’t possibly expect a general system to nurture and help promote EVERY POSSIBLE TALENT/SKILL that EVERY child may show.
The public school system gives kids a basis.
It teaches kid’s how to swim, before throwing them in the lake. Sure, some kid may be excellent in butterfly style, while another might excel at freestyle… but that’s where the PARENTS come in, and where the kid’s free time comes in, with which they should develop their talents and skills.
If you hate your job or the way your life turned out: CHANGE IT. Move to a new city. Get a new job. Make a list of the things you want to do, and do it. Find what excites you in life, and pursue it. Please don’t blame the education system, which only helped to give you building blocks with which to work with.
I’ve just spent the last 5 years in a daily effort of re-aligning my spine. It’s no coincidence really, it’s exactly what it took for me to finally re-align my lifestyle. After loosing everything I identified myself with I discovered I was beyond my wildest dream… I was an artist. Every day I draw or paint, practice Tia Chi, look for the best nutrition I can afford (organic/local/fresh), and try to find new ways to nurture my heart and seeing the heart in others.
I wonder what my life would look like today if I’d been encouraged to dance, sing and paint at the age of 4 when I first remember having the desire. All those years sitting on the sideline watching and yearning to participate.
When I paint I feel “Grace” flow through me. I’m amazed and feel alive.
I tried to teach my child and encourage hime with his creativity 30 years ago but we are not the only ones raising our children in North America.We had to send them to public school at that time.Home schooling was not allowed in the early 1970s so a lot of what I thought him before he went to school was ruined.He came home many times crying because he was told what he said wasn’t true.It was just silly and it was only in his imagination.When he got older he stopped listening to the teachers so his marks went down.One good thing though he still kept in some of what I encouraged him with since he is over 35 now and he is doing and trying to eliminate a lot of the old programings he got from the teachers and the public.Of course I have learned a lot more since then myself.It would sure be nice if I knew then what I know now.
As I perceive now-a-days the new generation of children are out beating either of the 2 parents in intelligence, approach, thoughts, & deeds, They are sometimes think better than the parents & act, because they understood the modern living is so competitive & challenging for their survival. The parents are matured in age & experience, but childern go ahead with their ideas & thought in a refined way to achieve their own creative future
I totally agree. I never looked at it this way, but it explains a lot… as a child, I learned it’s better to be quiet, than wrong. As a parent, I looked to the schools to help me guide my kids, to get the “best” education.
I’ve felt like a failure because my boys didn’t have straight A’s and they don’t want to continue schooling. Hell, to be honest, I’m just glad they made it through 12 Grades! These are 2 high energy kids (yes, ADD, etc. was hinted at by a couple of teachers and friends. ..instead, we put them in soccer /sports and encouraged them to be creative at home.…
My older boy has a job that he loves (working at a snowboarding/ski resort, driving cats & machines & boarding the best powder)- (winters) and he’s firefighting the rest of the year. Hard work, but he’s young, healthy, active and loves it! Is that so bad?
I get up everyday & go to a job I don’t like…because (41 years ago)everybody laughed when I told them I wanted to be an artist when I grow up!
I am a 6th grade teacher in California. The question must be raised, “What is the purpose of public education?” My answer to this is that it is to make children productive members of our society. Are we doing that? Well, with limited funds, low pay, and federal expectations, the schools are not able to teach creativity in the arts, so we must focus on skills children will need to get jobs when they graduate. That leaves creativity training to parents. Nothing stops parents from enrolling their kids in after school dance, art, music, etc. programs to enhance their creativity. If we want to see these in public schools, the money and time need to be there, which it isn’t in present times. You can’t blame schools for educating creativity out of kids. You need to take responsibility for encouraging creativity in your own kids.
Ron Hubbard, one of the best science fiction writers of the last century, remarked how the world’s greatest writers of all times were not graduates from our leading universities, but drop outs.
I totally agree with all of the comments & the video. My son was figety in school, busy. I would ask the teacher to give him extra work to do. that never happend. I would get a note each day on what kind of a day he had; good day, bad day, etc. Instead of receiving encouragement, they were always picking on him especially. It makes me sick
The principle made a comment that he should see a psychiatrist. My comment was, my brother in law is a doctor & that was never mentined. He was always an active little boy. He was very creative & I wrote a note to the teacher that I didn’t want her stifling my sons spirit. I fought for him & my daughter all through school. My daughter has a masters degree, my son is a professional baseball player, a pitcher
I am an artist. 64 years old, getting my BFA, Bachelors of Fine Arts in Photography. When in grammar school, I couldn’t wait for Art Class. I got great grades most of my life (I’m a life long learner), but it is always those creative classes that are easy for me. I get an A, and I’m done on time. When it comes to sitting still to write about someone else’s great life and accomplishment, it takes me forever to finish. I am an artist, I’m always thinking about how something should look, I always have a plan in my head about how to do something. Color is the most important part of my life, the color I wear, the color of the room where I must spend time, what color the teacher has on; all important issues to me.
Photography is a culmination of creative classes that I’ve experienced. It may sound simple, but taking pictures is different than shooting photographs. All my creative energies go into one photograph, it must be perfect to me and it is for others too, because of my awareness. I’m glad I am an artist, my father was a tailor and my mother painted and so I was not told to do something else other than art. I am happy with that.
BRAVO! My son was diagnosed as hyperactive. When he was (very expensively) “tested” I was told he would never learn to read. Luckily, I paid no attention to these pundits. He is now a successful musician and songwriter and incredible artist designing his band’s sets and cd covers and is famous world wide. His lyrics often lambast our educational system. He has won the Best Drummer in Hollywood award three years in a row. He was one of the children referred to in this inspirational video. I am a teacher who has left the system because of what I have seen it doing to our children. How wonderful to hear a voice in the wilderness crying the truth like this video!!!
The education system everyone is speaking about is the “Public” system not the Private system. My son’s learning style was different than 99% of his classmates in public school and he had learning issues and needed tutoring.He was very creative and could visualize in 3D and replicate anything he saw out of Legos-and I mean anything! Moving him to a Private school was the best fit for him and he has flourished. The Public school system is made for a type of student and only works well for those human beings who fit that model. If you took out all the students like my son from the Public School System you’d see a much smaller
group! Unfortunately, Private schools are so expensive and exceed some college tuitions. Wouldn’t it be an awesome world if we could educate all children by having them go to schools that fit their learning style? My sons school is an example of that model. They have financial aid for some who cannot pay and you can see how these kids lives are transformed by getting out of the Public schools and going into Private school. I have witnessed this for over 20 years at this school so I know it works. The Public system is outdated, broken, and only serves the top 10% at most.Why as a leader in the world the US still uses a broken system is beyond me. The answer lies in the fact that the US is not interested in really educating those who do not fit into the system, are poor and the wealthy take care of their children by moving them into Private schools. All of the children who do not fit and are not served by the Public System may be intelligent, creative,etc. but unless they are educated and go to college they end up working at low paying jobs and/or prison. If you volunteer at an elementary Public school you will see what I mean. There are many children that are hungry to learn and yet due to their low economic status they are not given tutoring opportunities when the need arises–and it is by the rules set out by our government that ONLY children with high IQ’s who are under performing–GET the free tutoring that is so valuable to succeed. Those children who do not have high IQ’s get nothing. If you volunteer as I did to help tutor those children you will see that there is nothing wrong with their IQ! So, there are children everywhere all over the country that are tossed aside and not helped because our government says they are not intelligent enough to tutor. What happens to many of these children? A lot of them go to prison instead of college.
I agree. My second grade teacher recognized my gift as an artist. I strongly feel that it was a God send more than her nurturing my talent. The shock and awe on her face is still very clear in my mind. I was fortunate to grow up in an era where there were still plenty of art programs in the public school system for me to choose from. This allowed me to express my creativity more fully. I worry about the lack of funding for arts in our public school system and how it affects the natural flow of our artists. I can honestly say that art was my savior during that time in my life.
Well I must confess I was one of those children that was pressured to choose advanced maths over art. I still use art and regret not having learnt more, but I never use advanced maths! Drawing was a natural talent in me since early childhood, maths was never natural to me. Drawing helps me to express my self, maths doesn’t.
An idea that has been in my mind for the last 4 years now, since I worked as a nanny and took free parenting courses run by the church, is the need for parenting courses to be included in the school curriculum. We have disfunctional parents raising disfunctional kids only to repeat the cycle in a downward spiral. Real parenting courses teach self-awareness, creative thinking, positive problem solving — often deliberately ignoring negative behaviour and focusing on positive behaviour to promote it, understanding the cry for love and child psychology. We only need to watch the Super Nanny shows on TV to see the transformation in character of the parents which then reflects on the behaviour of the child.
If every child in the world was given a parenting course perhaps with some childcare work experience or video shows, focusing on nurturing creativity and the integrity of the human being, the world can be turned around in one single generation — I strongly believe this.
Creativity is the only thing that makes us truly human beings, without it we are merely machines.
To the work places that target mistakes and isolate the purpetrator, I can only say a mistake is a priceless tool for improvement, rather than appointing blame, use the mistake to pinpoint areas of weakness that with assistance can be strengthened. Help your fellow man to improve, don’t condemn him for not being as perfect as you! People will give their best when they feel respected and valued, if you treat people as objects, that’s how they will treat the work — you get what you give.
A mistake is the most valuable building tool I have if you will let me learn from it.
I do agree with you even when you had never screened this view to me, especially in a continent like Africa where curriculums have been inherented from colonialism which do not comply with african challenges on the ground and educational language does not assist many poor african children to disect the module content.
In addition, a child is born with his/her talents only education rarely direct them but generaly jeopardise them.
This is 100% with how we are develpoing now and have done for a long time now. I would like to put this into action, but I am stuck for ideas on how to act and start this off, and to set up a possible education for this. I need to get help and funding and educators who are inspirational to all. I come from New Zealand and want to put this into more of an action to bring this true for our future. This is just not for our children but for ourselves. I am sure there is a huge mass of people around this beautiful world that would like to see this happen too. Please help with my inspiration too…
Schooling does not kill our childrens creativity, lack of parenting does. As parents, each individual has the responsibility of raising –programming in jose silva terms– their kids with the correct attitudes and mind sets to be sucessful in the world, even amidst various systems (schooling being one of many of them) that have inate flaws, that may adversley affect their children. If a parents raises their child to have the belief that I am creative in all circumstance, especially at school them it it highly probbable that their child will adopt this belief as their own and live it in their daily earth experience. As a teacher, parent and a believer, I have come to find that that the greatest power I have, is to adopt beliefs that are condusive to what I want to experience in this life. The second greatest power I have is the ability to effectively influence others –inculding my children– to adapt beliefs that give them freedom, sucess and happiness. The belief that any idividual, group of people, program, of system has more influence over their reality experience –the observer as it is called in quantum physics– than their own thinking demenishes that power. It is best to teach a child, how to use schooling to their advantage than to adopt the belief schooling demenishes their creativity. Since schooling is requried by law of all minors execpt to those parents who are willing to put in the work to home school the child choose to teach your child to be creative in all circumstances.
Teacher T
School should be re-amped for kids who do cannot succeed in traditional methods. I suggest deploying methods and curriculum to explore what kids are good at. I also believe that intuition should be taught because it is an important tool for life. The traditional system is killing society slowly by breeding intolerance for differently able students (not just the mentally or physically handicapped). There is so much potential in everyone that is not explored.
Reggio Emillia, a town in Northern Italy provides children with a unique education system. The teaching is described as the 100 languages of children and they are taught through a myriad of creative approaches, including puppetry, dance, light and dark, shadow, art, music, debate, each of which is equally valid. Every child is experienced as creative. Each class has 2 teachers to 24 pupils, one teacher analyses, records and reflects and then shares her learning with her co-teacher, both of whom will share the class for 3 years, to enable them to build indivdualised experiential diaries for each child. When a class has a child with Special Educational Needs an additional teacher is supplied to support the whole class. Unsurprisingly as word has spread about this wonderful educational experience the population of this very small town has grown by 20,000.
Back here in the UK, the most impressive practice happens in areas of deprivation, where I expect the diversity of educational appraoches has grown from necessity rather than choice. Many of these schools in desperation looked for new ways to deal with children displaying emotional and behavioural disturbances. The Quiet Place and the Jigsaw project are both early intervention projects in primary school, delivering programmes which include massage, guided visualisation, breathing techniques, journey work and much more to reach children whose lives are so chaotic that they have disengaged from education. The children find an oasis of peace in these spaces, and the projects also aim to work with parents, the Quiet Place offering parents room to talk and to have a massage.
I also agree with Ken about the different appraoches to learning, visual, auditory, kinestethic. I recently attended NLP training, which of course focuses on the different approaches to absorbing information and how we might reach everybody if we accommodate their particular learning styles. I suggested that it would be very powerful to introduce NLP into the PSHE/citizenship curriculum in order to get these very powerful messages into schools when children are learning about themselves and others and how to integrate with their peers and have respect for one another. In order to respect and care for one another, we do really need to have an appreciation and understanding of one another, which clearly comes across in the teachings of NLP.
A bit of a rant I know, but at 45 I am still trying to quieten the chuntering monkey, or the writings on my walls that say that I am thick and no matter what I do, I will always be thick. Why, oh why do we do this to children?
When our son was 3–6 yrs. old he had a friend that only he could see named Fluxy. I simply told him that was great and asked him where Fluxy was from and so on. I am sure he still had the sight that all of us have or had as is the case. Feed your children well.
And yet in this very Now — this Huge media network — of Awakening people — us finding /us all so interesting — this Awakening in each of us — un-denied reach to connect — It is Divine Being — being born through these changing moments of passing and participating in our own personal Divine Self!
This is the gift we give our children is acknowledging life as It is and then living the gifts we receive supreme:
And let all Be and that’s All -: there is no praise and no blame from Here out — All is Good.
Ken Robinson’s talk is very stimulating and thought stirring. The whole structure of public schooling has to change to allow for nurturing creativity in children commensurate with their aptitude and pace of development. Change es in the mind set of our academicians is extremely difficult if not impossible. It may require many more Ken Robinsons to usher a revolution in education system where creativity is not stifled but encouraged.
GREAT VIDEO WITH PLENTY OF GOOD HUMOR.
The public school system is busy teaching kids to conform.…or are trying to. The pink elephant in the room is that there are many parents who do not encourage their children to follow their own drummer. Children are taught to “not cause trouble”.…to do what they are told and bucking the system is met with punishment of some sort.
They come into this world with open minds and are steadily taught that what they see, hear, or feel.….if it isn’t observable by the adults in their world.…isn’t real. i.e. imaginary friends are the creation of children.….what if they aren’t? What if the imaginary friends are spiritual beings?.…angels?.…guides? It is possible.….but a kid could never talk about it openly for fear of ridicule by peers or even by the adults making careless remarks.
My grandson has been labled ADHD. He is a very bright child and curious. He is learning that he is ‘bad’.….he’s just turned six. It is hard to get him to understand he is not bad but i am working on it and teaching him self-control. He is starting to get the notion that he can wait to talk to me when he gets home. Talking to his teacher and getting her to understand that he is bored, helped some. They insist that he be on medication.….which has become the usual way to get the very busy children to conform.
The most shocking thing that i have come across is the number of children that fall into the category of “Special Education”. It baffles me that if a child does not conform to the standard.….they are put into special ed. THAT is a lable that will follow them forever. It is a result of not having enough teachers and classroom space to accommodate the vast number of children that are required to attend school.…along with outdated teaching methods and/or teachers that are sometimes burnt-out.
The world is in flux.…moreso now than it was in the past. It feels like things are coming to a head or something. The cycle of education may be choking down. We have gotten to the point that there is a shortage of craftsmen.…everyone is being taught to be thinkers instead of doers. All chiefs and no indians. Something has to give. The children with enlightened parents that will expose them to knowledge other than the cirriculum at school have a chance but what about the kids whose parents are too busy working and trying to make ends meet to take care of themselves; much less, exposing their children to anything new? What happens to them?
I’m almost 50. I have learned to take time to spend with the children.….my grands and the neighborhood kids.…i’m called grandma by all of them. I do this because so many do not have a grandparent and most only have one parent that is involved in their life. Granted, this isn’t done anymore because people don’t want to be bothered or don’t want to get into anyone else’s business. WE NEED TO DO THIS AGAIN. WE NEED TO CARE ABOUT OUR FELLOW MAN AGAIN.…not just the starving masses half way around the world.
My apology, i went off on a tangent. Yes, the schools stifle and sometimes destroy creativity. There isn’t any solution in sight but there needs to be. Personally, i do not know where to begin.
Entertaining and most of all inspiring. Any ideas on where I can find a school practicing these ideas. Lets start the journey. Thank you for the awakening.
Blessings
Ingrid.
What moderation do you need?
I grew up during world war II in Hawaii ans until that happened we were pretty much brought up the old way where latent psychic gifts, depending on what they were, were either understood, shunned, or just rejected. It seems to me that the rejection part came from ingrained fear of the spiritual or maybe just too great an emphasis put on the sanctity of spiritualists. My experience is that our children can and should learn higher things from the very beginning as they have the learning capacity very early on in life. Is is a shame that we carry too much of our parents prejudices and not enough openess of our own real potentials. I have always believed that our pre-schools and elementery schools shouldn’t be teaching the math they are but the highest math basics that we learn in college levels. The children can grasp the concepts better than most adults because their minds are clear and their receptiveness to learning is at their gretest.I have always believed we are all Indigo children, we just got brainwashed into thinking it wasn’t normal. What a waste. I wish I could have grown up in an atmosphere where everything is possible., So now I am on my own journet to find that child within.
Hello Everyone
I completely agree with Ken
Today’s chlidren require a new and more humane educational approach, each one has his or her own individual “gift” that we all need to nurture.
This is going to be a revolutionary act since most schools place 30 to 40 kids in a classrooms not taking into account their own individual needs and talents.
I have the experience of working with autistic kids in Mexico and we were getting good results using NLP combined with the traditional programs, because NLP recognizes that each person has his or her own learning style and each one of these kids was truly unique.
Spiritual teachers like Paramahansa Yogananda, Krishnamurti, Rudolph Steiner and others have presented us with alternative educational models , that are not traditional but they definitely take the creative human spirit very seriously.
There’s tremendous need to reevaluate what we have been calling education.
Bless you all.
Thanks Burt
Om
Fascinating video. I once taught a course, talking about personality types, and was stunned to learn that the percentage of people who have the creative, outgoing personality type drops dramatically, particularly during the teen years. And the type that gains most are those people who stick to the rules. This video reinforces that sad comment, not so much on the education system, but on society in general, who value the logical, orderly types far more than the creative artsy types.
Thanks for sharing this. I’m going to pass the link on to all the teachers at the school where I teach.
I’m glad someone is speaking out about this. I have been aware of this problem since I was a very young child. I’ve encouraged my children to follow their talents and dreams. Thankfully they are all pursuing their dreams.
Where is this wise counsellor who stood back and observed the child and knew she was a dancer? We need many many more people like this! Most are trying to cram the child into a mold that hampers and cripples them and threatens to kill their spirit. No wonder addiction is such a huge problem! Who would not want to escape from such a crushing reality?? Change is desperately needed.
Human d’ont now yet what they are nor where to go.
Over centuries nature has adapted us and we became this great machines without instruction book.
Some are lucky along the way to be pushed in to the rigth direction by something or someone.
If that luck occurs in the first years of life probably will make a GENIUS.
Luís
Loved this presentation. I totally agree. Our family was very blessed in that a charter school based on Howard Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence opened in our district. Our two youngest children were able to attend and WOW what a difference. This program offers music every day, drawing or painting 3 x’s a week, and opportunities for dance, musical drama and other art forms on a regular basis. These kids excel when they go on to high school. My hope is that regular schools can learn from the successes of these types of schools so that all students can be better served. The creative arts actually help students perform better in ALL academic areas.
Excellent Topic! Exactly what the world needs now. I enjoyed the way that Ken intoduced each part of the topic with examples; especially when he reffered to the children that are currently being diagnosed with HDD.
I would like to see more creative programs with-in our schools.
I am impressed by his speech. I agree totally, that we have moved away from being a more creative society and we are paying for it now.
but we can change things with our children and teach them to be more creative and give them the rewards of it now and not later on.
Yes, school kills our creativity because I can’t think very much anymore, expecially when I’m trying to act in skits. Heath
School is stupid because it makes kids obese sitting and listening without moving. You can’t burn off the calories just sitting and listening. Austin
School ruins our creativity because we just sit here and listen. We don’t get enough exercise and moving around to think better. Jacey
We can’t express ourselves the way we want to. We can’t express how we feel because usually it violates school policies. Taylor and Kaitlyn
Hello Burt,
Yes I’m afraid you are right about teachers destroying children’s creativity.
I live in Sweden and have 2 grown ups now, but I still remember how unfair
a school teacher can be, just because our children wasn’t born in that particular place where we used to live.
A school teacher is a very important person in a child’s life, who has the
power to break or make a child. Too many people become teachers for all
the wrong reasons, not because they love children. I’m sorry if I sound
negative, but you touched a vital nerve addressing this question.
Of course there are Great teachers too, including parents, if they don’t
work too much.. which many do today..
We really need to take better care and responsibility regarding our kids -
after all they are OUR future, and we need to teach them well.
Love, Karin
I would like school to be heavy on training. Every child would be expert at reading, writing, arithmetic, good manners. Respect for every particle of the universe, organizing skills, learning skills, are all essential.
Every human should easily navigate through the basic needs of life, how to cook, how to research, how to relate, how to become educated.
If we educate our children we would likely stifle their potential. They should also know that it is their duty to maximize their potential. What their potential is can only be guessed at by the people who can only be on the outside looking in.
The bad news is told in this video. The good news is that there are coming new schools, new education that give children the opportunity to grow in an individual and creative way. One of this schools is in the Netherlands: http://www.aventurijn.org
If you want more information, you can send a mail on the website.
bye bye,
Hannah
Burt,
I home-school my children precisely because of the current system. This allows me to not only work with their learning styles, but also to expand their learning. For instance I’ve been teaching my children the silva method so that they will be able to find their best path much earlier in life.
A former public school teacher named John Taylor Gatto has written extensively on how our school system is designed to grind the entrepreneurial and creative potential out of children. Teachers are also casualties of a system which is getting more and more distant from recognizing the many different talents and personalities of people in general and children specifically.
Thank you very much for posting this video.
BEWARE!!!!! Ken Robinson is a fraud!!!!!
The reason our “education” system is so horrible is because it has been made this way on purpose. It is controlled by the same people who control the media, the government, science, and the money. It is a forced system of schooling designed to indoctrinate our children to be nothing more than serf for the ruling elite of this planet. It is designed to turn our children into mindless robots and to place them in their proper position in the ranks of these industrialized nations.
Please read the following book, which is available free online, by John Taylor Gatto http://www.johntaylorgatto.com/
At first glance, it might seem that Ken might be a voice of change but he works for the same people who are responsible for this mess we call our “education” system. Many people are waking up to the truth and Ken is there to lead them in the wrong direction.
To quote Al gore, a known patsy to the new world order and peddler of the global warming scam is bad enough, but he goes further and quotes Jonas Salk, a promoter of the eugenics program. Salk wanted to rid the world of all the people that he deemed unfit or not “quality” people, as is evident in his book “Survival of the Wisest”. He was also quoted as saying that we would have to “educate” the masses to accept these draconian ideas.
Watch the following videos:
Utopia can only be created through eugenics
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=qEqcxJiDxOM&feature=related
Jonas Salk and the destruction of the education system
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=s0ie-_u-Eds&feature=related
Ken Robinson believes in population reduction and he is not thinking of our best interest. He is pretending to be a voice for the people who realize that the education system is brainwashing our children, when in fact he is a promoter of this system and the new world order agenda. But don’t believe me, listen to the video’s and websites I’ve linked in this reply, do your own research and find out the truth for yourself. Do you want these freaks making the decisions as to whether your children should be euthanized or sterilized because they deem them unfit, or not “quality” people.
More links:
A brief history of Eugenics
http://www.kickthemallout.com/article.php/Video-Brief_History_of_Eugenics
http://www.infowars.com/
Hello Ted; that was so very true, one thing i will share is this, we are tought from day one that “seeing is believing” and the truth is “when you believe you will see“
I write poems and I will share this one with you all
With love and light
Darcy Venables
http://www.godandi.ca
Please hold me
By Darcy Venables
When I was just a little boy
Some years ago
The world looked so amazing
But then what do children know
Everything just seemed so big
No matter what I’d see
I was always looking up
It’s there I wished to be
Reaching up with my arms
So hard that I would cry
Just wanting to be up there
But now I wonder why
Reaching up for Mom or Dad
With persistence I recall
Just reaching up for anyone
Down there I felt so small
Can anybody see me
This thought was in my mind.
Has everyone forgotten me
Look down, it’s me you’ll find
It’s lonely down here by myself
As you all stay above
Someone please just pick me up
So I can feel your love
Now I’m finally up here
With a couple years gone by
I find myself just looking down
Up here just makes me cry.
I am so excited about the opening up of educational ideas in the form of focussing on our children’s strengths and abilities. This has been somewhat attempted in the past with dubious results as it is not practised on a regular basis nor is it global in all aspects of school and learning.
There seems to be a new shift towards celebrating and exploring each other’s gifts and to build upon those rather than be put down for them or for areas where not so gifted.
Bravo to Ken Robinson for spreading the word. Now, I would like to see ALL educational institutions implementing these ideas and the governments fully supportive of these initiatives.…if so.…I can see a new world rising with new energy and vision through our children’s gifted abilities.
I think our children are unfolding and nothing is lost in the process, as the process continues in each new generation, information becomes more rapid because of the internet and our bounderies closer. I have two grandsons who is homeschooled by their mother, where they are allowed to learn at their own pace in a environment that is loving and unrestricted, and I am constantly amazed at the display of intelligence and spiritual awareness they possess.
I agree fully as most of the others in the coments . I to was one of thease kids who did better at art than anything else.but no one took notice so yes as I progressed I felt more and more worried about what poeple ” would think ” because all the schools were worried about was that I could live up to the academic standard. as a result of not being good enough well there went the self esteem. It took me many years to get this back. with my kids I always tried to encourage their creativity. I sent them to dance, theatre ect. however because the way the school systems are they to got the short end of the stick they are now 26, and 22 and still trying to figure out their way in life, but so am I I honestly did not have enough support from my husband on my ways of thinking he had the more conserative thoughts of well what will people think if you dont fit the mold. trust me I am still married to him,but It has been a constant battle . I know familys that had great support of both parents on creativity,and education, and they have done great with their kids . I think what i’m getting is if you have a parent or parents who are very involved in what is going on with their kids (which we all should be ) then the kids won’t get lost along the way and have to regain their purpose,after being tossed around by the system. so YES if the schools could change to acknowledge children for their indvidual talents and praise them for that it would make the kids feel better about themselves and I’m most possitve all children would do excell to their greatest potential !
I couldn’t agree MORE with this video. I have five children (all gifted) and I chose to remove them from the public education system during their elementary years because their needs were not being met. In addition to basic creativity being stifled, I was particularly concerned about their creative thinking being thwarted. I taught them that the teacher was NOT the final word and that if they were uncomfortable with anything they heard, I wanted them to “wonder” about its authenticity. They are all VERY successful adults now and they know how to investigate different options and “get out of the box” — something I believe NEVER would have happened in the public education system! Bravo for innovative ideas presented in this video — I’m forwarding to everyone I know.
yes our children need use as friends to help them keep an open mind. thats why healing vision boards help our children, a vision board brings us to our happy place witch makes it easy to manifest life. thats just what our kids need.
love to live and live to love/christy
I meant to say every place is not for these special children.
My thoughts on the subject is: I think we all need to know our children, and if our child or children are indigo child/children we should look to place them where they will benefit. I agree that every place is for these special children has special talent; but they still are children.
Yes schools kill creativity…but so do family homes…
I wrote a piece called “The Magical Child in Exile”…based on this issue.
Many of our decision makers, politicians and leaders are adult ‘magical children’ who are still in creative exile…and the pattern gets passed on and on and.…..
http://carolom.wordpress.com/2007/01/02/the-magical-child-in-exile/
We need to listen more to our souls, they should be our direction rather then being clumped together as one mass. Our children need more time to themselves so they can be in tune with their own being. We are one but have many different facets in that one. We need to raise the conciousness
of the human race to let them know they are beautiful. Dumping the present education system and beginning a new one based on our core should be a subject of discussion. Reading and writing are important but there is so much else to explore and be. Where is the individuality? If these new children can help us with their knowledge we need to take time to listen to what they have come here for. If they have come with a new message to help yes we need to listen.
Peace
Bobbi
This was an excellent presentation which put into very precise words what I’ve been thinking and striving to understand for years. I’m going to show it to my 7th/8th grade students this afternoon to see how they react to it. I believe they will want to leave a comment.
I find the video of Ted talks on target. As a parent, I always detested having teachers put my children “inside the box” and shape them to what I would term “structured boring production”. The business of school hasn’t evolved. Subject contents are not reality oriented and the majority of time, school is a massive waste of time. 4 years can certainly be narrowed down to 2, with careful planning that should involve both child and parent. After all, we are the customers. schools are not client centered.
I also don’t believe schools teach, which is what I thought I paid them to do for my children. Parents teach and tutor, while the schools simply do mostly testings. The only damn problem is, its always hard to go against the current of the system, even if the current is electrocuting the children and wiring them to being overloaded with impertinents. Each child should be treated as different, and children should have customized education.
The business schooling is a mess if you ask me. And very few people want to make changes. Meanwhile, they do a good job of instilling fear in children who make mistakes, taking away in this the creativity assertiveness in a child. The end result? Burned out people with no initiative and much limiting patterns of behaviors. And the worst part is we parents pay for this to happen! Its the classic example of damned if you do and damned if you don’t.
He everybody,
you guys are amazing! Thank you for keeping the conversation alive — I somehow hoped that I could raise awareness about this incredibly important topic.
Children are our future. And the future is in our hands…
I am nearly done with the research for the report I am gonna send you in a couple of days! I can assure you: this video already shocked you? Just wait for the report…
Very interesting idea.
I agree there should be change. It appears to me that our education system as taught today in our schools, teaches you to conform to societies standards with perdictable answers.
Wow — this is shocking and awaking at the same time!
My children are already out of school… but if I would have known more about that back in time… How did you just come up with this amazing stuff?
Burt — is there anything you would suggest for parents?
This video contains the whole of my thoughts since arriving on this planet and later experiencing in my personal life and withstanding the extreme pressures of seeing my children go through the ongoing damage from the various educational systems in practice.
I loved this and it made me cry!
I thank my god for delivering this message to me through my brother who I know not in person.
Love and blessings!
CosmicRay
I think Ken’s video was right on the money. To carry his thoughts a bit further I’d like to ad that not only do we rob our children of their creative potential, we have developed a system by we actually stunt the learning process by not allowing children to progress beyond a certain point. Years ago I took the Evelyn Woods speed reading course and was shown an interesting view of the educational system used in most parts of the world in regards to reading. We first learn our a,b,c’s. We soon advance to small letter groupings like c-a-t and d-o-g and then on to larger words. This is generally where the process ends and we spend the rest of our lives reading one word and then the next until we reach the end of whatever we are reading. The reality however is that if the process is carried to the end we should be looking at the page and taking in all of the information at one time. When we look at a scene unfolding before us we take in everything that is transpiring at a glance. The action, the smells, the colors, even the feel of the temperature upon our skin. This information can be recalled long after the observation is made.
The second point that I would like to make is that we as a race have become more attached to the material world and less attached to the spiritual world. The material world is binding, limited, and temporary at best. The spiritual world, where all things are connected allows us to tap into the universal intelligence where everything that is, was, or ever will be, already exists. The hand full of people who dared to rebell against the teachings of materialism and sought answers on a spiritual level were the genusis of history. Since all things begin with thought, a spiritual attribute, and from thought become manifest in the material world, it would seem that we should be teaching our children to dream and from those dreams create. Instead we instill in them a belief that dreaming is a waste of time. The pass time of fools and lazy people.
It is, indeed, sad, but true that the education system today stifles the creativity in young minds, particularly in our country (India). More emphasis is laid on obtaining degrees rather than allowing and helping the the child to explore and find his true talent, his passion.
The system needs to be revamped to permit the blossoming of these young minds according to their own creativity and talent. Our youngsters today are smart, creatve, intelligent, honest and open. It is for us adults, with more wisdom and experience, to give them a nudge in the right direction and support and stand by them in their search.
I bought your CD’s a couple of month ago, and my son is very interested in what those CD’s teach so I encourage him to listen to them. What Ken is on about is so right , we should let our kids learn the things they want to learn ‚if they want to become musicians, it’s no good to try and talk them out of it . I remember having this same sort of discussion with the headmaster of their school , we talked about kids having ADD , Attention Deficit Disorder.
Maybe it’s because they are not encouraged to do the thing they are interested in and I pointed out that I thought it be more appropriate to call it Adult Discipline Disorder, anyway Ted has got a good sense of humour. My wife wants our kids to go to university, but they are not interested , they want to follow their own ways , and I back them 100%.
I love your CD’S , whenever I feel like I need an answer to something I sit down for a few minutes and listen to them , I know they are the reason I finally got my act together about making a web page that relates to my work as a Cabinetmaker, but I am also working on a blog, and just yesterday I learnt how to put a reference in, so I put in a link to the American monk, I think everybody would benefit in some way from listening, I intend to write a little story about it on my blog at “moneyorthebox.com” later on .
Karl Jorgensen.
I ‘ve not heard it put that way but I agree. If we touched the souls of the people
He is right. It is our individuality, creativity, and humanity that enriches our existence. It makes no sense to encourage an educational system that works against those elements and in so doing, works against our greatest selves. Everyone that has ever accomplished anything has gone against the traditional views, has pushed the envelope, and dared to dream a different dream. My children are fabulously creative and expressive and as they age I see them becoming more concerned with making a mistake than expressing their ideas. All of the real problems of this world (poverty, abuse, violence, etc. ) cannot be solved by statistical analysis and theoretical understanding. They must be felt with the heart, comprehensively undertstood, and wholistically acted upon. The human element is the most important element in any equation regarding the future.
Finally, someone is speaking intelligently (and quite humorously) about the ABSOLUTE importance of creativity in our world. Everyday I work with people who think they are not artists. Yet each of us is an artist in the manner in which we create our lives. These lives, created by a system of education that regards those who cannot sit as being without attention, who cannot be quiet as being without manners, who think differently and ask questions as being strange and uneducatable or worse still treasonous, are at great risk. So many of these lives have been lost to a destructive, cultural, corporate mentality that suppresses new and creative thinking, especially they appear to threaten that mentality and if a dollar cannot be made. And our culture rushes to medicate, incarcerate and otherwise stifle those who do not fit. We cannot let another moment go by without speaking out. Voices as articulate, Sir Ken Robinson’s in particular, must be broadcast and amplified quickly. We have no time to waste. Thank you for bringing his words to our attention. Let others speak with him — now is the time.
spot ON!
This presentation touched so many chords with me — creativity, imagination, education, wit, humanity. And it returns me (us?) to the awareness that one of the simplest, yet most difficult, things we have to do is accept and respect each individual as they are. This is something we can teach ourselves to do in spite of our education and upbringing — but only once we’re aware that there is a value in doing it. And once we have that awareness and are learning to be inclusive and less judgmental, we can suggest to others that they can try it too!
I believe every parent in the world should see this video because I absolutely agree tha we place entirely too much emphasis on the “logical” end of education and not nearly enough on the natural creativity of our wonderfully brilliant children.
Actually some of children are believed to be born with higher degree.
Truth my six year old doughtre The very Princess Hillary Tarawou,I
was shock and surprise to hear from her school that she took first;
without me not been able to pay her school fees.Her grand mother did it
for her ‚an’ she was making jest of me, by other school kids that her
daddy has travelled t. unknown destination,an’ that she will live to
surprise everyone AND now took first something that I have not done.
The children as you say are beyond us in brain and capacity to understand. That they are more creative than us during our time is also true
That one is good and bad too
Good they have the potential but bad that if we do ot channalise it ‚it could be trouble for the kids and us
I don’t have to list the reasons,every one knows it
Here we can happily do one thing without much effort and expenses. That is to inculcate in them the interest in spirituality and the idea of a teacher call him Guru, Guide ‚Monk or for that matter whatever you want.
Avoid getting drunk in front of kids ‚avoid arguments before them at the same time talk with them free including the problems of the family that they can understand. Talk about good deeds and stories in general with out being overzealous on religion and its practices.
Thinks like what the Monk says can also be told to them with some modification
This will mould them give them a good character
Hi Burt,
Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It was an excellent talk about. what I feel, is an extremely important subject.
I made above average grades in school (Honor roll in middle school and a “B” average in high school) and dropped out of college twice. The more main thing I learned in “higher education” was that it was a place to learn to think and act like everyone else.
If your main ambition in life is to get a “job,” work your way up the ladder, and retire forty years later with a sparse income and nothing to look forward to tomorrow except the sun coming up — higher education is the thing for you!
I’ve known since my late teens, which was a long time ago, that higher education, at least in the United States, stifles creativity. so does “lower education” for that matter. From the time we start school we’re told to learn and memorize facts and techniques. The students who are rewarded are those who excell at being just like everyone else in the world only moreso.
Both Einstein and Edison were considered incapable of learning by their teachers. Bill Gates dropped out of college to start Microsoft. The list goes on and on. Bill Cosby made his fortune, then returned to school to get a college education. I never did think he was as funny afterward as he had been pre-college. In my mind, while a certain amount of rote learning is necessary to be able to function, (read, write, do mathematical calculations, etc.) too much education is stifling in our present system.
Sir Robinson is right. Something must be done to properly educate the children of the future — to teach them to be creative.
Thanks again for the “heads up”
Duane
I absolutely agree with what Ken says. I had two children in school (one leaving this year) and from the first day, I knew that I had to supply them with what I call “real life ecucation”. So I offered them Silva Mind techniques, later spiritual literature and last but not least I tried to give them answers to their questions, they would never get in school.- But nevertheless, all the days and years they spend in this education system is leaving big taces (as Ken says, they are stigmatized). The only thing parents can do I think is to increase the efforts for the “other way of education” (holistic and all-comprehending way of thinking), seminars and finally, there is a good way of using the internet: access to all kind of information.
Unfortunately I see no signs (not even the smallest one) for improvement in education systems. In the opposite: it has become worse the last years…
Greetings
Doris
Hello, I´m from sweden and I got two children booth whith thoose gift your talking about…one is 20 and one is forteen years old…and its not school who is taking away anything…it is always we parents.… it has to do whit our eager to press our children in to time…when they are small…they have no time and no limits…it has to do that we learn them the importens of time…and belive me you dont have to..:) children are smart they can learn to adjust to the system whithout losing any power..:)
Love Anna
In a word, yes. Our current school system, public school system, follows the stated belief of “leave no child behind”. That is a great and noble goal, but in doing this, it tacitly follows the belief of “everyone progresses at the same rate.” which is categorically false. And this comes from one who was doing calculus in the 6th grade over 40 years ago.
The concept of “every man is created equal” forgets the additional qualifier used by the founding fathers, “before the law.” It does not preclude that everyone is of the same intellegence, physical prowess, height, weight and color eyes. That would be ludicrous. Unfortunately, our education system grinds students through the system with exactly that idea. The “standardized” system progresses each person at a rate the slowest can handle, resulting is a number of bored and creative kids that go on to becoming either disenfranchised by the system, or seek other less savory persuits.
Just as we have remediation for the minimalist (challenged) student, we need challenge for the maximalist (gifted) student and a reasonable way of providing a spectrum of achievement rather than a plane of mediocracy.
Professional assessment systems use this, the “test to failure” method of assessing the knowledge span of a certified professional, perhaps our schools need to examine similar techniques to add content, challenge and diversity to our classrooms without disenfranchising anyone.
I have know in my heart that children are being stifled and unable to unleash their creative side. But education authorities say different. There are a lot of frustrated children out there who are unable to ‘be themselves. Perhaps the rise in drugs and crime is a sign of these times. It is a way of fighting back or coping with their frustration.
The children being born now are special children, they dont need the Victorian style education, but there is a lot of added pressure from the parents. They want to be able to show the world what an intellegent child they have. So you find pushy parents pushing their child for a great education to get a great job and a lot of this is infact for the sake of the parents, so they dont shame themselves in front of family and friends if their child does not perform as they expect.
My son is 26, he had the usual education at school which a lot of it he hated. As a mother, I knew from an early age what my son would be as an adult so I didnt push his education as others did. He left school with a few qualifications and ended up in a fast food restaurant and a warehouse. I was worried at that time because I knew what he was capeable of and he wasnt acheiving it. But I shouldnt have been concerned. Every situation, experience, people he met was a learning curb for him. He was moving up to the moment he was destined to be.
I knew he was intellegent, ask him a maths sum and he would tell you straight away without the use of calculators, he was also brilliant at sports, that was his passion, he had an instant rapport with people who felt comfortable around him and his attitude led me to believe that he would have his own business one day.
My son found his mission in life at the age of 21, he has his own business as apersonal trainer amongst other things and is constantly growing and looking ahead to other opportunities.
He says he is where he is today because of me. I was a caring mother who didnt agree in pushing education when it wasnt necesary, by nurturing and encouraging his talents and praising him, I knew that one day he would find where he was going. Which he has. I am a happy and proud Mom.
I am totally agreeing with you relating to child education and that they are professors from day one and are reduced to mediocrity by the times they leave school due to low self esteem and for fear of being humiliated should they be found out if they were wrong and heaven forbid if they were to make a mistakes. I was one of them children and I carried this fear throughout my entire life. I agree that every child is born talented that it should be enhanced in school as soon as possible. I believe that it is through creativity that they learn the rest because in the creative state you automatically connect to the mastermind.
Cheers Monique
Really amazing and inspiring. It does make me a bit sad though, to think that I didn’t have the benefit of an education that would bring out the best in me and also that my children probably won’t get this either. I do hope this revolution in education will take place sooner rather than later.
I believe all children are born with a higher consciousness. It’s the parents who stifle this. Children can see Spirits and Angels and when they tell their parent what they see and hear then the parents admonish them for “seeing/hearing” things.
it touch my heart that we’ve missed a lot in bringing out individual gifts talents and skills in my kids.
thanks