Thank you to my dear friend, Alix, who upon reading my article last week about TED, referred the above TED lecture to me. If you have the time to watch it, you'll hear Sir Ken Robinson discuss his idea that our education systems quash creativity in today's youth. I, personally, think he's on to something.
Hearing the lecture reminded me of when I was in first grade and it seemed that the sole mission of all first grade teachers was to make sure that each of their students left their class knowing one thing, if nothing else: how to hold our pencils "correctly".
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I remember getting into so much trouble and even being assigned extra writing homework every night to ensure that my pencil holding posture assimilated to the "correct" pencil holding form. Having been a child who always wanted to do what pleased my teachers, I would get so frustrated at myself that I could not figure out how to assume this correct pencil grip and simultaneously write while maintaining said grip. Sure, I could get it in my hand just-so, but trying to put pencil to paper and actually make words assuming the uncomfortable position? Forget about it.
Years later, I still hold my pens and pencils "incorrectly" (similar to that bottom right drawing in the image above), but I must say that I get complimented on my penmanship and have very neat hand writing - much neater than friends of mine who do manage to hold their pens correctly. Looking back on the entire situation though makes me think how strange it is that there is a by-the-book way of doing everything in school...even to the small details of pencil holding. It's a super minute example of the hindrance that the education system can sometimes put on creativity and self-expression, but it is my youngest first-hand example that has stuck in my memory now for eighteen years.
Do you have an example of your own of when you felt held back in self-expression or creativity in school because it wasn't the "right" way to do something?
Years later, I still hold my pens and pencils "incorrectly" (similar to that bottom right drawing in the image above), but I must say that I get complimented on my penmanship and have very neat hand writing - much neater than friends of mine who do manage to hold their pens correctly. Looking back on the entire situation though makes me think how strange it is that there is a by-the-book way of doing everything in school...even to the small details of pencil holding. It's a super minute example of the hindrance that the education system can sometimes put on creativity and self-expression, but it is my youngest first-hand example that has stuck in my memory now for eighteen years.
Do you have an example of your own of when you felt held back in self-expression or creativity in school because it wasn't the "right" way to do something?
3 comments :
I don't know that I would say that schools kill creativity, but I definitely would argue that they do not nurture it!
wow i completely forgot about the pencil holding thing. i still hold my pencil with my thumb up despite my parents tries and tries to get me to hold it the right way.
Very interesting thought!
I still hold my pencil the "wrong" way. I remember the teachers coming around and correcting my pencil posture shall i say.. and as soon as they turned back around i would go back to what was right in my mind. weird thought to think that there is a right way to hold a pencil...
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