Only one answer ?

This is a response to Changing Education Paradigms ;

What caught my eyes was at (03.36) “ART ? HA HA YOU GO DOWN”

That phrase was alone wrong in my point of view, because the society has categorized two group of people generally only by their academic standards : the smart people and the not smart people. These ‘not smart people’ are mostly the people who do not see the positive outcome from reading the thick textbooks in school or concentrating during additional mathematics class because they have other dreams than being a doctor or an engineer.

These artistic people have more to offer than academic certificates. I have friends who are forced by their parents to enroll into science courses but they failed because they are gifted with incredible ability in baking, painting, movie productions singing, and acting but their gift was not explored. People see no future for these talents because they are controlled by the “Society’s view of mind” where only students with distinct in their academic transcripts are the “smart people” whereas the others are “not smart people”. I disagree nonetheless.

And yes, upon the saying that “you’re better having a degree than not, but it is not a guarantee anymore”. There are thousands of people who graduated with a bachelor’s degree but are jobless. Why ? Have it ever occurred that maybe they are not creative enough ? What do I mean by this is millions of people has a bachelors degree and what makes us different from the other graduates ? Our creativity ! That x-factor that makes companies find you to be employed.

But nowadays, creativity or divergent thinking are ‘killed’ by education. If you are given a question and we are urged to answer if ONLY ONE correct answer. Remember in kindergarten where you are allowed to be creative ? Draw whatever you feel like and it is never WRONG. Well, that prospective change when you enroll into school and college.  Because education has trained us to give only one answer and creativity cannot interfere with that answer. Now that is wrong isn’t it ?

I’m a believer to artistic values. And to my point of view, we are suppose to allow aesthetic experience in education. We need to allow students to feel their 5 senses in learning to strengthen their memories and experience learning as a student. Everyone has different interpretations about everything because of their background knowledge and the experience they are exposed to and that is what makes a person stand out from others. 

-Wily-