There is a great deal of emphasis put these days on early reading and math for young children. Many music and art programs have been eliminated or reduced as a shift in focus to a primarily academic curriculum happens in our public schools.
There is no denying the importance of academics; however, more than ever before, parents need to ensure that their children develop both sides of their brains. In order to become creative problem solvers and lead a successful life, children need many kinds of experiences.
Children need a balance of activities in their day to develop fully and rise to the potential that is in each and every one of them. Creativity is as important as academics in a child’s overall success at learning throughout the school years.
A good preschool offers young children the opportunity to develop their creative side as well as their academic side. There are so many different arts media for children to experience: paint (with different brushes and their fingers); clay and play dough; stamping and rubbings; drawing with markers, crayons, chalk or pencils; and weaving, sewing and beading, to name just a few. Also important are songs and rhyme, learning simple rhythms, and really listening to music to follow simple directions or learn a dance.
We were inspired by the following video, filmed from the TED Conference in 2006. Sir Ken Robinson, Ph.D. makes an entertaining and profoundly moving case for creating an education system that nurtures (rather than undermines) creativity. Robinson is an internationally recognized leader in the development of creativity, innovation, and human potential.
Please share your thoughts!
What do you think about the lack of creativity being taught in public schools today?
I used to work in educational publishing, right after No Child Left Behind was put into effect. I developed workbooks to help students – ages 6 to 18 – study for standardized tests. A massive amount of resources and money are going into teaching students how to pass tests and that the only answer that matters when faced with a problem is the single correct one. How will the children of today learn to think independently or solve problems creatively on their own if they are only being taught in school how to fall in line with these tests?
I applaud schools like Little Brick School who are committed to a teaching and learning style more consistent with the way children actually develop and think, who interact with them not only on an academic level but also on a creative level.
Go Little Brick School! You have become excellent role models in your preschoolers lives. Being creative will not only enliven your teaching, but will also sponsor creativity in your students. That creativity is essential for their future.
As a former LBS parent and artist at heart, the encouragement of creativity in the education system remains a key factor in the decisions my wife and I make in regards to the schooling our children receive. All too often budgets, statistics and metrics outweigh the true mission of our schools, which should be to assist the parents in developing our children to be happy, confident and successful as they mature into adulthood.
Little Brick School remains true to this focus in the development of our children’s creative side, allowing them to develop these skills and traits that will allow them to successfully grow into intelligent, independent individuals capable of surviving the world we’ve left for them. With the television and video games more often than not replacing the crayon and block, our children are missing the inspiration to create, instead finding themselves overwhelmed with commercial marketing and ultimately dangerously shortened attention spans due to the overwhelming torrent of information. Ultimately, this leads to individuals unable to make decisions for themselves, unable to function in social or individual situations, and left without confidence to succeed as not just workers, but leaders in society.
When an education system overweight with bureaucratic rhetoric begins making decisions based on misguided government statistics and loses sight of the true mission, our children, then sadly our children are left behind.
Perhaps we all need to start listening to our teachers again.