In Sir Ken Robinson's Ted Talk "Does School Kill Creativity?" he argues that creativity is as important as literacy. He raises some very interesting points about kids being frightened of being wrong, and frightened out of being creative because it is not acknowledged as one of the top tier subjects in the school hierarchy. Those being at the top, math and science, followed by the humanities, and then arts being at the bottom. He argues that dance should be as important as dance and its not considered that way because we condition our kids for jobs after school and kids are liklwy not going to be dancers or musicians. He ends his talk arguing that we need to rethink the principles that we teach our children in school.
Being an educator of the humanities, I agree with Robinson. I think that too much emphasis is being put on students to excel in math and science because that is where they are going to make the most money if they pursue those subjects in college. According to Stacy Boyd, since 2008, more than 80 percent of school districts funds have been cut, and the very first programs to go are often the arts since there is so much focus on those top tier subjects (2014). While this statistic is in no way shocking, it is sad that it is a reality. It is also sad that as an educator I witness in different schools how much importance is placed on math and science while the arts is often overlooked.
References:
Boyd, Stacey. (2014). Extracurriculars are essential to learning. US News. Retrieved from http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2014/04/28/music-art-and-language-programs-in-schools-have-long-lasting-benefits
Ted. (2007). Does School Kill Creativity? Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iG9CE55wbtY
