Education Opens Doors, Creativity Opens Windows...

An Editorial...

Education opens doors, creativity opens windows. Both are needed to be successful in the 21st century.

Education, however, doesn't necessarily mean you must have an advanced degree. Education means you graduate from high school fully prepared and qualified to attend an institution of higher learning. The doors are open for that choice. Though, moving on to higher education also means there are potentially more doors that open.

In light of the ramification of education, it is of the utmost importance that the knowledge and skills learned in high school prepare students to thrive in the real world by knowing how to write well, speak articulately, solve problems both individually and in groups, and analyze and critically interact with situations encountered daily.

But, that's only part of the equation to success in the 21st century...

Pair that knowledge with creativity. Not necessarily the ability to draw well or play an instrument delightfully, but the ability to think outside of the box. The ability to make connects between things that no one has thought of before. The ability to zig when everyone else is zagging. Creativity creates opportunities and opens windows.

For our most needy students, education these days falls short in both of these areas. One can look at data from colleges and universities and see that many minority students who do manage to graduate, and not drop out like many Latinos tend to do, need to take remedial writing courses in college. Many college students are also not very proficient in giving presentations or using their analytic and critical thinking skills. Why should they be good at these skills when most of their schooling has revolved around the memorization of facts and learning test taking strategies?

In terms of creativity, in most cases, it's pretty much eradicated beginning the first day of kindergarten. Students are taught to conform. Furthermore, students are labeled as difficult or challenging if they don't fit into neat scholar "boxes" and follow expectations right away.

It almost seems as though some teachers are trying to create drones in schools. But in their defense, that's how they were taught in school and if it worked for them, why shouldn't it work for their students?

Well, we could go on and on about that last question, but here's another question to ponder...

What can WE do to help prepare students to be successful in the 21st century?

How can we help them turn their dreams into successful tomorrows?

Here's an idea...how about we start by implementing this 21st century way of thinking ourselves and use both our education and creativity to come up with some solutions...

In other words, Be the change you want to see...

Si se puede...