Creativ... oh really? Art class is over already?

A student is drawing a picture
Teacher: "What are you drawing?"
Student: "I'm drawing a picture of God"
Teacher: "But how are you doing that? No one knows what God looks like."
Student: "They will in a minute."
That is my favourite anecdote from the Ken Robinson talk on creativity. I think this was a perfect story to tell in order to convey that children are with born creative minds and that it is our job to foster every single one of those imaginations.

Creativity is sparked in children through opportunities of self-expression. I believe that when students are given ample time and encouragement to express their ideas, thoughts and feelings, their creativity levels will soar. When looking at school by way of dividing subject areas, I would say that Art, Gym and Music would be the most obvious subjects that support creative expression (while other subjects do offer possibilities for creativity, these are the first to come to mind).
I think that all too often students do not have the time they need in these subjects in order to express themselves. For example, in my experience I remember my teachers using art class as a reward or bribe; "Boys and girls, if you can't be good listeners today we won't have time for art class". In addition, as the title of this post suggests, these classes are often cut short due to time constraints and curriculum demands. By cutting down on creative outlets for students, we are relaying a message to our students that creativity is not worthwhile and is there "just for fun". Ken Robinson wants us to realize the exact opposite. Creativity is a huge part of education and plays a large role in our daily lives. Imagine how boring our lives would be without any creativity; there would be no art, no music, no dance, no literature, no architecture, no fashion... we would be yawning all day long!

Mathematics is not one of those obvious subjects I mentioned above that scream "creativity" but I do believe it is possible to introduce imaginative thinking into the math class. Mathematics involves solving problems by experimenting, rearranging, constructing, inventing and questioning- all of these verbs involve using the creative aspect of the brain on order to come up with a response. While teaching mathematics teachers can utilize their knowledge of students' creativity and emphasize that mathematics is about thinking in different, creative ways.

I agree with Ken Robinson, I think we need to change our message to students and teach them how build on their creativity and use it as a life skill. In our world there are too many problems that need solutions- and who else but creative thinkers are going to solve them? I believe that in every subject area there is space to build on creative thinking and imagination, so as a future teacher (*holds up right hand*) I vow to devote the creative encouragement and opportunities my students need and deserve!