Do Schools Kill Creativity?

[MIJ-VI]

The rich kids simply buy the more expensive branded school uniforms. They really make no difference.

From the Link Removed:

"...Many schools that have successfully created a uniform policy survey parents first to gauge support for school uniform requirements and then seek parental input in designing the uniform..."

This would seem to indicate that said parents reached a consensus re school uniforms.

 

[Munjibunga]

I'd say they kill more ignorance than creativity.

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

how many highschool dropouts do you know? What percentage are they of all the people you know? How old are they? How does their current station in life and satisfaction with that station compare to the others you know that have finished highschool and perhaps even college? How many of those people do you know? Their ages?

I don't know any high school drop outs, personally.

I don't see what they have to do with my point.

Considering that tangible benefit, do you have something else that should be put in place of a quality formal education?

I'm not suggesting an alternative of system, merely a change in overall pressured attitudes.

Sounds like a reality check is in order, but I don't see a problem with stressing the importance of school.

When was the last time you were in high school?

Suggesting that people with serious mental issues need only a 'reality check' is a slap-in-the-face.

I'm not talking about 'stressing importance'. I'm talking about being told, every day for 12 years, that without school, without school success your life is worthless, that there are no avenues to security, that your ENTIRE future and ENTIRE life and ENTIRE happiness rests on your high schooling. Day in, day out, month after month, year after year.

It's a stupid, dangerous and downright incorrect attitude.

Before we go blaming highschool for all of this, however, I think it would be a good idea to get a mental health professional to evaluate these students.

What makes you think they haven't seen a professional that's had those conclusions?

but I doubt it's the catch-all for everything wrong with all of the students you know.

Certainly is with the people I had in mind when giving those mental health issues. According to their experts, of course.

Not so quick. I'd agree that there are many paths to happiness (see my aformentioned Ales and Lagers course), but very few paths to success in today's society without a highschool education.

Depends on the society one lives in. But you're essentially agreeing with me.

 

[MakiSupaStar]

I think the only thing killing creativity is this thread.

 

[mike_v_s]

Suggesting that people with serious mental issues need only a 'reality check' is a slap-in-the-face.

If these people have serious mental health issues as you seem to know for a fact, then I'm quite positive that while their school situation may not be helping, it surely isn't causing them.

I'm not talking about 'stressing importance'. I'm talking about being told, every day for 12 years, that without school, without school success your life is worthless, that there are no avenues to security, that your ENTIRE future and ENTIRE life and ENTIRE happiness rests on your high schooling. Day in, day out, month after month, year after year.

It's a stupid, dangerous and downright incorrect attitude.

I'm a fan of hyperbole, but this seems "a tad excessive, at the least, I'd say." Recognize the sentiment? You'll have to forgive me, but I find it hard to believe that school officials take THAT much time out of their day to make sure that every student is told that everyday in such a way that it causes mental health issues.

What makes you think they haven't seen a professional that's had those conclusions?

Certainly is with the people I had in mind when giving those mental health issues. According to their experts, of course.

Of course.

Depends on the society one lives in. But you're essentially agreeing with me.

You misread, then.

Mike

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

If these people have serious mental health issues as you seem to know for a fact, then I'm quite positive that while their school situation may not be helping, it surely isn't causing them.

Fortunately, you're not involved in assessing these students and they've more qualified individuals to work with them

That is unless you're a high school/adolescent counselor specializing in Australian high school mental health issues and you're also used to diagnosing based on a lack of information over the internet?

I'm a fan of hyperbole, but this seems "a tad excessive, at the least, I'd say." Recognize the sentiment? You'll have to forgive me, but I find it hard to believe that school officials take THAT much time out of their day to make sure that every student is told that everyday in such a way that it causes mental health issues.

Then you're either educated a while ago (where things might have been different, I don't know) or ignoring what's implicit in many, many, many school children's lives.

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

I think the only thing killing creativity is this thread.

Why is there no thumbs up smiley on this website !!!!

 

[sloasdaylight]

Fortunately, you're not involved in assessing these students and they've more qualified individuals to work with them

That is unless you're a high school/adolescent counselor specializing in Australian high school mental health issues and you're also used to diagnosing based on a lack of information over the internet?



Then you're either educated a while ago (where things might have been different, I don't know) or ignoring what's implicit in many, many, many school children's lives.

I think that the way things are done in the States is different than the way things are done in Australia.

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

I think that the way things are done in the States is different than the way things are done in Australia.

I'm sure that, in many ways, schools operate completely differently. I originally responded because the comment made about school pressure/attitude resonated.

Would any current high school students like to offer their thoughts?

 

[mike_v_s]

I think that the way things are done in the States is different than the way things are done in Australia.

It sure looks like it. I'm waiting for that medical study to be released that catalogs and tracks the futures of the all those students suffering mental breakdowns. If true, the whole country will be overrun by people broken by high school.

Mike

 

[sloasdaylight]

I'm sure that, in many ways, schools operate completely differently. I originally responded because the comment made about school pressure/attitude resonated.

Would any current high school students like to offer their thoughts?

I graduated 5 years ago, and even though I was in the IB program, my teachers (save for one, whose job it was to get us into college) never gave me the impression that if we don't get into a good college, or go to school, that our lives were about to end. We were taught to work hard and put our nose to the grindstone if we wanted something, which is a more important lesson to learn than thinking that you HAVE to go to college to amount to something.

 

[theNoseBleedKid]

Thank you for your input .

Perhaps being in IB, or having finished high school gives you more perspective. Something many high school students lack. Or perhaps I've a bee in my bonnet.

 

[LiquidMidnight]

I'm a fan of hyperbole, but this seems "a tad excessive, at the least, I'd say." Recognize the sentiment? You'll have to forgive me, but I find it hard to believe that school officials take THAT much time out of their day to make sure that every student is told that everyday in such a way that it causes mental health issues.

As many people here know, I hate taking part in armchair psychology and armchair sociology. However, I do remember a lot of my experiences as a high school student. When I went through, my school system had three curriculum concentrations. The first was academic, which was the curriculum with upper level mathematics, upper level sciences, and foriegn language. The second was business, which was the curriculum with business math, accounting, typing, and law. Finally, there was the general curriculum, which had lower level maths, lower level sciences, no foreign language. General students had the opportunity to go to the local vocational school for half a day during their junior and senior years to get entry level trade training.

I was a business student. I remember both that people's expectations were both explicity and implicitly stated that academic students were the achievers who were going to go to college. Business students may go to a two year business class. And the general students were meant to go on to be the working class.

As far as I know, I'm the only student from my graduating class to have gone on to doctoral study, so I didn't fit into the hole they had me put in.

My point is that while school personnel may not cause a mental diease, it is communicated to students what they are expected to be, both positive and negative.

How much of a causal effect there is and whether there is a self-fulling prophecy is getting into that armchair sociology and psychology I want to avoid. But it would make a great dissertation topic for a grad student doing real soc. or psych. work.

 

[BassyBill]

BUMP!

Just watched the video in the OP again - well worth a look, although I don't agree with everything he says (he seems to equate creativity with the arts and only the arts).

It's a shame that the video ended with the crass and wholly inappropriate car commercial. Well, it spoiled it for me.

 

[hbarcat]

. . . Trust me as a student in this day and age, where I really don't get to do much in school creative wise, a good music teacher can be so great.

When I started high school I had little interest in music but after 4 years of chorus and madrigals with a truly great music teacher I was hooked on being a singer. That led directly to my taking up the bass and now 25 years later, my great passion in life is in making music.

Just one teacher in high school generated a whole lot of creativity in me and in a lot of other students.