Why are we forced to be creative in school?

[Obamatheone]

The real world. You get training, but it can't account for everything, so you practice what you don't know, in order to learn it. Never in my whole life or work experience was I expected to know everything. But I was expected to learn from situations that were new or to develop new skills. If you want to move up in the world, you learn things you don't know and shore up any weaknesses you have in the field you're in.

I think the key phrase here is "in your field".

Other than the sentiment about moving up, this is fairly true.

You know what means even less? Not having that level of education, and passing judgement on it. You have such a narrow view of the world, because you've experienced so little of it. It's invariably the failing of youth that they think their experiences mean they know so much more than everyone else. Not trying to invalidate your experience, but your emotional response to everything shades what's going on.

What emotion response?

[Kivimetsan]

Schools actually destroy creativity and the individual.
I was lucky, I went to a private school after several years of being dragged through the public system... I was just a number to them. They never helped me, once.
The only time they attempted to help me was stick me in a class full of degenerates to learn maths... our teacher was an agriculture teacher.

Private > Public.

They encouraged individualism and creativity.
Forever thankful to those people.

<3

[Chloral]

I believe there is not enough creative classes in school. :/

I remember I had only one art class per week when I was in highschool and that used to piss me off so much as I LOVED the class.

[Sengel]

Being an educator, specifically an English one (by the way it's late so if you judge me by my late night grammar skills...really?), I can tell you that the reason why your Teacher requires a creative writing assignment is to get you to less think about "creating a story" and more of describe a scenario. I have never told my students that their "creative writing", which by the way does include Persuasive and Expository, absolutely has to be fiction. In fact, most of the greatest authors alive and dead played to their own self experiences as it gives a richer, more emotionally weighty piece. I'm sure that at one point you've had some sort of struggle. Is it anywhere in your rubric that the main character has to have a name? Add some anonymity to the protagonist by making him an Everyman. Heck write a story about writer's block. To respond to your second point "who the hell is the teacher to be able to grade what is creative and what isn't?", He or She is ultimately a reader of many texts and can be a good judge of the merits of work (ie we can tell when you completely bs something). Creativity is required for all but the lowest of menial jobs (even retail and serving have their creative components), thus establishing a set rubric for achievement, even if it's unwritten, is required to see if you're getting to the correct level of "outside of the box" thinking. I love teaching Anthem for that precise reason: reminding students that individualism and creativity, which is ultimately what makes the protagonist that much more distinguished, is one of the most important Tenants of being a good adult. I teach in a public school classroom Kivi. I'm sorry if you've gotten rotten teachers in the past, but don't throw the baby out with the bath water. So in teacher speak...Stop whining on a forum and get back to work; you're not letting your brain warm up much less work critically. Try listening to some music for a while: art usually begets art.

[Deleted]

Please explain to me why are kids forced to be creative in school?

It's what separates us from large parts of Asia. I'm really dumbing it down, but to put it directly they're mostly good at copying things instead of creating from scratch.

And creativity is helpful in more ways than you imagine. It's not just about art, you can also be creative with business strategies for example.
Creativity should perhaps not be forced, but it should definitely be encouraged. It's really helpful for when you're older.

Without creativity, we would never try something new and we'd be stuck in a very boring world where nothing ever changes.
Someone has to take the first step when trying something new, wether it turns out to be good or bad. But if nobody tries anything new, we'll never find out.

With my background, I don't understand how anyone can be against creativity.

If you're purely a logical thinker, you're missing out on new possible ways to do things. It makes you a sheep to the people who do innovate, you can only copy. And if you're purely a creative thinker, you may have all these big dreams but you won't put it into practice since you lack structure. Art students are a good example, most won't find a job because there is no demand for them. In my opinion, you need a healthy mix of both.

So yeah, creativity is a good thing and should be encouraged. I don't see why you have such a grudge against it.

[bayushisan]

We have kids take things like art and music because they are important parts of life. It teaches nonlinear thinking and gets kids actually involved in the process of learning. Not every kid will do well, but its still important to learn about to broaden their horizons.

[Nawennomi]

I can somewhat agree. Creative writing needs to stay the elective it is and out of my class. I'm currently in AP English 12 and every single one of our essay exams so far have been created around sterotypes about the character's race/religion. All of these far-out ideas are busy work and don't provide for a "well rounded" person at all. Rather than my essay be straight and to the point, we're expected to make up a load of crap to make a few page essay about. I don't need 2 pages to describe a character that only deserves a paragraph.

[theredviola]

Few careers actually require you to be creative.

This is true. But, if you want to work at a job that's higher than shit tier, you'll have to be creative to keep that job -- and even in shit tier jobs, creativity can sometimes lead to raises and promotions. So if you're content doing mindless work day in and day out, I agree with you.

You are "forced" to take those classes because school systems (public and private, lets no pretend it's just the public schools that do this and those that do, do a HORRIBLE job at teaching art classes but that's a rant for another thread) give the opportunity to every one. Just because -you- don't want to grow up to become an author doesn't mean the kid setting next to you in class doesn't.

Also, depending on the school, art classes can vary from awesome to boring for every kid. If you get a teacher who is truly dedicated not only to their specific art but to educating young children, then you get a great teacher. But, to many times those positions are filled with unqualified teachers (I.E. the English teacher who has been re-assigned because English counts as a Liberal Art degree), or that teacher who started teaching 40 years ago and hasn't changed their style. From the sounds of it, you have some bad art teachers.

Art isn't bullshit. Don't be so quick to write off the classes.

And yes, I am bias because I am a music teacher.

[Mormolyce]

No. You play to a person's strength's, not their weaknesses.

I don't think that's a very sound concept for education. A kid comes to school on their first day and they know nothing about maths but they're really good at eating glue and making macaroni necklaces, so should they drop all maths from their curriculum and spend the rest of their education training them to become a world-class glue eater and pasta jeweller?

[Xothic]

why do football players lift weights when there's not even any weights on the field?

this.

Sig.

Now.

[Lora]

Forced? Be grateful that you are allowed the opportunity.

[StationaryHawk]

Yes and no. It is both, a good story wether fiction or based on a real story, will be written to both be believable and enjoyable. However if you are limited by a notion that what is written could never be the case, that atleast in my point of view, the story will not be enjoyable either. When reading fiction, an open mind will make things believable, however unbelievable they may sound..if that makes any sense at all:P

Eh. If you're reading a story about orcs and elves, chances are you're not going to believe any of it.

If you're talking about it being believable in the sense that personalities, behaviors, interactions between people, etc. etc. reflect how they would operate in reality, then yes, I agree.

[Haven]

Aw, c'mon, not everyone is good at writing 100-page essays about a tin can. I've always been called creative, but I still understand people that, when they have nothing to say, say nothing. And it's wise.

[DeltrusDisc]

Why was I forced to take math in school when I am taking an art degree right now?

Nailed it.

I'm personally a VERY creative type, and the fact that I've constantly been forced to take these classes (math, etc) that require you to NOT be creative, drives me insane.

Welcome to the real world.

[Deleted]

Because we desire people to be able to think through things in a non-linear fashion.

Hehe, i so much disagree.
The problem with creativity is that everybody is convinced it cannot be taught. That everybody has some kind divine spark of ingenuity and intuitive thinking that will make them come up with the most awesome things if somehow, you feed it... but it's left to the magical fate to know what actually feeds it.

Creativity is a skill like any other, and like any other human skill, it can be approached linearly. People don't just make up stuff. They have a lot of stuff in their memory and learn how to baste them together, using known patterns.

If you want kids to get the ropes of creative writing you have to make them read. Read and analyze what they had read, the structure, the characters, the characterization. The more they read, if they read it conscientiously, they more they will learn how to be "creative". Because being creative is not having an awesome idea from zero to infinity. Being creative is introducing small mutations into already known patterns, or combining old patterns together... and see if they work.

By reading you learn how to name your characters. By reading you learn which plot lines and plot twists are more appropriate to the kind of story you want to tell. By reading you know what kind of stories to tell.
Trying to write creatively without having read a lot is like trying to build a lego structure without lego pieces nor instructions. Reading will provide you both.

---------- Post added 2012-11-13 at 06:40 AM ----------

Nailed it.

I'm personally a VERY creative type, and the fact that I've constantly been forced to take these classes (math, etc) that require you to NOT be creative, drives me insane.

Welcome to the real world.

Being creative requires discipline for the mind. Mathematics gives your mind a structure, a process, a way to work, the same as learning languages. After all, mathematics is a language too, just the language the nature use it.
If you ever use your creativity to describe the natural world, you should know its language.
Also, drawing, esculpture and music are pretty much mathematical arts.

[Adam Jensen]

Because the world is not driven by strict procedures and routines like a computer program.

Though some days it feels like it is.

[Deleted]

Because the world is not driven by strict procedures and routines like a computer program.

Though some days it feels like it is.

So, where will you hide when we make computers that can be creative? lol

[Adam Jensen]

So, where will you hide when we make computers that can be creative? lol

Well, the robot revolution has yet to happen.

I for one am stocking up on EMP grenades.

[Deleted]

Well, the robot revolution has yet to happen.

I for one am stocking up on EMP grenades.

Haha, make love, not war!

[Anakso]

I'm fine with it the way it is, teaching you to be more well rounded. A lot of careers don't require you to be creative but then a lot do, even things like science requires some creativity.

Speaking strictly about the way New Zealand schools did it, English is important. It's important to be able to communicate properly and use words correctly. Creative writing is a part of English (The school subject) they could have split it into two subjects but that would be kind of silly, to have an entire class all year on just creative writing.

Really though, I don't think teaching creativity should ever be seen as a bad thing unless they go to far with it, which I don't think they have (at least not in New Zealand)

EDIT: Added some clarification.