Why Schools KILL Creativity, Which Affects The Next Generation

boy in green sweater writing on white paper

The school system is killing you in more ways than you realize. Or what I should say is – it already has.

This isn’t some clickbait bullshit or a desperate attempt to spread propaganda.

It’s just the reality of the situation because of the old principles schools still live by, even in 2022 and beyond. And it’s killing the creative minds of millions of kids every year.

It’s creative suicide, and something needs to be done about it.

Let’s talk about why.

 

This Is Why School KILLS Your Creativity:

YouTube video

 

1. You’re made to believe there’s ONLY one right answer

When I was in school, similar to schools today, it didn’t matter if I threw my hand in the air to ask for the answer to a question.

Because there’s only one answer in the school system.

This is true even if the subject is more complex and holistic, like religion or English.

 

That’s not how creativity works

flat lay photography of paintings

The thing with creativity is – there’s never ONE right answer to a question. In reality, there’s never one correct answer to anything.

The moment you start to believe that, it’s game over.

Failure will hurt 10X more than a bee sting because you’ll be convinced there’s no other way or answer. And that’ll kill you even more from the inside.

 

2. Individuality doesn’t exist

Everyone’s made to look the same.

Have you seen the film – I-Robot? It’s by Will Smith, and there’s tons of robots with obviously identical designs, programming and everything else you’d expect.

Well, school is the same thing.

Everyone’s made to:

  • look the same
  • think the same
  • behave the same

and achieve the same.

The problem with that is: creativity, by definition, is NOT the same. It’s new, fresh, different, and innovative.

Creativity is about mixing and impregnating ideas to form new ones. And create new ways of tackling problems, obstacles, and finding solutions in general.

In the case of art and music, it would be like grooming artists to draw the same shit and sing the same songs with the same lyrics and the same tone of voice.

In essence, it’s following conventional patterns that don’t break away from the norm.

assorted-color paints

Can you imagine how boring music would be in a world like that? Imagine how uninteresting, uninspiring and worthless musicians would be in a world like that.

This mentality destroys creativity at its core and ruins the foundation of development, change and human evolution.

That’s what the school system does to children.

It’s a miracle that anyone has any creativity after leaving school since the safe route is never to question what you’re taught and to prod along without getting back into the habit of being creative again.

It’s hard to think like that when society has drained every last drop of it from your creative wardrobe.

Related: 11+ Powerful Things That Inspire Me Everyday

 

3. “Sameness” is encouraged

Why do people wear school uniforms that look exactly the same as everybody else’s?

You might say, “because it makes kids look professional”, or “because then you’re smartly dressed”.

But that’s a load of bullshit. The real reason is so that everyone is the average of each other.

If you’re the same as everyone else, you won’t feel out of place. This also means if everyone else is a copy and paste, you won’t see it as a bad thing.

You’ll welcome it with open arms. Because humans are like sheep. Looking for a “crowd” to follow because it’s safe and seems like the “right” thing to do.

I use the word sheep loosely, but it’s still true.

go to school get a job meme e1670341369579

“Go to school, get a job, pay the bills and live happily ever after” – that’s the tune the education system sings down your ear. As loud as the music blasting through black speakers at a house party.

The only problem is: it’s all built to encourage you to be the same and fall in line.

None of it encourages diversity, variety, or pushes you to achieve more than you’re told is possible.

And worst of all: none of it is based on your skills and talents. It’s based on everybody else’s. Hence the need to encourage a robotic mentality and “safety” as the best course of action in grooming the next generation of kids.

 

4. Creativity is seen as “something cool” but unrealistic

“I wanna be an entrepreneur” – that’s what Michelle Mone told her teacher in high school in Glasgow, Scotland.

“You can’t be an entrepreneur” – that’s what the teacher said to Michelle Mone in response. And now she’s a multi-millionaire with the biggest bra company in the UK.

Katy Perry, one of the most successful musicians of the 21st century, was encouraged to give up plenty of times. Because being a successful musician is “unrealistic”, only a fool would believe it’s possible to make a living off your creative talents.

Now Katy Perry is so famous I doubt there are too many people on earth who don’t know her name on some level.

Especially Millennials and younger.

jobcentre kings lynn

There was also a girl who was on benefits. And one day, she went into the job centre, asking for advice on starting a business.

“You, Start a business?” the advisor said.  Followed by condescending laughter, as if the woman who wants to start a business told a funny joke she found by typing “yo momma jokes” on Google.

There’s even proof these people encourage this behaviour.

  • Starting a business.
  • Being a musician.
  • Leveraging your creative talents.

All this is discouraged by schools, teachers, your parents and society itself.

And by the time you’ve left school, the education system sucks every last drop of creativity from your soul. At which point you question whether it’s even a “realistic” career path anymore.

School is where the problem starts, and once you’ve left – society develops it into a cancer.

That’s why most people quit because they never believed it was possible in the first place.

 

Why creativity matters:

Gillian Lynne Black And White

As QUOTED from Thersa.org:

As evidence of how schools kill creativity, Robinson cites the example of a young girl called Gillian Lynne who, at the age of eight, was already viewed as a problem student with a probable learning difficulty due her inability to sit still and concentrate.

When her mother sought a medical explanation for Gillian’s constant fidgeting and lack of focus, the doctor suggested they speak privately. As the two adults got up to leave, the doctor turned on the radio. Left alone in a music-filled room, young Gillian began to dance. Observing her through the window, the doctor turned to her mother.

“Gillian’s not sick” he said, “she’s a dancer”. Today, at the age of 92, Gillian can look back on a long career in ballet, dance and musical theatre which saw her become one of the world’s most successful choreographers, with hits like Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s Cats and Phantom of the Opera among her many achievements.”

Had it not been for the change in circumstances, and the realization of this little girl’s talents, we may have never known who she is. And she wouldn’t have lived a fulfilling life to the degree she has.

All it would have taken was ONE mishap, and she would have been the average of everyone else, just as the dinosaur education system designed it to be!

Next:

15+ Things That Inspire Creativity When You Need It Most

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