School children get judged on intelligence, attention span and academic excellence and their ability to pass exams. That is all well and good, but what really helps your kids to be successful in life?
Creativity, the making of success
We are taught to think a certain way and to work things out in the same way. But as people, we think differently. We see the world through our own eyes based on our own experiences, so attempting to get everyone thinking the same way is futile.
You don’t have to spend your evenings knitting and painting masterpieces to be considered a creative person. Creative solutions can be seen across all industries. An article by Queensland University makes an interesting comment about the future of creativity in the workplace, ‘’Creative workers play an important role in driving economic, social and cultural development’’.
Creativity and Innovation
Take myself as an example, I was always in trouble at school and the teachers had no time for me. I got told I should be more like my sister and that I would never amount to anything. Okay, I was disruptive and messed about, but those teachers could and never did know, how intelligent and creative I was.
Related article: Dream Snatchers
During my school years, the academic subjects never interested me, so I was judged to be a bad student. I wasn’t encouraged to be creative or to engage in the things I enjoyed and so no one discovered what I was good at. How could I go through all those years of school without anyone noticing the talents I had in writing and storytelling, that I was a good artist, musician and song writer? I educated myself without the help of teachers. Zooming ahead to present day, I now love learning about science and enjoy reading the classic novels.
Creativity and Self-discovery
If school isn’t fulfilling their creative role, what should we do?
Take the school out of the equation (excuse the pun!). Build a creative environment for your kids to grow up within. Encourage them to sing and dance, to make up plays and songs, to write stories, without worrying about the grammar and spelling and just let the thoughts flow. Spelling and grammar is important, and it will become natural with the more writing they do.
Have art and craft materials in the house, so when it’s a rainy weekend or the kids just need some quiet time, it becomes a habit to reach for the craft box. Teach them to be curious about the world, about nature and about the human condition. In doing these things they will learn about the most important person on Earth, themselves.
With one brilliant song, one amazing story or an artistic masterpiece, your child can etch their name forever in human history. School and academia are important but most of their life is lived long after the school bell has rung. It’s their creativity that will complete them for the rest of life’s journey.
Barry S. Brunswick is an author. You can buy his books on Amazon:
Dreamland Part 1 – The Fabric of Dreams
Dreamland Part 2 – The Masters of Light
The War of The Turnips
Barry Brunswick’s Tall Tales – A Short Story Collection
Inner Outer – A Poetry Collection
