I realize that the grammar in that title isn’t perfect, but then, I’m not perfect either. And that is the point of this particular post.
I’m going to take a break today from family stories to share with you something that I think is a really important message.
Yesterday was the opening convocation of our school district. No kids, just hundreds of teachers coming together to begin the work of the school.
As is tradition, our Superintendent got up to give a speech. Usually, he gives a long (but quite motivational) speech to the teachers, but this year, he decided to let someone else do the talking for him. He showed us a video by a man named Ken Robinson. The whole gist of the video was about how we need to inspire our students to creativity. It was excellent and quite timely in an era where No Child Left Behind is squashing the creativity right out of our children.
My favorite part of the video was when Ken Robinson told the story of Gillian Lynne, a world famous choreographer. Have you heard the story?
I’d like you to take a moment and watch the following video. No, please don’t watch all 20 minutes of it (unless you want to…it was actually quite good). Move to the fifteen minute mark and then watch the story of Gillian Lynne. The story only takes about two to three minutes, but it’s an excellent story. I think the moral is something that we all need to remember in our dealings with children and with other adults.
http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
We are all individuals. We all need to be able to play to our strengths, whatever they may be.
So, again, for today, just give it a shot. Check out the story of Gillian Lynne. I guarantee it makes you think.
Amy,
Great story! I wish someone had done that with me…maybe not the dancing part, but the creative thinking of what I could have been better suited for in life and in my studies. I hope I can work to help provide this for Nathan and that a teacher at some point in his life will inspire him, help mold him, and help him creatively, to best suit what his talents, abilities, and interests are. For now I’m just happy to hear he’s got a great 1st grade teacher!
Keep up the interesting posts!
-Dave
Comment by David Wood — September 2, 2009 @ 7:56 am |