Ken Robinson says schools kill creativity | Video on TED.com

Viewpoint Sample from an Okie:

“If you’re not prepared to be wrong, then you’ll never be creative,” says Ken Robinson. But, I do not agree. The biggest difficulty for people in the arts is that they never think their work is good enough. Artistic people are perfectionists. Often times they don't want to show or sell their work. Its commonly known that many artists are penniless during their lifetimes because they never sell their art. Just because a person is not "prepared to be [viewed as] wrong" does not mean that their creativity is altered.

I think the emphasis on the usual subjects of math, English, and science over such subjects as art, drama, and dance is commonplace because all children have the ability to learn. Everyone has a preference in subjects, and some may think they are better in some than others, but they can all be studied for and learned to the degree of passing the classes. But the arts are a different situation. The arts take people who are truly gifted in such areas. In order to do well in dance one needs strength, determination, balance. All art forms take certain capabilities that not all possess.

As to the Robinson's proclamation that schools kill creativity, I can agree and disagree at the same time. A major factor is the school itself. Every school is different. I was educated (kindergarten thru 12th grade) at Prue Public Schools. Prue is a very small rural school. My opportunities as a student were very limited. We had no dance or drama programs. Art classes were only offered if the school was able to employ a suitable teacher for it. Other schools vary I am sure. But such generalities cannot be made to cover all schools across the world.