ARE YOUR KIDS IN A BOX?

When I began writing this blog (a word I'm not sure I really like,) I thought that I would stay away from world issues, and focus more on my personal experience and growth, and how we can all make little changes every day. I stumbled across a video while doing some research for another topic, and I simply could not stop watching. Ken Robinson states exactly what we in education all think (at least those of us with brains.) Our system is antiquated and we are doing our students a massive disservice when we continue to push them in boxes that they were never meant to call home. This video gets me totally fired up, and helps me to remember that there are people out there, with a voice, that make powerful statements (even if the likelihood of things changing is as remote as government not wasting our money.)

Unfortunately, I know that most people (for the few that actually read this rag,) will not take the 20 minutes to watch. The speech is given by Ken Robinson, who is quickly becoming a hero as I listen to him speak. This isn't by any means a departure from what my purpose is at, AFTER THE BEEP. If anything, as I watch it over again, I realize how it is intimately related to how I see our capacity as human beings, how I see our ability to be the greatest versions of ourselves, if we just stop and do what we're meant to do.

Please take this time and watch the video by Ken; it's funny and very poignant!

From ted.com

Why don't we get the best out of people? Sir Ken Robinson argues that it's because we've been educated to become good workers, rather than creative thinkers. Students with restless minds and bodies -- far from being cultivated for their energy and curiosity -- are ignored or even stigmatized, with terrible consequences. "We are educating people out of their creativity," Robinson says. It's a message with deep resonance. Robinson's TEDTalk has been distributed widely around the Web since its release in June 2006. The most popular words framing blog posts on his talk? "Everyone should watch this."