Why Creativity is Important

Creativity Now Although some would argue that the education system we have today is sufficient, evidence and experts retort that notion and assert instead the necessity of taking a creatively driven approach to education in order for students to obtain future success. Sir Ken Robinson’s article referring to creativity as the most crucial 21st century skill and his Ted talk about the ballerina that became a multimillionaire after being allowed to express her creativity, both highlight the necessity of permitting students to explore their creative sides and allowing them to build a future with it, leading to success in the long-term. In order for kids to be personally invested in their education, schools need to find ways to invigorate and impassion them. According to Robinson, the United States has a 30 percent high school dropout rate, and it gets even worse in minority communities where dropout rates are as high as 80 percent. Clearly, there is something wrong with the education system for the numbers to be that high. We are not stimulating them but rather alienating them from their own talents. If we are not appealing to their creativity then students gradually lose interest and what we are left with is a generation of potentially very talented individuals who were taught that their original ideas are not as important as the quadratic formula. Without the flow of innovative ideas, there would be less technological advancement, fewer jobs, and an even higher high school dropout rate. Thus, it is crucial that we encourage the usage of creativity now to increase the flow of innovative ideas and grant students success in the long-term. In his Ted Talk, Sir Ken Robinson refers to a famous dancer that, as a child, was sent to the doctor by her mother for having a short attention span that caused her to do poorly in school. However, she was gifted in a way that the school and her mother had failed to see. Upon seeing her dance, the doctor had declared that