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Ashley Baustert Ms. Megan Eng112-12 2 May 2013 Should they keep creativity in Schools? Recently there has been a spate of interest in creativity in schools. Should it stay or should it go? Is the question people have been asking themselves? Having creativity in schools today is a big deal. Some schools are taking out related arts and not replacing the creativity in the core classes, so the students are losing their creative side. This paper tells us why creativity is so important to the students lives. In the paper I will tell the reader why creativity needs to stay in schools, and then I will show you the side of why people think creativity should go. After that I will give points to both sides of the argument and then tell you why creativity needs to be in the school. Most people think that creativity in schools is only in related arts, but creativity is everywhere in schools. School board in some areas are taking out related arts and focusing more on the core classes, by doing this the students are only getting related arts once to twice a week. Wright says While personality is a significant influencing factor in creative individuals, it also links closely to the areas of intelligence and knowledge. (Wright pg.8) This can mean a lot to a parent or student by telling them that personality is part of creativity. I think that by taking out creativity the students will lack creativity and/ or forget about it when they get older. I think that creativity needs to be in core classes just as much as related arts. Some games the teachers could have out in their classroom would be Bingo, Simon Says, Role Play. In bingo the teacher could have a math problem on the board and the students would

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have to find the answer and then see if they have it on their bingo sheet. This can take a break from learning the normal way and is a creative way to get the students involved with class. Simon Says is creative because the class would have to think of what to do. One student could be Simon and come up with moves to the subject they are in. Role Play is also another great game. This game is a great one to use in Reading or English, because you can have the students act out what they are reading or learning about. These are just some creative games that a teacher could do if the education system did take out related arts. Creativity is not what the students are going to school for they are going to learn. (Untz) As Mrs. Untz says in the quote the students are not at school for the related arts but they give the students a break and let the mind wonder. I see there Mrs. Untz is coming from by saying this but you have to think about the whole picture. By having related arts in schools it does give the students a break from their core classes but it also lets the students see that there is not just Math, Science, Social Studies, and English. Most of the students that go to school love going to art or P.E. because art lets them do what they love and P.E. gives them the activity time they might not get at home. I see where you are coming from Mrs. Untz but I think not having creativity in schools is a bigger deal than having it. I feel like each student going to at least Elementary school should know what they are creative for before they get to six grade. The only way to do this is to keep related arts in schools. Keeter did a comic book at her school. Keeter says "These people are simply not aware of the diversity and depth of graphic novels." (Keeter n.p.) This also could be a way that the teachers let the students have some fun but at the same time they are also learning. Keeter had a comic book at the whole school made up the words to and awarded the winners

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with candy. I think this could be a really great idea because what kid in school does not like candy. As Keeter and her school have a comic book contest other schools are not even acting like taking related arts out of their schools are hurting them. Most parents are not aware of what is going on in the schools with creativity and related arts. The teachers are the ones that need to make sure that there is creativity in the school other than related arts so the parents and students do not have to. Teachers who understand that creativity combines both originality and task appropriateness, are in a better position to integrate student creativity into the everyday curriculum in ways that complement, rather than compete with, academic learning Beghetto Kaufman Scherer writes. This is a great quote because it tells the reader that if the teachers care about creativity then the students will be better off in the long run. I believe that creativity is a big part of schools and Mrs. Untz was wrong about not having creativity being too big of a part in schools. Creativity is needed no matter what to help to students learn. I know not every student can sit there and learn by having a teacher stand in front of them the whole day. I know this because I am one of those people; I have to have a visual in front of me. I do not think Untz sees that creativity is everywhere not just in related arts. Untz says that the education systems are doing the students a favor by giving them more time to learn the big subjects. I see what Mrs. Untz is saying but creativity is in the core classes also. I believe that creativity is more than just in the related arts it is in mind itself. What I mean by that is that you have to be creative to do almost anything in the world today. Creativity is known more for being a great drawer or great at coming up with creative games or crafts. But this is not just what creativity is. It is also how a person learns as Wright

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says Creative vision involves not only knowledge but also a willingness to see past it. (Wright pg.9) Creativity lets us see things in different perspectives. For example one person could see a neighborhood one way and another person see that same neighborhood completely different. This is a way of being creative not in school. I think that someone that is lacking creativity in schools would just see the neighborhood as it really looks. Thinking styles are not abilities, but how individuals use their abilities and skills to learn and solve problems. (Wright pg.9) This quote by Wright is going back to having games in class because it is the individuals creativity to learn their skills and solve problems. I think this is true because when you have a group of students together not all of them will think the same way. They will have a different idea on how to do something. I have always liked to do a group with people because I learn different ways I would never think about. If the group is willing to give ideas to help the student learns they will do some much better. In the book The Arts, Young Children, and Learning by Susan Wright says creativity within you. I like this a lot because this is so true about me and I know more people. I think that the education system needs to look at this problem and see why taking related arts are a bad thing. I do not think that the school board thinks how this really does hurt the lives of students. I think now that this problem is out there and the school board will not let it go away. I believe that now the school board or teachers need to think this though because it also is taking away from teachers having jobs. This could just make another problem that the school boards do not need to have. I feel that creativity is one of the biggest things in schools and it needs t stay no matter what.

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Work Citied Page Keeter, Meredith. "Let Your Students Do The Talking." Knowledge Quest 41.3 (2013): 3435. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. Scherer, Marge. "Who's Creative?."Educational Leadership 70.5 (2013): 7.Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. "Student Voices." Technology & Learning 33.8 (2013): 34-36. Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Mar. 2013. Untz, Kayla Creativity in Schools. Personal interview. 28 Mar. 2013 Wright, Susan. "Chapter 1." The Arts, Young Children, and Learning. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 2003. 8-9. Print.