Five Minds for the Future

Globalization is here to stay whether we like it or not. Our world constantly changes, constantly reinvents itself. It does not wait for anyone. If we want to stay on track, we have to keep up with the times. Our view of the world is not the same today as it was 10 years ago. Everything has to be in context of the present situation.

Schools are often guilty of not changing their lesson plans, imposing on their students seemingly irrelevant information. After all, how will it benefit our lives if we knew when a certain emperor decides to behead his unfaithful wife? Facts are not going to teach us anything if they cannot be used in everyday life. What we need is a transformation of the current education system. At the very least, the way we treat the information today’s education system gives us.

Professor Howard Gardner mentions that “much of our education has to be self-education” and I could not agree more. Gone are the days when students have to be spoon-fed, only to realize that they are not equipped with enough practical skills to get them through life. The things taught to them are merely the basic foundations that will help them with future endeavors. It is really up to the students to make sense out of the knowledge they have, to to mold themselves into the persons they want to become in relation to others.

If anything, we should learn to have a goal in which everything we do is directed towards achieving it. Mistakes are inevitable in the process but it is only through acknowledging them that we become better individuals. Of course, it would be better to aspire for long-term goals because they imbibe in us the discipline needed to carry on. We learn to be responsible for our own actions.

a creative title for a creative entry

Going to school isn't exactly exciting. There is nothing appealing about trying to digest outdated information while the teacher drones on about topics he thinks are the most useful things in the world. Just a look at the students' faces is enough to extinguish any creative energy left in the classroom. Students are made to memorize identical information, follow an identical set of rules, and reach for a seemingly singular goal. They are made to think and act like one another. Like clones if you will. And this definitely does not encourage a creative approach to life.

Students are at a crucial point in their life where they are searching for their identity. They want to be inspired, to be motivated. But how could this be achieved if society only gives them a limited view of what’s out there? Ken Robinson mentions in his article The Arts and Education that classes such as Math, Science, and Reading are prioritized because they would supply economic growth. True, but I don't think any nation could run on mathematicians and scientists alone. The way I understand it, these core classes are only meant to lay a sturdy foundation for its future leaders, who in turn will still be the ones responsible for breathing life into the structure. It's like a carpenter who does all the woodwork of the house first before the actual inhabitants could turn the house into a home.

Creativity and the so-called scholarly professions should not be treated separately. They should instead be integrated into one another. As Robinson states it: “Creativity is possible in every area of human activity.” Everything we say and do are all part of a creative process. What is asked from us might be similar, but how we’ll act on it will definitely vary depending on our understanding of it.

At the end of the day, it is still up to the person to live his life creatively. After all, creativity comes from within.


Source: The Arts and Education: Changing Track by Sir Ken Robinson

i want you to get to know me

I am superficial. I like things beautiful, instant, perfect. Why settle for less when you can have the best? At the surface, at least. I call myself Kaz instead of Karina just because it sounds cooler and I won't have to share my name with a dozen others. I have sacrificed a lot for the sake of superficiality in the past 20 years. Time, money, friends, to name a few. I couldn't say that they were completely worth it because anything superficial is fleeting, momentary, easily lost. Just like that.

Recently though, I realized I didn't want that. I didn't want to end up selfish, spoiled, rotten. Like a decomposing fruit, decayed to its core. For once, I wanted to feel what it was like to do what I wanted to do without anything holding me back. I wanted to be free. I wanted to just live.

And I did.

So hello world, this is Kaz Fuentes writing for her COM 170 class. Here's to hoping for a sem that actually lasts :)