Unicorn Race Car Drivers
/I asked my fourteen-year-old if she had ever seen an episode of Mr. Rogers. She said, "Yes. We watched Daniel Tiger all of the time."
No! That is NOT Mr. Rogers! Although the qualities and values of Fred Rogers come through in the cartoon, Daniel Tiger, an essential component is missing. You guessed it, Mr. Rogers. A real, human being. A caring adult who molded curiosity, collaboration, and creativity.
That model is important. It turns out, VERY important.
A few years ago, LinkedIn stated that creativity is the most in-demand skill in the world. The fact that creativity is in demand is not surprising. The fact that it is hard to find is upsetting. Here's why.
In 2011, Dr. George Land did a TEDx talk in Tucson. (You know he's legit because he is a Dr.) He shared about a research study on creativity that he did for NASA. He gave 1,600 four and five-year-olds a test geared at measuring imaginative thinking.
98% of the pre-schoolers scored in what they labeled "the genius category of imagination."
Five years later, they re-tested the same kids (now 10 years old), and only 30% scored at the genius level.
Five years after that, they re-tested the kids again (now 15), and only 12% scored at the genius level.
Over 1,000,000 adults have taken the same test and only 2% scored at the genius level.
Now to be fair, some of this creative lapse is due to brain development and maturity. As kids enter adolescence, the pre-frontal cortex begins to develop (Here I go again, talking about things I have no business discussing.). That part of the brain controls judgment and inhibitions and is responsible for reigning us in.
If you have ever known a pre-schooler, you know they typically have reckless abandon for social norms. They make up silly songs, engage in imaginative play, and pretend to be all sorts of things, from princesses to puppy dogs. I have a vivid memory of me, at age four, pretending to be a cat and insisting on eating out of a bowl on the floor. (Today, I only do that after a night of too many martinis!)
So as we get older, wild imaginative play typically subsides (because we can't have 40-year-olds prancing through the office dressed as unicorn race car drivers). Therefore, some of our natural creative juices slow their flow.
But pre-schoolers' fascinations with unicorns and kitties and silly songs aside, the researchers have concluded that creativity is actually "learned out of kids." The more time kids spend in school, the less creative they get. There are lots of reasons for that, and none of them I blame on actual teachers. Point to packaged curriculum, high-stakes assessments, pacing guides, blah, blah, blah. Yawn.
But what researchers have discovered is that in environments where adolescents feel safe, are inspired, and have adults who model creativity, they feel more apt to be creative themselves.
Mr. Rogers knew this. And it is why he modeled creative processes all of the time.
The authors of my new favorite book, When You Wonder, You're Learning, state, "While creative thinking may be in decline, it doesn't have to be. Like curiosity, children's creativity can be nurtured and sustained into adulthood. It just takes some help from creative adults, and there are still plenty of places where kids are able to find them."
Now that can cause some people to panic. "But I'm not creative; how can I model creativity?" Yes, you are. I mean, you were when you were five. That doesn't go away. It just gets suppressed and dulls.
So if you feel less than creative, get started nurturing it. And do it with kids. Your students, your children, nieces, nephews, or grandchildren. Whoever. Pick up that flute again. Start painting. Play with clay. Make t-shirts, stickers, or shoes made of duct tape. It doesn't matter what you pick. And it doesn't matter if you're "good at it." What matters is that kids see you do it and delight in it.
It is essential that you model self-expression, divergent thinking, and creativity. Because when you do it, they will feel safe to do it. Promise. Mr. Rogers said so!