"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up." ~ Pablo Picasso
Picasso was an artist from a tender age. When he was 9 years old he painted his first complete work: Le picador. He was gifted, an artistic genius in his own right. And yet Pablo did incredibly poorly in the classroom. Although far beyond the abilities of his fellow students (even those 5 to 6 years older than him) he and his creativity balked at being told what to do in school. Instead he preferred detention, a whitewashed cell with a small bench. For there he, his sketchbook, and his creativity could grow for hours. This was his education. This was what he loved.
Growing up I rarely knew that I was learning. I didn't know that when I mindlessly appeased the urges of my inner curiosity that it would be the core of my life's education. In my home growing up, life was school and the world was our classroom. Many were the days when after my math homework had been completed I was given free reign of the seemingly countless bookshelves. It was there that I learned about the Black Plague, rare snakes in Australia, veterinary work at the turn of the century, and innumerable more educational fascinations. My favorite by far were the great books. From Aristotle to Tolstoy I was fascinated. I sought out Plato and Homer and indulged myself in Shakespeare. At the age of 13 I read the Communist manifesto because I wanted to know, not know what others opinions on it were, but know for myself, what it was all about. The idea of tests and scores were mere stories from my stressed friends. My education was my life and I loved it.
I never understood why my friends disliked school so much until my senior year of high school, because it was then that I began attending Dixie State College. I had entered into a world where my comprehension of my studies was no longer based on my ability to intelligently and logically present my findings to my peers and superiors but rather whether or not I was able to properly fill in the corresponding scantron boxes with my #2 pencil. Don't get me wrong, I've grown to have quite a fondness for Dixie, but only due to a select few professors, their passion for their students, and their talent and zeal for learning themselves. And I cannot help but think that that is the difference. The difference between education and school. Because in school the environment is harsh, cold, and calculating. The goal is good statistics, not expanded minds. When one is educated there is a uniqueness to the environment, a sense of opportunity and adventure that encourages one to find and grow their own individual potential. In an education people are able to communicate their comprehension and excitement for what they are learning their way. Because while I communicate my learning best through writing, others do so through speaking, while some show it best visually. The best educators understand this; this individuality of quality education.
As I sit here typing my own description sounds too good to be true, idealistic, and maybe even utopian. My current academic position tells me it is. But my upbringing tells me differently, that it is possible, that there is hope, because I lived it. Changes could be made, environments adapted and minds utilized in astounding ways.
If we as a culture could accept the idea of failure and freedom, great success and potential could be gained. Because that's what it is isn't it? The inverse of the cut and dry test results is obviously open freedom and a potential for failure. There will be children who don't self motivate, who don't care to learn or don't want to learn the right things. But is that really so much worse than what's happening now? Is that really worse than the daily dismantling of imagination and creativity? And couldn't apathy be more easily squelched by intriguing ideas of the world than deadened, confined minds reborn through the occasional interesting assignment? I say yes. I think the first step in the solution to the educational system is a re-prioritization. A list of priorities that starts with each child and their individuality. A list that puts test scores somewhere close to air freshener scents and unique comprehension right next to the children themselves.
Because every child is a wonder. Every child is an artist, an inventor, a creator, a shaker and a mover if they are allowed to be, if they are encouraged to be. Every child has potential, whether great or small, to be the best, most well learned version of themselves through the art of education.
