"Think Different"? In Schools: Mostly Not.

I was reading “The Real Story Behind Apple's 'Think Different' Campaign”, a fascinating story about Apple‘s “Think Different” ad campaign. It actually brings out the fact that both the people behind the campaign were the masters in creativity. Every revolution in whatever field is a resultant of the “Think Different “approach and this is the mantra for the corporate world too.

But how is creativity really treated, beyond the field of such misty-eyed ad campaigns? When I look back at my school days I was always told to be obedient, sincere, reliable and expected to obey the rules and regulation without even trying to understand the logic behind the laundry list of do’s& don’ts. Things are still the same and I realized it during my trip to my son’s school for the parent-teacher meeting. I was told to make my kid to understand the importance of obeying the R&R and ensure a disciplined approach. In other words, teachers like the idea of creativity as long as its manifestations are not disruptive. It’s high time that we implement democratic education theory of learning and school governance in which students and staff participate freely and equally in a school democracy. In a democratic school, there is typically shared decision-making among students and staff on matters concerning living, working, and learning together. C’mon wake up…….Don’t kill the creativity.