ARE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS KILLING CREATIVITY?

Eric Johansson. Who? He's the Photoshop wiz kid behind all those incredibly realistic photo images that were circulating on the internet last year.

Digital photography has become increasingly popular with retirees. Many of my retired friends have taken up the hobby seriously. They attend classes, and think nothing of spending thousands of ringgit on cameras and photography equipment.

If you would like to know how Eric produces these absolutely awesome photos, watch this TED Talk video. You can also visit Eric's photo gallery to view his portfolio. You will be completely bowled over by his work. To quote Eric, "All the tools are out there, the only thing limiting us is our imagination." So true!



And while on the subject of imagination and creativity, here's another video that explains why our public schools (not just those in the US) are "killing creativity".



If it's been a long time since you had a peek into a typical Malaysian classroom, be my guest:

A class of students in passive learning mode. A picture of UTTER BOREDOM that's stifling creativity. Not the kind of environment that would produce a Steve Jobs or an Eric Johansson.

Parents (and grandparents) will have to take an active interest in what goes on in our schools to ensure that our education system does not kill the natural creativity in our children. When you have a curriculum that does not engage the children, and teachers that do not inspire or motivate them to think and be creative, we will have a future generation of robots who will be running the economy and the country. What a frightful thought!