My 8-year-old is unlike any child I’ve ever met. I will admit- I say that about all my children, but I’d still like to tell you about my middle child today. He is uniquely creative, distinctively enthusiastic, and unusually inventive. He sees the world in ways I could only dream of. I don’t know if his unique view of the world is a result him having high-functioning autism or simply a reflection of who he actually is—but either way, he fills my life with vibrant colors.
We recently had a conversation about his experience as a second grader. School has been a rollercoaster for him and prompting his teachers to use all kinds of strategies to help him succeed.
His meticulous nature and desire to embellish even the most mundane of assignments means that he takes a long time to finish his work. Enter—the assignment timer. One day, when talking about about this new timer, he commented “I don’t mind using the timer, but it gets in the way of my artwork.” His math artwork. This left me at a crossroads. Do I talk to him about the importance of timely math work or do I foster his creativity? What in tarnation (his words not mine)? How did we get to the point where this is even a choice?
I dare say that most teachers, when asked, would wholeheartedly agree in the importance of fostering innate talents. And yet, we have a system that makes doing so incredibly difficult. I understand the need for measurement. After all, it is difficult to chart a plan for improvement without knowing where we are. That said, I worry that with the growing emphasis on measurable performance, we unknowingly sacrifice less obvious skills such as creativity, empathy, and resilience. In fact, the older we get, the more regimented our education seems to become. I am dreading the day that my middle schooler comes home with homework that feels like work. We get enough of that as adults.
So… What is to be done? Thankfully my son’s teacher modified his assignment length and used the option for art embellishments as reward for completed work. She was a lucky find.
Surely, we can use our creativity to save our creativity. I’d love to hear your thoughts…
4 Responses
I feel for your child, but I’m also pleased as punch that he has a mother and teacher who understand that creativity and time management are uneasy cats in a basket …
Thanks Andrea! It has been an adventure for sure.
Love this post – something that all educators should read. Definitley need measurments, but not at the sacrifice of creativity and individualism. Sounds like you found a great teacher and your son has a great mom!
Absolutely! We have been lucky. I have learned a lot from this entire process. Thanks for reading.