Creativity

Kia ora.

I recently watched From the Sky Down, a documentary film by Davis Guggenheim and I really enjoyed it. U2 are a band who have had much success over a long period of time - real longevity. I have always found their music powerful and this documentary was no exception with a beautiful solo performance of Love is Blindness by The Edge.

The documentary was amazing and awe inspiring!  I've been a fan of U2 since my days of high school when Sunday Bloody Sunday was  reaching all corners of the globe and this documentary allows the viewer to glimpse into their world at a critical time in their journey. It was a very difficult period for U2 and Simon Hartley (Personal Coach) captures the essence of this in his blog entry Creativity: the Greatest Light from the Darkest Place.

At the very end of the documentary Bono makes the following quote.

"You have to reject one expression of the band first, before you get to the next expression and in between you have nothing. You have to risk it all!"

I found these words extremely inspiring and have been reflecting  on them in the light of our school, Lytton High School's future. What is the vision for our young people? As a parent and an educator I support wanting them to all have meaningful careers in life, but if I was to be honest I want more for them.

Two nights ago, we held our Senior Prizegiving and I glimpsed an insight into what could be. There were several Year 13 students who were recognised for their achievements. Several of these achievements were inspired by the students' passions to build or create something new, in many cases something needed. They were not for credits but were intrinsically motivated (see earlier posts and in particular references to Dan Pink).

These remarkable moments are what give us the excuse to take courage and follow the advice of Bono. For while we have a education system of some repute, there is more that we could do notwithstanding the economic and social issues that still need to be addressed for many New Zealanders.

The young writer (17 year old) Nikhil Goyal pleads with us, in his book One Size Does Not Fit All, to look at public education differently. A 17 year old who has done the research, done the yards to find ways to revolutionise the education system. He encourages us to truly involve our young people. What could our young people achieve if we took the courage to reject an older expression to be able to move into a new expression? That is the question that really excites me! I'm really enjoying this book.

Enough said from me at this time other than to congratulate all recipients from Thursday night's Senior Prizegiving - well done!

Have a safe weekend with family and friends.

Video of the week - Nikhil Goyal Learning Revolution: Nikhil Goyal at TEDxCibeles