Isabelle+E’s+Final+AmEx+Speech+2017

I want to live in a creative America. I want to live in a world where you really can be anything you want to be. I want to live in a society that doesn’t shoot down abstract ideas that do not fit the mold of what it means to be “normal.” Most of you probably do not know this, but for six years, I attended a charter school. Ventura Charter school to be exact. My experience there was quite unique. Obviously we covered the standard things: math, history, science, and English. But there was one major difference. We were also taught to further our creative minds. The teachers encouraged us to solve problems creatively and express ourselves in our writing.

As a child, I used to love writing imaginative fictional stories. Some of those stories were based around a talking seal who took me on an ocean exploratory adventure, where I ended up riding a whale. Yes, I know. Kind of weird. Other stories were based around the plot that I got lost in a forest, found a glowing path, then ended up fighting a monster with the help of a magic fairy who gave the the ability to fly. Yes, looking back at those stories, they may not ever be made into Oscar-winning movies, but they’re better than I can do now. When I started middle school everything changed. The workload increased, taking up time and leaving me with no energy for anything creative. Besides school and homework, we teenagers are expected to engage in extracurricular activities because that will further enhance our growth as individuals. With all our time taken up, we are left with no mental or physical energy. Besides the extra work, there is an emphasis on testing that is in no way going to benefit us in the future. Seriously, what can you use your testing skills for? Life does not ask you to fill in bubbles correctly. Life demands creative solutions to problems.

In this class, we have been given the opportunity to express creativity with projects, etc., but why is this so hard? Coming from someone who once could write hours on end about some fictional fantasy story, this should be easy. Right? Well I guess I’m out of practice. If creativity is essential to the growth of society, why is the public education system is seemingly suppressing children's ability to think outside the box? In the America I want to live in, students actually have time to pursue interests and activities that are not just regurgitation of prior knowledge. There would be fewer school hours and less homework so that students would have enough mental energy left over for creative passions.

Working adults also need to have more time and energy to be creative. In the past, it was standard to graduate high school and get a job. Or go to college, get a degree, and find a job that fit your degree. We have basically been training workers. Nowadays, that isn’t enough. Technology has taken over many jobs in various industries, so we need people to think of jobs that computers are not capable of. Remember when we were kids and we thought that anything was possible? We have to revert back to that mentality in order to open up possibilities for our future. We need to be creative to come up with desirable careers that need the human element. In the America I want to grow up in, kids could actually become what they wanted to be. Instead of limited jobs, we could have a nation filled with infinite possibilities.

What is stopping us from creating this visionary world? Even if people had enough time and mental energy, they still might stifle their own creativity. From what I see, people are afraid to break away from the classic mold and be extraordinary.

It’s safe to say that I was a creative child, yet somehow I now lack the ability to even come up with a decent college essay about myself. Seriously? What happened? How has my seemingly creative mind that was once able to generate the most out-of-this-world scenarios become so limited? I worry now that my ideas might be TOO out there. People may think of me as strange if I openly expressed my most creative ideas. You might judge me.

In the America I want to grow old in, people should be free to express creativity without the fear of being criticized by others. Schools should emphasize creative problem solving instead of test-taking skills. Adults should be able to pursue their passions instead of just looking for employment. And students should be able to stand in front of their peers to express their ideas without the fear of being judged. Thank you.