I went into education with the lofty and grandiose goal of saving creativity and imagination in school. I know that I will likely not do this alone. I know that skills are important, and that sometimes drilling facts is necessary. However, I don't ever want to forget how important it is to exercise our creative talents, to think outside of the box, to talk to our imaginary friends, to create senseless acts of beauty. I love Calvin and Hobbes because it reminds me of all of this. This particular comic touches me pretty deeply--it has commentary on medication that I don't quite agree with--sometimes (but not always) medication is something that's needed for a student to succeed. However, I think what it is saying about erasing imagination is something powerful that we should be wary of. I really hope that I never let creation/thinking outside of the box/imagination disappear from my type of teaching--and I sincerely hope my students and parents call me out on it if it ever feels like it is.
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