by Vincent Traina

Created on: August 05, 2008   Last Updated: August 07, 2011

In my experience as a student of history, I've consequentially gained a more thorough understanding of the fragility and precariousness of human societies. I have come to various conclusions which have been rooted in creative critical thinking. As a matter of scientific fact, the very rich experience of learning is in no small way directly connected to one's ability to think critically and be creative. Historians such as Will and Ariel Durant, Arnold Toynbee, Edward Gibbon, and Oswald Spengler have all agreed upon the correlation between creative problem solving ability and civilization. Whether it is a limited democracy as in the case of ancient Athens, a military oligarchy as in Sparta, Republicanism as in Rome, monarchical rule as in the Age of Louis XIV, or parliamentarianism as in Victorian England, societies that are able to figure out creative solutions to what Toynbee referred to as "the crisis of the age" have demonstrated their merit.

The manner in which our institutions of learning train the development of students' creativity and critical thinking from the earliest age on is governed by the manner in which the educators themselves have been trained. As citizens of a modern, federalized nation, Americans receive a primary education that is influenced largely by a standardized curriculum, which in turn derives its construction from a bureaucracy with a program of its own. I've learned that this means more than just red tape and paperwork. It implies that there is indeed a specific plan guiding American education, in spite of any personal convictions or opinions about creativity on the part of teachers. During my four years as an undergraduate at Caldwell College, I became immersed in the liberal arts. The ideas of "subjects that free men study" and democracy both come from the same ancient place, Greece. Therefore it is only fitting that a teacher, hoping to define creativity in education and thus understand how to prepare their students for responsible citizenship, should have a liberal arts education.

It's certainly true that material prosperity has a tendency to corrupt a person's inclination to deal with difficulties, endure privations, and be creative. A brief survey of human history confirms that most people will naturally decide on the road with the least resistance. Fostering a classroom climate that promotes character, strength of mind, and strength of will can counteract this. Specifically, teachers can encourage competition among their

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