Surviving 9th Grade

During my few short months teaching high school, I have noticed one simple challenge blasts me in the face day after day - my students' lack of imagination. Try to convince them that they can create a story from their own heads, and they look at you like you have two heads!

I wondered if anyone else had noticed this trend, and it turns out that lots of people have noticed.

• According to the panel that investigated the 9/11 attacks, the disaster was primarily due to a "lack of imagination." Our security directors and others failed to imagine the mind of a terrorist and follow that line of thinking. Learn more here.
  
  
• Apparently, we are also suffering a "digital decline" thanks to the lack of imagination on the part of our country and policymakers. And considering my experiences with broadband service, I'm inclined to agree with the author of this article.
  
  
• On top of all that, our bad example seems to be infiltrating other countries, such as Great Britain. According to this blog, students there like those here are being encouraged to focus solely on grades and test scores instead of imagination and learning.
  
  
• Despite my sadness over my students' lack of creativity, I am also willing to recognize that perhaps this isn't a new problem. I ran across this article from USA Today that points out many serious blunders, each caused by a serious imagination drought.

What are we to do about this imagination drought? How do I get my students out of it? I have no clue, but I am starting by helping them to become more independent thinkers. I encourage them daily to figure out answers instead of using me as a crutch. Little by little, they are beginning to take responsibility for their minds and their learning, and I hope that someday they will take that same responsibility for their decisions and their lives.

And just in case that doesn't work, there's always the Dreamfinder to remind Figment, my students, and the world that "Imagination is our key to unlock the hidden wonders of our world."