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My AP Physics Class

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On the first day of my AP Physics class, my classmates and I were presented with a challenge: we had to build a spaghetti tower that could support a marshmallow with limited supplies, limited time, and limited knowledge of optimal spaghetti tower structures. The class was divided into groups, with each group competing to build the tallest tower possible. After several spaghetti towers ended in devastating crashes, our teacher told us how those who often do the best with the challenge are kindergarteners rather than adults. He explained that overthinking and excessively planning the structure not only wasted time but also prevented the creativity necessary to construct a tower that would accomplish the goal. Creativity was the key to the challenge, …show more content…

However, this creative spirit is quickly lost as students progress through their years in education, where independent thought is second to memorization and repetition. While vocabulary quizzes are common, this expansive vocabulary is rarely utilized in creative writing but rather regurgitated on the SAT examination. Instead of exploring the ways math could be used in various careers that students might pursue, math classes require memorization of trigonometric angles. In ethics class, instead of presenting one’s own views and providing support for these views, a student is expected to simply repeat what was said in class, whether the student agrees with these opinions or not. However, anyone can simply repeat back previously provided information and duplicate past processes. Education should be about finding creative new solutions to problems in the world today and encouraging individual thought that will change the world in the future. In order to improve the world, it is necessary to think of new solutions to problems. Creativity is necessary to come up with these solutions, and by stifling creative thought in education, educators are also stifling progress in the world. The goal of education is to prepare students for the rest of life, and educators are obligated to encourage creativity in order to achieve this

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