What is education really about, anyway?

Sir Ken Robinson's TED talk about How schools kill creativity:

If that is not something that gets you thinking about education, then I don't know what is.

Robinson discusses some issues in regards to our "current" education system (as of 2006 that is). The overall message is that we need to educate children's whole being rather than just their mind; we need to encourage, promote and support creativity and open our views to what intelligence really is rather than being compliant to the education system at hand. 

One idea that stands out to me is the importance of being wrong. If children are scolded too often for being wrong they will become (or maybe have already become) too scared to take risks, make mistakes and think creatively. I mean, have you talked to a child lately? Do you know how crazily imaginative those little buggers can be? One of the best things about children are their imaginations and, as a future teacher, I believe it is important to nourish and respect this creativity rather than educate them out of it. 

Robinson makes a point about how the purpose of education is to prepare students for jobs and, furthermore, to create university professors. Although I cannot completely disagree with this point, as it's no fluke that I have a French degree in a bilingual country and plan to continue my education even after I get a masters degree, I can still see where he is coming from and how this type of education system does not meet the needs of every student. In saying that, as much as I would like to tell students to follow their hearts and do what they enjoy, I don't want them living in their parents basement and working at McDonald's when they're 40 years old. There's gotta be a middle ground where education can nurture creativity while creating useful and productive members of society.  

Videos like this are great for getting me on the go. Although I often show indifference towards, well, most everything, education is an issue that I am passionate about. Watching this video in a class about teaching children mathematics just re-enforces the idea that education is not about the subjects you teach, but rather the ideas and concepts you re-enforce through teaching itself. Education is more about teaching children how to learn than it is teaching them how to count. If you don't teach children to think critically and solve problems then how do you expect them to become independent learners?

PS: Shakespeare had a dad? Tell me you never thought about that before, because I know I haven't. I suppose he had a mum too...