In the movie, Ken Robinson talks about what education should be. He argues that “creativity is an important as literacy, and we should treat it with the same status.” And he warned that our current education system won’t serve us for the future.

I basically agreed to his idea, that is, it’s important to make much of creativity in education. In his speech, he describes the current situation of not making much of creativity in education, and analyzes why it’s not. As the first analysis, he says “in the current education system, mistakes are the worst thing you can made.” Despite the fact that “if you’re not prepared to be wrong, you’ll never come up with anything original.” As the second analysis, he explains hierarchy of subjects, which is the same around the world. He says subjects such as arts, which is relevant to creativity, is positioned beneath of the hierarchy because it’s regarded less important to meet the needs of industrialism rather than mathematics, language and etc. Actually, I’m sad about such current education system. It’s because we are increasingly homogenized and can hardly cultivate the individuality.

However, I think that it’s difficult to run an education system, which lets children grow their creativity, in reality. It’s just because I can’t come up with a good idea to do so as Ken Robinson does not show any idea in his speech. At least, I am against the idea that we should introduce more and more subjects such as arts and dance to a school program. First reason for that is because I think arts are relevant to creativity, but I don’t think arts are the best, at least better, way to let children grow their creativity. Second reason is because the idea that education without cultivation of creativity won’t serve us in the future seems to me to be made by only looking at the future of developed countries. In my opinion, an education system, which makes much of subjects necessary at the point of whether to meet the needs of industrialism such as mathematics and language, will continue in developing countries. Rather, these subjects are necessary for children there to live because the educational standard there such as literacy rate is not as high as that of developed countries. Without looking at the difference of circumstances between developed countries and developing countries, the gap of the living standard, which is influenced by education very much, between them will be much wider in the future.

As a conclusion, Ken’s argument is interesting and fascinating me. Actually, I’m not satisfied with the current education system, in which creativity is hardly cultivated. However, I think we must be prudent when thinking about introduction of new education system to cultivate creativity at two points, that is, effects of new system and a gap between global north and south.

summary

Madonna will release her new album “Rebel Heart”. She uses images of famous civil rights campaigners such as Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley in order to promote it. But it causese controversy. She got criticized because some think she is comparing herself with them and exploiting their images to sell. According to this criticism, she posted an apology on a SNS. In spite of her apology, some people still attacked her and some of the songs from her new album were leaked online.

Reaction

I do not understand why Madonna was criticized and attacked so much. It is because I do not know Madonna very much and I do not have subjective emotion towards those historic people whose images were used in her album such as Martin Luther King Junior, Nelson Mandela and Bob Marley. But I realized again that topics about somethig political were often bound to cause controversy. This case was also caused because some people who admired those historic people very much got angry. I will try to be careful not to stimulate people by stating something political thoughtlessly.

Ebola outbreak: Five infected every hour in Sierra Leone

[summary]

Last week 765 new cases of Ebola were found in Sierra Leone, while there are only 327 beds in the country.

So far 3,338 people died of Ebola and 7,178 people have been confirmed to suffer from that in the world. Especially Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guniea are suffering the most.

In Sierra Leone the number of cases dubles every few weeks.

But the number above is just only a small part. Because untold numbers of children are dying anonymously at a home or in the streets.

If urgent action were not taken, 10 people could be infected every hour.

[my opinion]

I heard the news that Ebola was raging in the West African countries before summer for the first time, and even after summer ended Ebola is still schoking the world.

There are not established treatment for Ebola. So as the best solution to the disease, I think, we must not get Ebola.

But in the current situation in West Africa, the number of cases is rasing day by day. I think the fact that there are not enough medical supply such as provision of beds in isolation wards makes the terrifying situation. If “untold number of children are dying anonymously at home or in the streets”, others can easily get that highly infectious virus from them.

Now Ebola is striding even outside West Africa. Whole countries should take actions not to spread it any more such as offering money to build isolation wards in West African where do not have enough bugdets.

This I believe

Now I am 19 years old. When I look back my life, I realize it is made not on my own but by a lot of people who I have ever seen. So I believe the importance of encounter.

When I was a junior high school student, I was so active; I served as a student council president, played track and field the best in my school and participated in a lot of out-of-school activities. My three years at junior high school was very fulfilling. But I have to say those activities were not realized on my own. Rather it was thanks to people around me. If my senior friend had not given an offer to be a student council president, if my friend had not invited me to enter track and field club, if my teacher had not asked me to participate in out-of-school activities, I would not have enjoyed such life. Finally when I graduated from my junior high school, one of my closest teachers gave me a message. That is  “life is made up of encounters”. At the time I did not make nothing of the phrase. It was no wonder for me because I thought that was just the way it is.

When I was a high school student, I leaded so different life from junior high school. I always thought twice everything (partly because I was at such difficult age), and was liable to be alone. I seldom played with classmate and talked a lot. I always played the guitar in my room alone. Now I will openly say that it was so boring. Nothing new and nothing stimulating. I just wasted my precious youth time. But one day the gloomy days started changing. I got along with a guy who sit next to me by talking about entrance exams for university. He was a fun guy and loved by everyone. He brought me to a circle of the class. Since then it became fun to spend the rest of high school days. It motivated me to study hard, and at last I could pass entrance exams. The encounter with him changed my high school life. He made me realize the importance of encounter which I forgot. Now he lives in Nagoya, but I still get in touch with him.

In Keio University there are a lot of people who inspired me, such as a person who participates in a long-term internship in India, who passed the exam to study abroad at government expense, and who dreams to become a professor of area study. Thanks to them I am stimulated every day to be active and now I aim to pass the exam to study abroad as an exchanged student. I am sure that encounters with people enrich my life.

<Summary>

In Nigeria explosion occured at a soccer public viewing center when people watched a World Cup match. A hospital source said 21 people were killed and another 27 people were injured. The explosives had been concealed in an abandoned motorized rickshaw. Northrn Nigeria where the incident occured is the home of Boko Haram group. A police official said they had warned the viewing centers not to open during World Cup. And people in the town had been warned not to gather to watch the World Cup games, another local official said. People are very afraid and stay in home.

<Reaction>

As the article says, Boko Haram not only have kidnapped a lot of school girls but also caused an exposion even at a World Cup viewing center while people enjoyed watching a game. When I hear about terrorist activity news, I always wonder whether it is really effective way to realise their goal, or making islamic state. I think they cannot attract people by such ways. They never get favor from people with violence. It means they can never realise their goal. But today there are a lot of terrorist groups around the world. It’s incomprehensible but all the more interesting to examine for me.

In the last class, I read an article which said French journalist was killed in Central African Republic.

It is said security in CAR has deteriorated in recent months. Mainly because of a conflict between christian, who form the majority, and muslim. French journalist seemed to be involved in fighting and killed when she was travelling near the CAR border with Cameroon. About this case, French presidency said all means necesally would bo taken to shed light, and actually the EU has deployed troops there.

I thought up three things after reading this article; the physical danger of the journalism as own job, the fact of existance of conflict inside one country, and finally the fact of intervension by other countries.

Firstly, I realised the possibility of getting injured or even being killed in the work of journalism. I am taking a journalism into an option of my furture job, so I felt I had to think about my furture more seriously.

Secondly, I realised there were still a lot of conflicts inside one country around the world. As I live in Japan, it is not very familiar to me. So I have to see problems which occure in other countries ,especially not big countries.

Thirdly, I was surprised by that EU deploysed troops to take control of security in CAR. Why can EU take a millitary action in other country? What kind of relationship based on law is there between EU and CAR? These question occured to me. I have to check them.

My reaction about the article was these three things above.