Please read Marjan's story, "The Thanksgiving Giraffe" before continuing.
In an interview with the Wall Street Journal, Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos said this: "In talking with a lot of businesspeople and others who have to ultimately employ individuals, the skills that we have to be preparing kids with are, simply put, in four areas: critical-thinking skills; the ability to collaborate and work with others; the ability to communicate well both orally and in written communications; and then creativity. Students today are not having their needs met to be prepared in those areas."
Mrs. Devos also said that 65% of the jobs today's young children will eventually fill have not been created. We "have to think differently about what the role of education and preparation is."
Many children in America spent the Tuesday before Thanksgiving making a hand turkey. The teacher created the perfect model then distributed the kit. Students dutifully matched the model and then packed it home where it was taped to the refrigerator.
So how does the giraffe experience change the world? The world changes for the better when someone recognizes a problem and then creatively discovers a solution. The giraffe experience teaches children to think critically. They were asked what they loved about Thanksgiving. They thought about it and gave many responses that were not "turkey."
Next, they turned their ideas into a presentation. Isn't this the same thing they will be asked to do as college students? The children were excited about the project. Some came back from recess early to finish. Why? For many reasons, but one of which is that they were unencumbered by a teacher's expectation. The children didn't fear failure. They were free to express themselves and exercise creativity without limits.
Finally, the children explained their project. This process builds oral communication skills. Kids put together sentences that combine to transfer an idea from their heads to the mind of another person. Every child had a story, and the teacher was anxious to hear it. Perhaps most important in this exchange was the trust and emotional connection between teacher and student. Our "giraffe" stories are sensitive and highly personal representations of our inner feelings. Any mocking or minimizing of these experiences would be devastating to the creative process. Accepting and encouraging these stories creates a bond between teller and listener.
We can only hope that Leo will be encouraged to create more Thanksgiving giraffes throughout his schooling. If he is, then the world will indeed be changed when one day he invents something none of us turkeys have ever thought of.