Do Our Educational Institutions Really Value and Want Originality? Not Really. Conformity Is More Desirable

 "Originality is dangerous. It challenges, questions, overturns assumptions, unsettles moral codes, disrespects sacred cows or other such entities. It can be shocking, or ugly, or, to use the catchall term so beloved of the tabloid press, controversial. And if we believe in liberty, if we want the air we breathe to remain plentiful and breathable, this is the art whose right to exist we must not only defend by celebrate. Art is not entertainment. At its very best, it's a revolution." p. 229, Salman Rushdie, Languages of Truth: Essays 2003-2020

Schools, whether K-12 or university, don't care for "originality"; they prefer status quo, the standard, and the way we've always done things. Originality isn't valued much, especially in many university colleges of education where the goal is often to satisfy the accreditation and simply "credential" teachers, principals, and other educational graduates. K-12 schools are no better and value conformity and "wake-free thought zones" where students just follow the rules, do the work, and get their credentials. In both these educational places, "originality is considered to be dangerous" because "original" by definition is outside the box and nonconforming.

Conventional education at all levels sees the dangers of originality and either ignores it or even tries to stifle it. This is because, as Rushdie points out, "originality challenges, questions, overturns assumptions, unsettles moral codes, and disrespects the sacred cows" of conformity. Schools want none of this. The entire educational institution at all levels wants its expert authority and assumptions unchallenged and unquestioned.

This might also be the reason schools have devalued art in the curriculum and it is still often seen as an "add-on" and expendable.  Schools devalue art in favor of STEM subjects, and when budgets are to be cut, orchestration or visual art is placed on the chopping block. Maybe this is really because our society values these subjects more. It certainly seems to reward them more at the career-level. But part of me in my 30-plus years as an educator says that art is devalued because it is "a revolution" as Rushdie says. It fosters originality and even an unwillingness to conform to convention. It has the potential to overturn the possibility of conformity. It can disturb the smooth surface of assumptions and even the peace when some of the most original, creative students don't try to entertain the PTO or community with their artwork; but attempt to "challenge, question, overturn, unsettle, and disturb" the world.

It's really impossible to have it both ways. If schools really want to value originality and innovation, then you have to accept its dangerous nature. And if we want and value originality, then we must make art indispensable and unquestionably part of schooling. But beware, it does have revolutionary potential.