Bypassing the Cardboard Barriers

When one boy’s teacher told him he was "addled," he took his pestering "why" questions home to his mother and developed his own basement laboratory. The result? 1,093 patented inventions, including the light bulb, the phonograph, and the microphone.

Thomas Edison never seemed to have trouble thinking "outside the box"—much to the annoyance of his teacher and to the credit of his mother’s patience. Today, everyone acknowledges that his inquisitive, creative, and persistent thinking revolutionized our world.

We teachers transfer our thinking patterns and living patterns to our students—whether we realize it or not. If we are content with the status quo and lack of creativity, we subtly commend the same in our students. However, our flexibility and creativity can encourage students to expand their horizons.

Of course, while working to bypass cardboard barriers, students need to be reminded that not all "boxes" are bad. For example, in the classroom, some "boxes" are necessary to keep things running smoothly: schedules, dress codes, standard procedures, and good manners. But while lists, systems, and procedures can be helpful, beware lest they stifle students’ abilities to discern and make decisions on their own.

There are always those students who need to be encouraged to think more creatively—the type whose pets keep showing up as main characters in every creative writing assignment, who demand overly detailed instructions, and who want the teacher to do all of the mental work for them.

Your educational materials should allow you the freedom to be creative in the classroom. Are your students always memorizing facts, or are they challenged to think on their own? Equipping them with critical thinking skills and a biblical framework will enable them to make wise decisions and successfully encounter life’s perplexities.

Not every attempt at thinking "outside the box" will result in a patented invention, and not every box need be discarded. But if a lack of creativity or fear of change keeps us in old, familiar surroundings, we will never make the difference that we could. Burrowing out of the unnecessary boxes may be a bit of work, but aren’t we glad Edison pursued the light?

Stephanie Ludlum, formerly a staff writer for BJU Press Marketing Communications..