Parents play important roles in the encouragement of creative expression

Many will say, "Surely, schools have a right to be concerned about mental health, full mental functioning, educational achievement, and vocational success. They ought to be concerned that coming generations contribute productively to our society. But how can school guidance workers contribute to the creative growth necessary for these things?"

This is a legitimate question. Parents and peers play such important roles in the encouragement or discouragement of creative expression and growth, what can school guidance workers do? There are at least six special roles which school guidance workers can play in helping highly creative children maintain their creativity and continue to grow. Each of these is a role which others can rarely fulfill. Our social expectations frequently prevent even teachers and administrators from effectively fulfilling these roles. Thus, in some cases, only counselors, school psychologists, and similar workers will be able to fulfill these roles. In many cases, however, teachers and administrators can supply these needs, if they differentiate their guidance roles from other socially expected roles.

The six roles which I have in mind are: (1) providing the highly creative individual a "refuge," (2) being his "sponsor" or "patron," (3) helping him understand his divergence, (4) letting him communicate his ideas, (5) seeing that his creative talent is recognized, and (6) helping parents and others understand him. I shall now discuss each of these roles briefly.

Provide a "Refuge"

Society in general is downright savage towards creative thinkers, especially when they are young. To some extent, the educational system must be coercive and emphasize the establishment of behavior norms. Teachers and administrators can rarely escape this coercive role. Counselors and other guidance workers are in a much better position to free themselves of it. Nevertheless, there are ways teachers and administrators can free themselves of this role long enough to provide refuge, if they are sensitive to the need.

We know that highly creative adolescents are estranged from their teachers and peers. The studies indicate that the same holds true for children in the elementary school. The reasons are easy to understand. Who can blame teachers for being irritated when a pupil presents an original answer which differs from what is expected? It does not fit in with the rest of the grading scheme. They don't know how the unusual answer should be treated. They have to stop and think themselves. Peers have the same difficulty and label the creative child's unusual questions and answers as "crazy" or "silly."

Thus, the highly creative child, adolescent, or adult needs encouragement. He needs help in becoming reconciled and in being "made cheerful over the world's stubborn satisfaction in its own follies." The guidance worker must recognize, however, that the estrangement exists and that he will have to create a relationship in which the creative individual feels safe.