I'm sitting at my cold, uncomfortable desk, listening to my teacher continue his boring lesson. The teacher finally stops talking and asks a question. I feel unprepared to answer the question because my brain has been fried and my ears have been talking nonsense. I'm starting to fear making a mistake, because I might say something wrong; I know if I make a mistake, I will get shot down by the teacher. After this intimidation, he announces that it's time to try. Another scantron fainted. It's time to fill hundreds of bubbles that seem overwhelmed by the brain: ABC or D? This is the kind of scenario Ken Robinson talks about in his Ted Talk, How Schools Kill Creativity. Because of this sense of fear and stigma of being misplaced in the classroom, and an overwhelming focus on standardized tests, our potential to become creative and imaginative thinkers is hindered. Adolescence is a crucial time for development and one skill we should continually cultivate and practice is creativity. This is the kind of conclusion Ken Robinson comes to in his Ted Talk, How Schools Kill Creativity. Robinson points out that "because of this lack of development, we could potentially grow up to be adults who never manage to invent anything original." Kyung Hee Kim, a creativity researcher at the College of William and Mary, said that since 1990, children have become "less capable of producing unique and unusual ideas." He explains how he believes the agenda instilled in our education system, No Child Left Behind, has really harmed creativity: “If we just focus on…tests, tests, tests, then how can creative students survive?” Standardized tests have become the number one source for measuring one's wisdom, and at times, it can be an inaccurate representation... middle of paper... we knew it then, and it applies to our generation today more than ever. Works Cited Robinson, K. (Writer). (2006, February). How schools kill creativity [Transcript, episode of the television series]. In the Ted Talks. New York, New York: TedTalks.Rettner, Rachael. "Are today's young people less creative and imaginative?" WordsSideKick.com. LiveScience, 12 August 2011. Web. 02 April 2014.BoysTown. "Boys Town - Saving Children, Healing Families | Information | Father Flanagan | Quotes from Father Flanagan." The city of boys. IRS and Web. May 13, 2014. Landale, Victoria. ""All children are born artists, the problem is to remain artists even when you grow up." – Pablo Picasso." Victoria Landale. MediaFactory, 22 August 2013. Web. 14 May 2014. Venier, Leanne. "We say we like creativity, but we really don't. Here's why...." Healing Color Artwork by Leanne Veniers. WordPress, 10 December 2013. Web. 02 April. 2014.