I
was flipping through a magazine when this ad from Cadillac caught my
attention. The quote "It is better to fail in originality, than to
succeed in imitation" reminded me of a conversation that we had at home.
When my son was in Pre-K, he had a best friend. They were always together, choosing the same activities and doing the same things. I thought it was wonderful to find a best friend but his teacher perceived it differently. She thought he was not making his own choices but simply copying his friend. She wanted him to be independent and suggested we talk to him about it. That evening, I started off the conversation telling him "Copying is bad ...". I stalled to think how I could explain why it is bad. Of course, copying is like stealing someone's work or idea. However, that reasoning was not completely relevant in this context. So, how can I put it across?
As if she heard my question, my six year old daughter shouted out "Copying is bad because it shuts down your thinking". Wow! That was such a simple way to put it. One needs to develop individual thinking skills to grow and be independent. How did a six year old come up with this? Before I could ask, she continued enlightening us with what she had learned from one of her teachers.
For new activities or lessons, the teacher would show them an example which they can copy. When asked to work on their own, they are not supposed to copy from others. They have to complete the task by themselves. If they copy, it will shut down their own power to think. The teacher's words conveyed the message in a simple yet powerful way. After all, who would want to do something that would shut down their thinking. So, WHY copy ?
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| Originality vs Imitation |
When my son was in Pre-K, he had a best friend. They were always together, choosing the same activities and doing the same things. I thought it was wonderful to find a best friend but his teacher perceived it differently. She thought he was not making his own choices but simply copying his friend. She wanted him to be independent and suggested we talk to him about it. That evening, I started off the conversation telling him "Copying is bad ...". I stalled to think how I could explain why it is bad. Of course, copying is like stealing someone's work or idea. However, that reasoning was not completely relevant in this context. So, how can I put it across?
As if she heard my question, my six year old daughter shouted out "Copying is bad because it shuts down your thinking". Wow! That was such a simple way to put it. One needs to develop individual thinking skills to grow and be independent. How did a six year old come up with this? Before I could ask, she continued enlightening us with what she had learned from one of her teachers.
For new activities or lessons, the teacher would show them an example which they can copy. When asked to work on their own, they are not supposed to copy from others. They have to complete the task by themselves. If they copy, it will shut down their own power to think. The teacher's words conveyed the message in a simple yet powerful way. After all, who would want to do something that would shut down their thinking. So, WHY copy ?
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