In today’s world, we have two things that seem to be at odds with one another. On on side, we have something very structured, rigorous, and verifiable. We can work through a specified Method that will help us to provide quantitative, measured data. Did it work or not? Yes or no. Pass or fail. Compare this to something that by its very nature is subjective. It has given us idioms such as “beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” It is judged based on resonance. It cares not about the percentage increase in beauty or design, only in telling a story, embarking upon a journey, and changing those that encounter it.
Enter the educational system. The system, as it were, finds itself hanging in the balance between these two seemingly abstract ideals, though it is becoming clear where legislators (known for being brilliant artists) want the educational system to move towards. And so we standardize and test and collect data and verify and document and research and measure. These are not bad things, of course. In fact, they are extremely valuable. The problem, of course, is when we find ourselves implementing these things
to the exclusion of creating art. We end up with a rather
Captain Von Trapp mentality when we do that. Not bad, but lacking. Incomplete. Could you imagine trying to grade Pablo Picasso’s work? Or Van Gogh? Or trying to fit
Casablanca into a rubric? What do you do about unconventional but clear demonstrations of mastery? What happens when it doesn’t fit into a predetermined mold?
I am not suggesting that we throw it out and make everything about art. That, too, would be incomplete. These two, art and science, desperately need each other and this is one of the greatest shortcomings of 21st century Education so far. Education needs to establish a dynamic tension between these two. Teachers need to be artists, using science to hone their craft. Administrators need to create and design their campus culture. And perhaps most importantly, they shouldn’t be frowned upon for doing so.
This is why Maria and the Captain got married. They needed each other to be complete. Art and Science together in a dynamic, relational dance that blurs the lines, confuses one for the other, and generates something new; breathing new life into Education and life itself.
