The Operating Instructions: Imagination and Intelligence
As an English teacher, I believe one of the most important things that we teach our students is how to hone their imagination. Ursula K. Le Guin states, “Imagination is not a means of making money. It has no place in the vocabulary of profit-making. It is not a weapon, though all weapons originate from it, and their use, or non-use, depends on it, as with all tools and their uses.” We constantly tell our students that we are looking for creativity, but the market has taken that word and mutilated it, only using it to say “we need new ways to make money.” That is not what we are looking for from our students. What we want from our students is an insight into their minds. What do they imagine? What do they want? What do they hope for? By helping guide them and rebuild the imagination that they may have lost in this profit and grade driven world, we help them relearn themselves, and in doing so, build a stronger and more open community and society. Thinking back to my education an...