Schools Kill Creativity

I have been enjoying some of the TED Talks, and I wanted to comment on Sir Ken Robinson's talk on how schools kill creativity. He states that schools around the world place the arts at the bottom of their educational priority list and specifically mentions a renowned choreographer (I can't remember her name) who as a child had difficulty in school. When her mother discusses these concerns with a doctor, the doctor suggests that she be enrolled in a dance school where she thrives and goes on to achieve great fame and fortune. Sir Ken Robinson suggests that today that same child might be diagnosed with ADHD, and while I question that, because dance, especially ballet, requires enormous focus, concentration and self-discipline, all areas that are very difficult for the unsupported child with ADHD, it did make think about the qualities that many dancers have and how they relate to the 16 Habits of Mind. Two qualities in particular which I think dancers personify and which I think hold great importance for the future are creativity and self-discipline. Add humor to those, which enables you to capture an audience and present your ideas, and I think you have a pretty good formula for success. But now I ask myself, how do we teach these kinds of things? Can we teach these things if we lack these qualities, or if they don't come easily to us? How do we teach, encourage, inspire children to be creative, while instilling in them the reality of obligation and hard work and responsibility? It seems a delicate balance, and one that will definitely be more easily accomplished with a team effort between school and home.