This is the third post in the Power of Inclussion series. My wife told me this story year ago and I am not sure of the origins beyond that. However, I think that this is an excellent example of the detrimental effects of exclusion and imposed conformity. The story told here is an excellent example of what I referred to as group think in the previous post.

.

There was a young boy that had moved to a new school and was attending his first art class in grade 3, he was full of excitement and anticipation because he loved art.

.

The art teacher said to the class “I would like for everyone to draw a flower please.”

.

The young boy thought to himself, I love to draw flowers and he drew a picture with fields of daisies and daffodils and purple and blue flowers. He was really enjoying drawing the flowers. It was a magnificent picture. The teacher walked by and the boy proudly displayed his art.

.

The teacher said “that is not the way we draw flowers here. We draw a red rose with a long green stem and three leaves. That is how we draw flowers here.”

.

The boy was crushed and noticed that all of the other students had drawn a red rose with a long green stem and three leaves. The flower drawing exercise happened many times over the course of the year.

.

At the end of the school year the boy and his family were transferred to a new city. The boy took art again in Grade 4 and went to his first class.

.

The new teacher said “I would like everyone to draw pictures of flowers.”

.

The boy drew “A red rose with a long green stem and three leaves.”

.

Creativity and innovation blossom when teams welcome new ways of thinking and encourage free thinking.

.

Ian Graham

Filed under: Camp Culture by Ian
2 Comments »