Succeeding with the use of your creative thinking

Imagine it is an incredibly stormy night, the wind howling, the temperatures dropping, the rain and sleet coming in torrents as the sky darkens more with the passing of each hour. As you edge your way home from a long day, cozy and dry in your new two-seater sports car with the radio softly playing, you find yourself stopped at a red light next to a bus stop. Glad to have a raincoat with you, you glance to your right and see three people sitting on a bench, waiting for the next bus. Each appears soaked, shivering and without much protection from the wind and cold rain hitting them.

As you look closer you notice one is a truly beautiful young woman with a face that is unforgettable. Sitting next to her is a very old woman, hunched over holding her small bag of groceries against her chest and tattered sweater. At the very end of the bench you realize is your best friend, whom you've known for years. What do you do next?

The above scenario was described to me many years ago as a typical question posed by Bill Gates when interviewing people for his new start-up business, Microsoft. Depending on how you answered the question made a difference in a job offer or not. This type of job interview technique became known as the Microsoft Interview and was a pioneer in that it was about problem-solving and creativity, as opposed to the "goal and weakness interviews most companies used at the time." It was based on Bill Gates' obsession with puzzles, as puzzles test one's competitive edge as well as intelligence.

Eccentric questions (such as, "Which of the fifty states would you remove?" "Design a cell phone for a blind person." How would you test a pen?" "How would you test an elevator?") test a candidate's ability to come to a decision and articulate it. Depending on how you responded to the situation described above and other similar vignettes often make the difference in a job offer or not. The Microsoft Interview is intended to seek out creative thinkers and those who can adapt their solutions to rapidly changing and dynamic scenarios. Other companies today, such as Amazon, Facebook, and Google, also use this model developed by Microsoft. In today's job market, creativity is a plus many big companies hold in high regard; they seek those creative thinkers who will take their companies forward.

Are today's educational systems and curriculums celebrating and encouraging creativity in our students? Are teachers today teaching the child or teaching to the test? Although these questions are often avoided, parents should evaluate what they witness happening with their children's education, as it does highly impact the future of today's youth.

Several years ago while in San Diego, a woman whose child was extremely intelligent was sharing with me her concern for the educational programming not only in our school systems today, but at quality museums, parks, and other sites of learning. She related to me how her son, who was very intelligent had an extreme interest in history, was recently on a class trip visiting a particular maritime museum known for its excellence. She was present as a parent volunteer and could tell from observing her child that he was very bored, even though the interpreter giving the presentation was quite knowledgeable. As she glanced at her fourth-grader, she saw him fidgeting in the back of the group; his wrists were pressed against his chest and his hands flapping back and forth. She quietly asked her son what he was doing, as she was concerned he might be disrupting the rest of the group. He replied, "Mom, she's got all the information, but my doors won't stay open to let it in!"

The above vignette tells exactly what is happening nationwide in our schools today. The information is out there, but the children are not learning. Their "doors are not staying open" to allow for true learning to take place, and yes - many students and teachers alike are bored.

One really has to ask the question, are we in this country "doing our part" in preparing well for tomorrow when we aren't providing the youth of today the best education possible, when we aren't stimulating a child to grow with their curiosity and creativity, when we ignore the fact that our children are falling farther and farther behind in the competitive world in which we all live?

We watch drop-out rates for continuing education reach new levels; can we be satisfied with our community, our state, and our nation falling farther and farther down in the ranking of world educational systems? Our answers should be a resounding "NO!" As former first lady Laura Bush stated on Feb. 28, 2001, "Children are one-quarter of our population and 100 percent of our future.

Exercise a child's brain daily, along with exercising your own, by using simple, stimulating suggestions. Sharpen all of your senses by imagining the smell of gasoline, the taste of peanuts, the feel of swinging high on a swing, the sound of a car starting, the odor of toothpaste, watching a beautiful sunset, etc. Then make your imagination challenged by imagining the taste of chocolate ice cream changing into the taste of a piece of orange, or the sound of a friend laughing changing into the sound of a baseball bat hitting the ball, etc. Ask questions that require the brain to work, such as, on traffic lights, which color is on top? Are there telephone poles on your block - how many? How many holes are in your shoe for a shoelace? Questions like this could go on indefinitely, and each one is stimulating the brain to wake up and work.

Think beyond your comfort level. Allow for those around you, especially children, to have their creativity grow, not be stifled by one "right answer." Create a pathway for future success by invigorating the creativity not only within yourself, but within all those surrounding you.

Bev Twillmann is an award-winning educator, storyteller and workshop presenter who believes in the power of creativity to educate all ages. For more information go to Interpretivevoices.net or contact Bev at Bevtwillmann@gmail.com.