By Alexia Finney | Staff Writer

We often describe perfection, determination or talent as the keys to success, yet we rarely mention creativity, as modern education actively suppresses it. Instead, we reward repetition and technical perfection over creative, original thought.

I came to this realization on a walk with my brother, which ultimately reshaped my perspective on learning in schools.

We were walking on our neighborhood golf course when he started complaining about his English class’s mandatory Socratic seminars. At first, I thought what he was saying sounded pointless, a meaningless complaint derived from unwillingness to participate — until he uttered a sentence that made me stop and rethink how schools grade and enforce creativity:

“The brain rot of our generation is having the same idea and labeling it as new.”

These words resonated deeply with me. I noticed that the “hot takes” all sounded the same: recycled business ideas disguised as innovation, the 1,000 AI startups that business students rave about, trying to show they’re innovative and superior. They all seemed repetitive.

In addition, I realized that I wasn’t as creative as I had believed, and that genuine creativity is far rarer than I once assumed.

I had always assumed that creativity came naturally, and I exercised it every day through writing assignments and school projects. However, these creative tasks still force students to fit under an umbrella of what is right and wrong: follow the rubric, match the tone or fill in the blank. The education system rewards “performing well” within a set of rules over thinking outside the box.

This mindset aligns with my concept of what it takes to be a perfect student. When I think of the ideal student, I imagine a hard-disciplined coffee drinker who spends every night face deep in a pile of homework — and somehow, only needs four hours of sleep. This isn’t the case anymore because students can easily complete homework assignments and still earn a higher grade with the help of artificial intelligence.

While our classrooms have been designed to reward perfection and precision, now those skills are easily replicable. According to Science Direct, AI can evaluate and correct “certain aspects of writing, such as grammar and syntax.” Because schools emphasize grammatical accuracy and structural grading, they unintentionally teach students that creative ideas are less important. Although AI can grade and solve technical problems, it struggles with emotional and creative thinking.

The same article stated that, “AI scoring systems may struggle to recognize and evaluate subjective aspects of writing, such as creativity and originality.” Yet when completing typical assignments, students are rarely able to draw on emotional insight or personal perspective because grading systems focus on formulaic structures that minimize opportunities for originality. Instead, students shouldn’t be graded based on technical perfection, but rather on creativity and depth of thought.

Schools and universities know the problem is surging. Across the country, teachers have introduced “AI training” lessons meant to teach students how to use ChatGPT responsibly, but those policies often fail in practice. A recent study found that 72% of students use AI to complete assignments without understanding the material, highlighting that schools prioritize repetition.

In other words, schools are ignoring the reality that many students now use AI to bypass the learning process. Institutions are partly at fault for continuing to adhere to outdated standards that prioritize precision over creativity.

As a student, it is frustrating to live in a time where creative education is undervalued and hard work is given the same gold star as an AI response. It feels like effort no longer matters, and good grades are handed on a silver platter.

Education should celebrate the curiosity, originality and unpredictable process of creating something new. I don’t believe students are learning to be creative in schools, and now they aren’t even learning the technical skills schools pride themselves on.

To truly prepare ourselves for the future, we need to realize that our execution does not need to be perfect; we just need to try, experiment and push the boundaries of our thinking.