Have you ever thought about most essential skill that students should possess in the 21th century? Well, if you have not , then Professor Leikin would tell you her ideas about it. Professor Leikin is a women who specialises in Mathematics Education and she proposes that “creativity “ is the vital skill every student should have in the 21th century.

　　Professor Leikin’s idea is precise and accurate since the problem of students being unimaginative has been alarming for the Eastern countries and yet it is still ongoing. Under the ossified and spoon-feeding mode of Eastern education system, teachers and parents attach too much importance to students’ academic studies such as focusing on rote learning and exam-oriented skills rather than figuring how to pique students’ curiosity and motivation for learning. As a result, this education system is probably stifling our next generation’s creativity and their potential which is the last thing we want to see.

　　Of course, you may be wondering the importance of creativity and why students need it . For one thing, creativity is the key to learning. To cite an example, you can imagine yourself drawing on a white sheet to unleash your creativity. And in order to enhance your painting skills and perfect your painting , you may attend drawing classes in your spare time. Therefore, it is manifest that creativity motivates students to learn. When students are attracted to a creative goal, they will unconsciously be driven to acquire the skills they are not good at and it is called “learning motivation”, which is an important factor when we are learning new things.

　　For another, creativity is an indispensable skill in the workplace. It is public knowledge that companies tend to hire graduates that are more creative as their creativeness can bring business to move forward with fresh ideas and innovations such as new products or services, to name but a few. Besides, with the ability to think outside of the box, employees are more capable of dealing with plights and obstacles. More often than not, they can use their creativity to brainstorm unique and innovative solutions to tackle to difficulties while the ones with less creativity cannot. This characteristic can boost the team morale and smoothen the operation of businesses.

　　This is a wake up call for the Eastern countries. For the sake of our next generation, they should spare no efforts to reformulate the Eastern education system so as to wholly unleash students’ creativity for a better future. As an educator, I will also strive for the best and let this dream come true.