The magazine and website Chief Learning Officer suggests in a recent article that the narrow focus of elementary and secondary education on the three R's must expand to include the 4 C's.    As defined by the article, the 4 C's are critical thinking and problem solving, communication, collaboration, and creativity and innovation.  The argument is made that if our students are to succeed in this world then these skills must be in place and developped.  I agree that our traditional focus on academics-only is short-sighted and detrimental to society as a whole and the financial success of our country.  Yes, we need problem solvers, communicators, collaborators, creators, and innovators.  No argument there.  I would, however, question whether or not those are skills that can be taught.  I argue that, for example, creativity is not a skill but a gift.  While this gift can be encouraged, even facilitated through the education system, it cannot be taught.  Creativity, by nature, lacks a formula which makes it an impossible "skill" to teach.  As my husband, who teaches music, knows first hand; you can teach skills and even guide thought processes which contribute to the creative process but you can't teach creativity.  While the 4 C's may rightly be valuable and necessary to the economic success of our country, I don't think we can mandate and regulate their teaching like we do the 3 R's.