Creativity in the Classroom

 They say that doctors make the worst patients and teachers make the worst students, but I love to teach career teachers in Wesleyan College's Master's of Education program, and help them find ways to make their classrooms places where creativity thrives.

Teachers are always creative problem solving, but it is surprising how few of them see themselves as creative people. It is partly because no one explicitly taught them how to be creative, just like no one explicitly taught them to how draw. You tell a kid to illustrate their poem, but don't give them the tools to observe, to break objects down into simple geometric forms, and to measure proportions. It's not fair. 

I recently saw a boy who was about 11 years old break down in tears trying to draw a picture of a person. His five-year-old brother jumped to his rescue and drew a well proportioned stick figure. "See?  It's easy!" he explained. The problem is that in a few years the younger brother will realize that stick figures don't look like real human figures and will be just as frustrated as his older brother, unless someone gives him some hints and tools.  That's what I tried to do with my teachers, with our limited time: build their vocabulary, give them a few ideas about how to make something look more real, and give them lots of extensions to the standards they are already teaching, that will allow their students to use their imaginations without fear of getting the wrong answer.

Within 9 hours we completed 10 art assignments, 9 games and exercises, had several meaningful discussions, which just goes to show that EVERY teacher has time for their students to exercise creativity within the boundaries of the  learning standards.