Spontaneous

Spontaneous. 

As I've been reading about the traits of creative individuals, I've been comparing them to my own life. One of the traits is being spontaneous. At first glance I thought that this was an area that I had fallen short of accomplishing. However, as I began to reflect on it, I realized that this was one of my strongest traits in the classroom.

That teachable moment might find my class on the playground excavating dinosaur bones, making a call to the Dallas Zoo on speaker phone to inquire about bears in Texas, or capitalizing on a great idea proposed by a student. I found the elementary classroom to be the perfect outlet for my creativity. Whether I was singing a lesson in an opera voice, or spearheading a dramatic class reading, I loved those opportunities to express my creativity. 

I was constantly encouraging my students to do the same. I tried to give them assignments that allowed them some level of choice. I think part of the reason that I retired so early from full time teaching was the slow encroachment of standardization of all classrooms. I often said there was both an art and science to teaching. The basic objectives are the science, but the art was up to me. No one else could teach exactly like me, because no one else had the same life experiences as me. 

I think this is why my blog has meant so much to me as far as creativity goes. How lucky I was to spend thirty one years doing something that allowed my creative self to shine through.