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Tuesday, March 17, 2015

Creativity Calls


Since maybe forever, I have been a fairly creative person. I have always loved to learn, read, write, sing, dance, create, and teach. What many people don't realize about teachers is that it is definitely a job that can stimulate your creativity. You are not in a cubicle or sitting in front of a computer (unless you work online like me). You are able to perform, create, and hopefully--if you haven't lost yourself along the journey toward retirement--inspire others. I think we often lose sight of that fact, and many people become disillusioned with teaching because of this. However, I love that side of teaching. I love being able to create something and then use it to inform my students.

When I was in the classroom I used to pretend to be a tour guide at the Hoover Dam. I would give them an interactive tour of the dam--complete with many dam jokes. They would crack up, and that made my week. This is something that I miss about being face to face with the kiddos. I miss that instant gratification that you get from standing in front of a room full of teenagers. Yes, it is a live or die thing--and I can think of more times that I died than lived, but that's ok in my book.

6 years ago I was a first year teacher and a competition cheerleading coach. My days were overstimulated with designing lessons and tweaking choreography. Though at the time I was super stressed--I look back on that time and smile. Those girls that I coached became my family. We spent our whole summer together. We laughed and shed a few tears. It was a lot of hard work, but I have so much respect for what they were able to do. In the end we walked away with a region championship. Although, I don't talk to them a lot (or some of them at all) I would do whatever I could to help them.

Watch their routine from that year here.

Last year, I got a text from one of my former cheerleaders--she was taking the time to thank me for believing in her and pushing her to the next level. She has taken her talents on to the college level and won a championship there as well. I am so proud of her.


If you have that creative bug--which I totally do--you often feel the need to find a new outlet. That is where I am now. Today, I answer the creative call through blogging, and most recently, through my new Cricut--which allows me to monogram everything for P. She may never have a plain t-shirt ever again. I eventually want to learn how to sew as well. That is on my list for sure. When that itch appears, it is hard to deny. I don't ever want to become complacent in my life. I want to continue to learn and grow.

What types of things do you do to stimulate your creativity?

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