It is a challenge to think of innovation inside the box, but even more challenging for me when I ask myself… what box? Is that the teacher box? The resource box? An empty box? Or the student box… the mind of a child?!
Really, what if the box were the child? How do they view their experiences and opportunities. How do they see change?
Change is inevitable and in many ways inspirational! As George Couros, author of Innovator’s Mindset, reminds us…
“Change is an opportunity to do something AMAZING!”
So why does change worry so many or worse off scare so many? Do we create an environment that makes it intimidating for a child or is it exciting, inspiring, and AMAZING? Every child has their own home-life, experiences, conversations, access/resources, goals, desires, mental/physical health, ability, and support…
or lack of.
What about the child facing changes each day when their own life may look so different. Change is a good thing, right? Have you asked a child lately? I have. For some, change isn’t for the better. Life for them doesn’t reflect innovation or even embrace it. Whether it is a mindset within their surroundings, a comfort-zone of knowing the predictable, or a lack of resources, I simply have students that shun the change that I have brought to their learning… to their world. To the one thing they considered safe and predictable.
So how do we bring upon change that is within their grasp… their means… their box? What would life look like to them if we simply did not change because our resources were less limited than that of a neighboring district? Are we then sending the message that they are just stuck in a situation that they have little to no control over? Are we validating excuses to define our situations and outcomes?
As stated in this week’s IMMOOC Podcast, the phrase “Don’t Over-complicate It” stood out to me along with many other #EDUAwesome moments with Katie Martin, John Spencer, Aj Juliani and Brianna Hodges.
Brianna Hodges, Director of Digital Learning at SISD, talked about the social concern and her creation of “A Heartbreak Story” to bring empathy and compassion for the child that does’t fit into the box we have created in education and society as a whole. This hit home with me… that was me! I had very little, but I believe that is why I was so innovative from a very young age.
I was forced to think within my constraints so that I could feel a glimmer of the “AMAZINGNESS” George talks about. As a child, my projects looked nothing like the store supplied ones that my peers brought to class. I had to find something within my home that could portray the concept being taught. I chose to empower myself by using what was available to me and finding ways to borrow or seek out resources from places like my local girls club or library.
I had to dream a little bigger.
Dig a little deeper.
I had choices to make each day… either I could take full advantage of every opportunity or allow it to slip through my fingers. I needed a teacher who would create better opportunities for me… someone to bring better learning to my world. I needed innovation… it was a sense of hope… a brighter tomorrow that I yearned to be a part of in this world.
As an educator I feel the restraints… the limitations of not having resources at my disposal. I have a classroom of students with a WIDE range of experiences so how can I bring change for the better to each of them? What do I have to offer?
I continue to empower myself by connecting to other educators, writing grants, borrowing materials, and creating my own opportunities with professional development. Empowering myself to develop my own skills has been key to the successes my students have gained.
I must be a part of innovation… to create a sense of hope… a brighter tomorrow that my students yearn to be a part of in this world.
I must create change…
Amazing change…
I simply must innovate inside the box, the mind of a child.
T.R.U.E. G.R.I.T. 