One of the best parts of being a teacher is the creativity it affords. Whether it’s decorating our classroom, planning an activity, or collaborating with a colleague, when we ignite our individual imagination, some of our truest work follows.
On the flip side, one of the hardest parts of being a teacher is finding the time, space, and resources to tap into that creativity. Intentionally taking time to rest and reflect is one way we grow. Some of our most creative thinking happens when we give our brains a break. As educators, fostering curiosity and creativity in ourselves will create safe spaces that help our students do the same.
Here are some of the lessons I’ve learned to cultivate creativity in myself and my students. Sometimes the smallest acts of trust and kindness (to myself and my students) have the biggest impact.
Five Ways to Cultivate Creativity and Encourage Collaboration
1. Document one good thing.
When I first started teaching high school math, every day felt like a marathon. I would run as hard and as fast as I could…and still feel like I wasn’t quite making it to the finish line. Truth be told, I had one foot out the proverbial door until I found a community blog called “One Good Thing.” (Well, maybe the blog found me.) This online space was a platform for educators to write good things that happened in the classroom. They lived by the mantra, “Every day may not be good, but there’s one good thing in every day.” That quote hit me. It didn’t ignore the demands of my job, but it did encourage me to take ownership of my day. So, I gave it a try. I wrote One Good Thing on the blog’s platform one day and hit publish. The next day, I did the same. The day after that, I wrote again. I kept going and going…and now have 1,400 posts of good things from my classroom.
At first, I didn’t notice the power that this intentional gratitude and reflection was generating. But over time, I noticed a significant shift in my perspective. I came to realize that I love who I am when I’m in the classroom and my students bring out the best in me.
Research backs this up. Practicing intentional gratitude is shown to decrease stress and foster a sense of creativity. So, if you’re feeling like you could use a boost of creativity, consider documenting one good thing each day. It can be as simple as writing a word or a phrase each day. Alternatively, you can document through a picture, video, voice note, or drawing. There’s no wrong way! The important thing is that we make room for the good things to land. If we don’t create that room, who will?
If you find this practice meaningful, you can also have your students write One Good Thing once a week. Every Friday, my students turn to the last page in their math notebook, which we’ve titled “One Good Thing,” and journal something good from the week. Several students have continued this practice post-graduation. I can’t think of greater proof that this was meaningful for them.
2. Practice mindfulness.
It’s no secret teachers and students have felt the mental toll of Covid. Practicing breathing techniques to ground me in the moment has helped me become more mindful and present, and now each week my students and I have Mindful Mondays. Playing guided meditations for myself and my students or simply doing some box breathing together has the power to ground us. Because mindfulness focuses on reducing fear and judgment, it can increase our creativity as well as working memory! In addition to citing One Good Thing as a class favorite, my students say this practice helps create a safe place to learn. One student writes: “During my senior year, I had a lot of personal struggles I was working through…the meditation sessions we did as a class helped calm me down during stressful periods.”
3. Create a work of art together.
What better way to celebrate creative expression and belonging than to make a work of art together! Every year, my students put their fingerprints on a canvas (see picture below). I display these proudly in my classroom. Throughout the year, students will ask, “What’s that?” “Do we get to make one?” “What color will our class choose?” To me, it’s a beautiful representation that my students leave both a literal and figurative mark in my classroom and in my heart.
4. Empower students to wrap up a unit or topic through their medium of choice.
Some of the most playful, innovative, and creative ideas have surfaced when I’ve given my students autonomy to showcase what they know. The assignment may be as broad as “Summarize a topic from this unit creatively.” Maybe that’s making a music video or poem, crafting a board game or children’s book, or writing a new lesson or a song. The goal here is that they do something that brings them joy while also diving a bit deeper into the content.
5. Welcome colleagues into the classroom to share experiences.
A few years ago, some of my colleagues and I read Jennifer Gonzalez’s article on creating a calendar for informal peer observations. Teachers use a shared calendar to invite their peers to pop into their rooms during certain times of the week (maybe we’re doing an interesting activity or playing a new game). If another teacher has their planning period during that time, then they can swing by for just a few minutes. None of this is evaluative. None of this is admin-led. It’s just teachers wanting to learn from other teachers. My team set up our calendar electronically, but the linked article shows an example of a physical chart. The medium should be whatever works for you and your colleagues. The important part is that we understand we are better together. Modeling that kind of life-long learning right in front of our students is powerful.
Encouraging Kindness, Inclusivity, and Respect in this New School Year
Learning is inherently creative work. It’s important to me that my students learn from and collaborate with one another through kindness, inclusivity, and respect. It’s also important that I practice what I preach: if I expect my students to include their peers, I need to model that with my own peers. Now, perhaps more than ever, we have to take care of each other and protect our profession. Yes, our students’ sense of belonging is our collective responsibility. But so is ours.
I hope the start of your school year is a beautiful one. May you continue to search for ways to foster creativity, curiosity, and gratitude. May you be empowered to create a place that both you and your students look forward to stepping into each day. May this year be full of joy and purpose.
Thank you for being a teacher.
