I wanted to write about something different today, and I hope that it inspires you as much as it inspired me. Lately, I have become interested in teacher creativity, or perhaps the lack thereof in education today. In a profession so concerned with developing our children’s creative capacities, the average school can be a shockingly unimaginative place.
When I first made my move to Khartoum last year, I was hardly interested at all in the teacher whose shoes I would fill. Like most new teachers, I suppose, I was far more concerned with my own impact on student learning than on the legacy of the teacher who came before me. Stay with me here.
Then, only a few weeks ago, I suddenly found myself in a conversation about this teacher and some of the more innovative things that he had done. For example, this fine man – whose desk and room are now mine – used to wear a math jacket whenever it was time to teach math. The jacket was covered in math symbols and the pockets were filled with, I assume, math flashcards, protractors and the like. Out of respect for the man that I will probably never know, I decided to make a math backpack for my own class, which is now in use for my number corner.
But the one thing that stood out to me and that I wish to share with the world today is his practice of spending every morning drawing a new, unique whiteboard marker drawing to go with his schedule. He would playfully name each of the days of the week according to the drawing that he created. Every morning, kids would come to his class excited to see what new drawing would be waiting for them.
Until now, these drawings – like many of our teachers’ talents – were hardly noticed by those outside of his classroom. Enjoy.
November 26, 2014
January 14, 2014
January 13, 2015
January 15, 2015
How awesome is this?
Feel free to share any examples of innovative, creative, or just plain eccentric practices that you see in your own schools. We need to respect, expect, and promote creativity in the teaching profession just as aggressively as we do in the classroom.
Education Rickshaw 
All right well I can’t actually draw like this guy but you have rattled my cage … I used to get a long way in kindergarten by drawing a picture of the day and having them copy it. It would be made out of shapes. This year, teaching schedule mandates and leadership responsibilities have slowed down my creative process, but I will see if I can incorporate drawing again. Thanks for this post! Sonja
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thanks for the visit! There’s room for creativity in leadership too, I hope 🙂
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