Middle School Cheerleader
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By signing up to be a teacher, you sign up to wear many hats.
One of the most important hats you will wear during the course of the day is the "Middle School Cheerleader" cap. A good cheerleader brings the energy, brings the smiles, and brings the fun. A good cheerleader is also an encourager. She's the one who sees when the team or individual is loosing stream and finds the right words or moves to energize. The cheerleader cap as an educator is one of the most important. A strong teacher is one who can influence the energy of the room and infuse joy and positivity while also remaining aware of the energy in the room and what is needed to manipulate it. One important skill that I recently taught my students was the importance of being one's own cheerleader. I told them, "You know who is the only person who will be with you your whole life?". One of my sarcastic seventh graders replied, "My mom". The class laughed and I reminded him of the realities of life expectancy. Then, I said, "That person who will be with you your whole life, is you. And you know what? Most of the time we are the most critical person in our lives. Our self talk is negative. We routinely beat ourselves up for small mistakes. We are not good cheerleaders for ourselves.". The silence in the room as I spoke let me know that they were listening and that the words struck a cord with their reality. After my introductory speech, I then showed them one of my favorite practices for being one's own cheerleader: affirmations. I posted several links on their google classroom that gave them examples of "I am" affirmations. We read through a few on the list and then I proceeded to show them a page of my own journal. I showed them how I routinely use affirmations to start my day. The affirmations early in the morning serve as a "pump-up talk" like before a big basketball game. Sports metaphors always seem to help middle schoolers because one of my girls said, "Oh yeah, like when you're down in the fourth quarter and you need words of encouragement so you can hit the big shot!". "Exactly!", I said, "It's just like that, but the big shot ahead of you is the rest of the day". I then read off some of my own affirmations (a move of vulnerability...middle schoolers love and admire vulnerability). Some were as follows: "I am a hurricane of a woman", "I am a woman who lets positivity and joy radiate", "I am a woman of love in love with life", "I am force of nature", "I am of great influence", "I see beauty in everything around me", etc. The vulnerability and the concrete examples excited the kids and they were excited to be their own cheerleaders. They engaged in the activity for a solid 45 minuets and the silence was telling. The kids were feeding themselves. They were encouraging themselves. They were being their own cheerleader. This is an exercise that I plan to use routinely throughout the year and I hope that many will continue the practice as they advance forward into the wildness of life. I hope they learn to be their own cheerleader because if you're not your biggest fan...then who is? |
"So...affirmations are why you're so pumped to work everyday?", he asked. I replied, "Yeah, I guess so. I start everyday reminding myself I am a goddess...how can you not have a great day?!".
Example #1: This student sounds motivated and ready to create. I love it.
Example #2: This student sounds like he/she is on their way to conquering insecurities and learning to find peace. Again, I love it.
Example #3: This student sounds grateful for life...and ready to increase their "gamer" capabilities.
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Social Emotional Education
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Definition: "Social and emotional learning (SEL) is the process through which children and adults understand and manage emotions, set and achieve positive goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain positive relationships, and make responsible decisions." (CASEL, p1). In all the chaos of teaching in these "unprecedented times", my focus has been on my students. These past seven months have been stressful for the entire population and I think we collectively fail to recognize the stress that our children have been under. Therefore, I have dedicated much of my curriculum to focusing on the well-being of my students by giving them a time and location to share their emotions as well as learn about techniques to manage their emotions or heightened stress levels. One activity that has been beneficial is the use of "SEL Partners". This functions much like the classic "Turn and Talk" which requires students to answer a few prompts on their own and then share their answers with a partner. The SEL prompts are centered around "emotional check-ins" and other reflective topics such as: goals, fears, hopes, current difficulties, worries, high-points, etc. After answering the prompt, we go outside and the student meets with their trusted partner. This gives the student an opportunity to share information that is often left on the back-burner in a student's life. It has been wonderful to see the SEL partners grow in trust and comfortability in talking about their emotions as well as practice to social skills of holding a conversation through active listening and sustained eye-contact. Another movement that I have led in the middle school is the teaching of social skills through the "Virtue of the Week" program. Each week, I select a virtue that will be the focus of that week. I then pitch the virtue by posting it on the bulletin board in the hallway and providing a brief powerpoint introducing the virtue. The powerpoint gives a definition of the virtue and then gives ideas/examples of how the virtue can be practiced at home and at school. As the week progresses, if a student is "caught" practicing the virtue then one of the teachers fills out a quick token that serves as a positive reinforcement of the behavior. The response has been great and the excitement that a student experiences by seeing their name on the board is rewarding for all. I chose to adopt this movement so as to teach important socials skills, but also take a positive behavior reinforcement approach to discipline problems. By recognizing the daily good of our students, they will feel less impelled to seek attention through the daily mischiefs of an average middle schooler. These two activities have become staples for this school year and I and the students are loving the process and the rewards. |
One of my seventh grader completes his SEL prompt before sharing with his partner.
The bulletin board in the middle school hallway that highlights all our virtuous students.
This kid is too cool. He's reading about David Goggins and he can hold a mean conversation about almost anything.
This heart was completed by a seventh grader about one of his homies. I love it.
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Teaching in a Pandemic
Better than expected and maybe my best year yet.
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I have been teaching in a pandemic for a total of five months now. Three of those months were held over zoom in the comfort of my own home. Although those three months were necessary, they were far from ideal. Teaching virtually was extremely difficult and I felt that I lacked effectiveness as a teacher. I felt that I was pushing busy work and that I was not able to meet the needs of my students. Plus, I missed the stage that is the classroom. I missed interacting with my kids. I missed making them laugh. I missed creating magic in the daily grind of the classroom to bring some joy and fun. I missed it all.
Therefore, when society was debating the pros and cons of returning to the classroom, I was one of those seemingly illogical teachers who wanted to be back in the classroom as fast as possible. I was willing to put in the extra work and planning to make our return to the classroom safe and manageable for all. Thankfully, my desire was fulfilled as we began the 2020-2021 school year on August 24th. We were one of the few schools in the Denver area to open our doors and greet our masked students with wide yet hidden smiles. I am happy to say that the transition has been very smooth. The students have welcomed the protocols: the temperature taking, the six feet distancing/seating, the mask wearing, the limited amount of movement within the classroom/hallway, and the alternate recess activities. I was expecting some pushback, especially from my middle schoolers, but I was surprised by their docility. The students want to be at school; therefore, they are willing to abide ball the red tape to be in the building. And that's beautiful and inspiring. Even though the school year looks much different than the past, I would argue that this is one of my best years. One reason is because it is forcing me to think outside of the box in the teaching of my curriculum. In the past, I loved to teach in a group-work and station format. Well, COVID eliminated that with the distancing protocols. So, I've had to be more creative and get out of my self-imposed rut. It has been challenging, yet fun to find new ways to teach that are still not centered around lecture, but are engaging, collaborative, and entertaining for the students. Another reason I am enjoying this school year is the opportunity that it has given me to focus on Social Emotional Learning. This teaching philosophy is centered around the idea of building a curriculum that is centered around the social and emotional well-being of the student. I have operated out of this philosophy for all of my years of teaching due to my focus on building relationship and letting my curriculum flow from that; however, this year's emotional stress on the students has encouraged me to make a full-dive into the philosophy. I am explicitly teaching the kids about emotions, self-regulation, goal-setting, stress management, self-care, and social skills. It has been a rewarding journey and the kids love their SEL prompts and SEL conversation starters. Teaching in a pandemic is challenging and different, but who is to say that challenging and different isn't good for all? |
The classroom looks a bit different this year, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.
I've been holding almost all my classes outside. Great for air circulation and for general well-being. The kids love it and I do too.
The kids get a much needed mask break during snack outside.
The sixth graders performed their vocabulary skit for the class. Their word was "billow" and their imaginary parachute game was received well by the class! :)
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Building School Culture
Ms. Montoya: Event Planner, DJ, MC, and many other hats.
Gym decorations were minimal, but spirited! And of course, Connie Miller was there to do her famous cartwheels.
Working my "MC hat". I love bringing the joy and emotion. I love channeling the kids' strong emotions. I love being the leader of positive school culture.
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My 8th graders. Clad in the jerseys to bring the school spirt. Normal "too cool attitude" was put to the side and they led the school in spirit and goof!
Teachers raced around the track in our sophisticated cardboard cars. It was hilarious and the kids went wild...and the teachers had fun too!
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Topic: Notre Dame Parish School's "Leprechaun Stampede: Kick-Off" Event
Date of Event: September 26th
Reflection: October 3rd, 2019
Teaching is a job of many hats. An average day consists of the following (in no particular order): preparing lesson plans, sorting and grading papers, conferencing with parents and students, coordinating field trips, monitoring middle school behavior (the boys bathroom is always a mischievous area), comforting an overemotional child who is upset about something minuscule yet important to their ego, and creating a safe and enjoyable environment for the kids to flourish. It's a full plate. A good plate. A plate that is fulfilling and nourishing to the soul, but in the field of teaching there is never an end to how you can improve your own classroom, but there are also ample opportunities to improve and influence your whole school.
In my fifth year of teaching, I feel like I have a grip on classroom management and lesson/unit planning. My feet feel on the ground in this arena. So, I wanted to extend my influence to the daunting arena of the whole school. Now, I began dipping my toes into the daunting task of influencing/nourishing/building school culture last year; however, this year as a personal goal I wanted to devote my creative talents to the benefit of the whole school. I want my school to be a place of joy. A place of "thinking outside the box". A place where the kids are pumped to come to each day. A place where kids are happy and loved. It's a tall order, but I believe that it's do-able, as long as the school is willing to collectively work toward that goal.
An approach I have used to help promote a school culture of joy is to head-up those school events that are centered on building collective emotion and fun. One of those events was the most recent "Leprechaun Stampede: Kick-Off" event. The annual "Leprechaun Stampede" is our PAT (parent and teacher) association's only fundraiser for the school. The monies that are raised in this event are devoted to the extracurricular events of the school life; in short, it's our fun money...and our school needs more fun...so we need more money.
This year, I wanted the "Kick-Off" to be more than just a power-point presentation about the prizes that they will get if they bring in the monies ("you'll get 20 tokens to Chuck-E-Cheese if you bring in 200 dollars!!!), but instead I wanted the event to function as a pep-rally where we showed school spirit, gave the kids a space to be free and goofy, and encouraged teachers to show their playful-side and further bond with their classes.
With the goal in mind, the plans fell into place. The gym was decorated like a race-track and we sat the entire student body in the center of the course. Music played to build emotion and our enthusiastic gym teacher pumped the kids up with some dancing and rhythm catching via hand claps. Once the stage was set, I removed my DJ hat and put on my MC hat. MC-ing is something that I actually really enjoy (it's my inner ham). I pumped the kids up and welcomed them to the event, laid out the agenda, and reminded them of proper behavior/expectations. Then, I unleashed the 8th graders and cross country team from the place of holding and they ran the track while I played the generic yet powerful "Bring 'em Out" by Jay Z. After their laps, the 8th graders and cross-country team led the school in the classic "We Got Spirit, Yes We Do" call and response cheer. It was a loud moment, but a unifying moment that set the stage for our faculty box-car race. This box car race is a "shout-out" to Early Learning Center's box-car race that takes place on race day, but instead of three and four year olds racing...it was a group of teachers embracing their inner-child. The "box-cars" were sophisticatedly built out of cardboard by our "former engineer now gym teacher" faculty member. The race was hilarious to watch and helped explain the concept of "racing" for pledges by explaining that the kids would raise money by collecting pledges per lap on race day. Following the race, we displayed a short powerpoint explaining the "hows" and "whats" of the fundraiser.
In total, the event took 45 minuets and it was an engaging and exciting way to not only encourage the fundraising efforts, but to also promote a positive school culture. The kids had a blast and it was evident in their active engagement, control, and wide smiles. It was a lot of work to create the event while also devoting myself to the several other hats of teaching, but the efforts were fruitful and I had a lot of help from a few of my fellow teacher-dreamers.
I love all my hats. I love creating joy and community. I love my job.
Date of Event: September 26th
Reflection: October 3rd, 2019
Teaching is a job of many hats. An average day consists of the following (in no particular order): preparing lesson plans, sorting and grading papers, conferencing with parents and students, coordinating field trips, monitoring middle school behavior (the boys bathroom is always a mischievous area), comforting an overemotional child who is upset about something minuscule yet important to their ego, and creating a safe and enjoyable environment for the kids to flourish. It's a full plate. A good plate. A plate that is fulfilling and nourishing to the soul, but in the field of teaching there is never an end to how you can improve your own classroom, but there are also ample opportunities to improve and influence your whole school.
In my fifth year of teaching, I feel like I have a grip on classroom management and lesson/unit planning. My feet feel on the ground in this arena. So, I wanted to extend my influence to the daunting arena of the whole school. Now, I began dipping my toes into the daunting task of influencing/nourishing/building school culture last year; however, this year as a personal goal I wanted to devote my creative talents to the benefit of the whole school. I want my school to be a place of joy. A place of "thinking outside the box". A place where the kids are pumped to come to each day. A place where kids are happy and loved. It's a tall order, but I believe that it's do-able, as long as the school is willing to collectively work toward that goal.
An approach I have used to help promote a school culture of joy is to head-up those school events that are centered on building collective emotion and fun. One of those events was the most recent "Leprechaun Stampede: Kick-Off" event. The annual "Leprechaun Stampede" is our PAT (parent and teacher) association's only fundraiser for the school. The monies that are raised in this event are devoted to the extracurricular events of the school life; in short, it's our fun money...and our school needs more fun...so we need more money.
This year, I wanted the "Kick-Off" to be more than just a power-point presentation about the prizes that they will get if they bring in the monies ("you'll get 20 tokens to Chuck-E-Cheese if you bring in 200 dollars!!!), but instead I wanted the event to function as a pep-rally where we showed school spirit, gave the kids a space to be free and goofy, and encouraged teachers to show their playful-side and further bond with their classes.
With the goal in mind, the plans fell into place. The gym was decorated like a race-track and we sat the entire student body in the center of the course. Music played to build emotion and our enthusiastic gym teacher pumped the kids up with some dancing and rhythm catching via hand claps. Once the stage was set, I removed my DJ hat and put on my MC hat. MC-ing is something that I actually really enjoy (it's my inner ham). I pumped the kids up and welcomed them to the event, laid out the agenda, and reminded them of proper behavior/expectations. Then, I unleashed the 8th graders and cross country team from the place of holding and they ran the track while I played the generic yet powerful "Bring 'em Out" by Jay Z. After their laps, the 8th graders and cross-country team led the school in the classic "We Got Spirit, Yes We Do" call and response cheer. It was a loud moment, but a unifying moment that set the stage for our faculty box-car race. This box car race is a "shout-out" to Early Learning Center's box-car race that takes place on race day, but instead of three and four year olds racing...it was a group of teachers embracing their inner-child. The "box-cars" were sophisticatedly built out of cardboard by our "former engineer now gym teacher" faculty member. The race was hilarious to watch and helped explain the concept of "racing" for pledges by explaining that the kids would raise money by collecting pledges per lap on race day. Following the race, we displayed a short powerpoint explaining the "hows" and "whats" of the fundraiser.
In total, the event took 45 minuets and it was an engaging and exciting way to not only encourage the fundraising efforts, but to also promote a positive school culture. The kids had a blast and it was evident in their active engagement, control, and wide smiles. It was a lot of work to create the event while also devoting myself to the several other hats of teaching, but the efforts were fruitful and I had a lot of help from a few of my fellow teacher-dreamers.
I love all my hats. I love creating joy and community. I love my job.
Middle School Mischief
"Intercepted Notes"
"He thinks you're cute. He wants to know if you want a broncos ticket."
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Time: 3rd Period
Location: My Classroom, 6th Grade Date: September 9, 2019 In this age of Snapchat, I find it refreshing to catch my students passing notes to one another. Its a nostalgic practice as well as one that guarantees humor during my work day. On this particular day, one of my students was caught meticulously folding a piece of paper while him and his buddies were suppose to be working in some group work. Now, as a teacher, you know that paper folding either means note-making or preparation for paper-wad spitting. Luckily, it was the a latter. And fortunately, it was hilarious. I commend his bravery, his delusion, and his knowledge of a Denver girl's love for the Broncos. |
Beauty in the Classroom
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Date: September 5th
Reflection: Aesthetics are one of my love languages. I believe that the beauty, mood, tone, and ambiance of a place has an immense impact. It impacts our mood, our emotions, our mental clarity, our creativity, and ultimately our happiness. This drives my love for certain coffee shops, my love for particular landscapes, my love for eclectic fashion, my dabbling in the arts, my meticulous creation of playlists that capture certain moods, and finally the designing of my classroom. My classroom is beautiful. And it is purposefully so. I used the pure white canvas of cinderblock to my advantage by making the space appear larger than it is. The white canvas was the foundation of the room while the accessories of color are what bring life and joy to the room. The white encourages the feeling of purity and depth while the color encourages fun and creativity. I made a point to cover my room with art as it encourages students to find beauty in the monotony of their school day. They are being exposed to classic art and pop art on the daily and I hope it soaks into their brain either consciously or subconsciously. I have several plants in my room to bring a freshness and a reminder of the nature that lives outside our cinderblock building. The students care for the plants and particularly love our new edition, the "Prosperity Tree". I tell them that it will bring all of us luck, success, and abundance. They think I'm crazy, but then again, I know they vibe with it. It also helps that I have the best view in the school. My windows look west and I can see the Golden Table Mountains and I can see the Boulder Flat Irons. The sunrises are to die for and when it snows I feel like I'm in my own personal snow globe. I am blessed and my classroom is somewhere I love to be. Creating this haven of beauty was not solely intended for my own enjoyment, but I wanted a place where the kids felt safe, joyful, and inspired. I wanted them to experience the "art of life" and the beauty that can be found in the daily doings of life. I want them to embrace school as second home instead of a cinderblock prison. I want them to love the beautiful and to create it in their own spaces...not only in the exercise of aesthetics, but in the living of their lives. 
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Middle School Mischief
"Thick: A Double Meaning"
Date: August 26, 2019
The 2nd week of school is the start of lessons and assessments. It is when the engine turns on a we hit road toward learning. Before beginning our lessons, I like to give the students a pre-test to assess what they retained from their grammar classes last year. I made my way around my room and told them that "This is a pre-test. By no means is this applied to your grade, but instead this test is more for me so I know how/what I need to teach you this upcoming year."
As the packet hit the desks, I saw their eyes widen with fear. I quickly registered that the 12 packet had overwhelmed them with its sheer size. To ease their palpable middle school anxiety I said, "Now, do not be intimidated by how thick the packet is. You by-no-means need to complete the packet and it will not be homework. Instead, I just want to see how far you can get in the next hour.".
The class nodded in understanding and anxiety began to ease in the room, but in the corner of my room I saw a huge smile emerge among the sea of faces. That smile notified me that I had left an open door for mischief and that open door was the use of the word "thick". His smile remained as he slowly raised his hand and I set myself up to embrace for impact (to hold in my smile, not laugh, and be a professional role model). I let his hand linger while I completed my instructions and hoped he would lose his nerve. He didn't. Middle schoolers may lack confidence and surety in themselves, but they are incredibly brave when they know they can score a laugh.
So, I called on him. And he grinned as he said, "Ms. Montoya, this packet is very thick, but it will never be thicker than me". The whole class erupted in laughter. He soaked in the ocean of laughter. His mildly inappropriate joke was at his own expense, but it won the smiles of everyone in the room...including me.
We laughed. He won the room. He won my smile. And he helped the class by easing the anxiety. Who says mischief can't be productive?
The 2nd week of school is the start of lessons and assessments. It is when the engine turns on a we hit road toward learning. Before beginning our lessons, I like to give the students a pre-test to assess what they retained from their grammar classes last year. I made my way around my room and told them that "This is a pre-test. By no means is this applied to your grade, but instead this test is more for me so I know how/what I need to teach you this upcoming year."
As the packet hit the desks, I saw their eyes widen with fear. I quickly registered that the 12 packet had overwhelmed them with its sheer size. To ease their palpable middle school anxiety I said, "Now, do not be intimidated by how thick the packet is. You by-no-means need to complete the packet and it will not be homework. Instead, I just want to see how far you can get in the next hour.".
The class nodded in understanding and anxiety began to ease in the room, but in the corner of my room I saw a huge smile emerge among the sea of faces. That smile notified me that I had left an open door for mischief and that open door was the use of the word "thick". His smile remained as he slowly raised his hand and I set myself up to embrace for impact (to hold in my smile, not laugh, and be a professional role model). I let his hand linger while I completed my instructions and hoped he would lose his nerve. He didn't. Middle schoolers may lack confidence and surety in themselves, but they are incredibly brave when they know they can score a laugh.
So, I called on him. And he grinned as he said, "Ms. Montoya, this packet is very thick, but it will never be thicker than me". The whole class erupted in laughter. He soaked in the ocean of laughter. His mildly inappropriate joke was at his own expense, but it won the smiles of everyone in the room...including me.
We laughed. He won the room. He won my smile. And he helped the class by easing the anxiety. Who says mischief can't be productive?
New Year & Fresh Start
5th Year as a Teacher
I've never been more excited for a year.
Embracing all the change.
Wanting all the newness of fresh faces and fresh ideas.
Excited to bring my best.
To bring positivity, inspiration, and guidance.
Teach with rigor, passion, and fun.
Exercising my creativity and sharing a love of learning.
To craft little poets who express themself.
Molding middle schoolers.
Teaching them the art of eye contact and social interaction.
Embracing new co-workers.
Taking on leadership roles.
Finishing grad school.
Bringing all my talents everyday.
Generosity in each moment.
My 5th year as a Teacher.
I've never been more excited for a year.
Embracing all the change.
Wanting all the newness of fresh faces and fresh ideas.
Excited to bring my best.
To bring positivity, inspiration, and guidance.
Teach with rigor, passion, and fun.
Exercising my creativity and sharing a love of learning.
To craft little poets who express themself.
Molding middle schoolers.
Teaching them the art of eye contact and social interaction.
Embracing new co-workers.
Taking on leadership roles.
Finishing grad school.
Bringing all my talents everyday.
Generosity in each moment.
My 5th year as a Teacher.
Teaching is an Art
"Teaching is a creative profession, not a delivery system."
-Ken Robinson |
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Ms. Kelly and Mr. Trotter: the only two art teachers I've had in my life. Ms. Kelly was the tiny hippy lady who was the art teacher at my elementary/middle school. I honestly cannot remember one project with her. Instead, I only remember running into her at Home Depot (she was wearing a crop-top; I was scarred). Mr. Trotter was the only semi-attractive teacher at my high school. He was a tall gangly white boy with curly-q curls. I do remember Mr. Trotter, not only for his good looks, but because he taught Art with a passion that made it clear that "Trotter" was an artist. I can only remember a handful of projects form high school, but more than anything I remember wishing that I could claim that title, "an artist", and live in the realm of the poetic and beautiful.
I have never claimed the title of "artist". Nah, the artists were those kids that drew on their free time. They were those kids that knew the difference between oil and acrylic based paints. The artists were a different kind of cool who carried their artistic talents like a hidden arsenal. I never felt like I fit in the "artist" box. I was the school jock who happened to be decent at writing an essay and analyzing a poem.
It wasn't until I began teaching that I began to realize my own creativity. The profession of teaching is demanding. The lesson planning, the grading, the herding of middle schoolers, counseling kids through their perceived heartbreaks, organizing parties, field trips, and parent meetings...it's a lot. The work load is heavy and it can be easy to get lost in the "daily grind". However, the thing that makes teaching so rewarding is it propensity toward creative service. It's easy to be a bad teacher; just have the students read the textbook, bury them in homework, and hand out the pre-made test. It's very easy to be a bad teacher...that is why there are so many of them. The truly great and impactful teachers all have something in common...they are creative. They find ingenious and unique ways to trigger emotional responses in children so that the learning not only sticks, but the learning objective is given life and purpose. Creativity is what powers teaching and learning.
As I began my teaching career, I began to hear the following phrase from my students, my friends, my co-workers, and my student's parents: "you are so creative". That phrase was new to my life. I never deemed myself creative, but that phrase made me feel empowered and awakened my inner artist. My creativity was expressed in my creation of my lesson plans, the design of my classroom, and my creative interactions and relationship building with my students. I began to believe in my own creativity and my own draw to the poetic and beautiful.
I am creative. I love to imagine. To build. To emotional move another. To bring beauty into the mundane of life. I am an artist and I hope to flex my artist talents everyday in numerous ways; whether that be in the mode of a lesson plan, my fashion sense, a blog post, or a doodle session at Starbucks. I am an artist...and it feels damn good to not only say that, but to also believe it.
I have never claimed the title of "artist". Nah, the artists were those kids that drew on their free time. They were those kids that knew the difference between oil and acrylic based paints. The artists were a different kind of cool who carried their artistic talents like a hidden arsenal. I never felt like I fit in the "artist" box. I was the school jock who happened to be decent at writing an essay and analyzing a poem.
It wasn't until I began teaching that I began to realize my own creativity. The profession of teaching is demanding. The lesson planning, the grading, the herding of middle schoolers, counseling kids through their perceived heartbreaks, organizing parties, field trips, and parent meetings...it's a lot. The work load is heavy and it can be easy to get lost in the "daily grind". However, the thing that makes teaching so rewarding is it propensity toward creative service. It's easy to be a bad teacher; just have the students read the textbook, bury them in homework, and hand out the pre-made test. It's very easy to be a bad teacher...that is why there are so many of them. The truly great and impactful teachers all have something in common...they are creative. They find ingenious and unique ways to trigger emotional responses in children so that the learning not only sticks, but the learning objective is given life and purpose. Creativity is what powers teaching and learning.
As I began my teaching career, I began to hear the following phrase from my students, my friends, my co-workers, and my student's parents: "you are so creative". That phrase was new to my life. I never deemed myself creative, but that phrase made me feel empowered and awakened my inner artist. My creativity was expressed in my creation of my lesson plans, the design of my classroom, and my creative interactions and relationship building with my students. I began to believe in my own creativity and my own draw to the poetic and beautiful.
I am creative. I love to imagine. To build. To emotional move another. To bring beauty into the mundane of life. I am an artist and I hope to flex my artist talents everyday in numerous ways; whether that be in the mode of a lesson plan, my fashion sense, a blog post, or a doodle session at Starbucks. I am an artist...and it feels damn good to not only say that, but to also believe it.