Loren Rich, Julissa Jimenez,Erin Hines, and
Lisa Brinker
The ENVISION square (sharpened by the focus of
the binoculars) provides a look into the future. It isn’t always easy for
teachers and staff to buy-into the vision and goals of the principal; instead,
staff should engage with the process and help create the mission to foster the
connectedness and ownership of the school’s vision. All staff members share their strengths and
talents, and the collective nature of this activity allowed for brainstorming
and interaction of the team within the initial individual square creation into
the collective arrangement.
The “Dream” square was chosen when thinking of
endless possibilities. It is important
to not limit yourself or anyone. As principals we need to continuously foster and embrace children’s
creativity within our schools. When
creativity is a part of our student’s school day we are allowing them to
express themself in ways that we may not have been able to reach them. Aftering reflecting on today’s session, I
have learned creativity is necessary as a principal. As leaders we need to allow our teachers
to express their creativity in their
teaching. Giving the teachers flexibility with their lessons and the style
of delivery is essential and most important in our schools!
Julie Jimenez: The INNOVATION square is my
square. It has the development of an idea that came from past frustrations and
became something new.
I chose INNOVATION because of the need to move
beyond how we’re used to doing things. Even if things work in a decent
capacity, we have to always ask ourselves, how can I make it better? Education
is no exclusion.
I would like principals to understand that
Student Creativity is a skill that is important to build upon in order to meet
the whole child and not just the academic side of that child. We can learn a
lot from our students if we let them express themselves in their comfortable
zones of creativity, and this doesn’t just mean Art class. Let’s take coloring as an example. It is seen as a
non-academic activity (and I could understand why), however, it has a role in
helping a child (even an adult!) express their feelings, find a calm place, see
and communicate things through color, etc. It’s an open window into a child’s
psyche and emotional well being.
Allowing the opportunity to integrate
creativity into academics is something every educational leader should keep in
mind. Not only is it critically important to foster the creative process in our
students, but also in our teachers. To allow them the autonomy to bring their
lessons to life and extend the excitement of the learning process by adding the
element of creativity is so important in creating innovative minds that learn
through doing and seeing and “figuring out”.
Loren Rich: Grow
The GROW square is
my square. I chose the GROW prompt because I believe the concept of “GROW”
truly embodies the U*PAL philosophy. Personally, I have grown so much in the
last 13 months here at Lehigh University.
School Leaders
should embrace the concept of creativity in every aspect of their leadership
role, especially the creativity of their students. Students afford some of the
most insightful and valuable learning experiences and promoting their
creativity will only foster their development and “growth” as well. I learned
that creativity is infinite, the sky is truly the limit. If you can DREAM
it, ENVISION it, INNOVATE it, you can
GROW from it.
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