Quotes from UPAL Students (Cohort V): Learning Creativity and School Leadership

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.  .

~ Lisa

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!

~ Erin

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…

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.

~ Julie

School Leaders should embrace the concept of creativity in every aspect of their leadership role… If you can DREAM it, ENVISION it, INNOVATE it, you can GROW from it.

~ Loren 

Student creativity requires time and in many instances, a hands-off approach from adults.  To foster creativity, the teacher needs to function as a co-learner, intervening when a sense of frustration surfaces.  Ask many questions and try to guide students to a solution as opposed to providing the solution.  This process and experience creates ownership and a feeling of satisfaction

~ Ellen

Creativity within classroom and within the entire school environment is a way of thinking. School leaders should encompass this way of thinking when they approach their work, when they evaluate others’ work, and when they assess student achievement…We as principals need to push ourselves to operate within this process, push our staff to learn in this process, and empower our students to grow in this process.  

~ Andrea

We have a lot of work to do as a society to “get back to our roots”, and I think it is about getting “back to humanity” and away from “making the grade”. I believe in design thinking rather than telling a child how to think. I believe in the power of our individual talents and how they can contribute to the overall wellness of our society. Let’s create a society that allows us all to strengthen who we are.

~ Liz

As an administrator, former arts-based teacher, and an artist myself, I find the “oops” opportunities to be the places where I get to exercise my creativity the most. This is true when I accidentally smudge a drawing and have to extend my idea to incorporate the smudge. And it is also true when I discover an “oops” in my work as principal and I have to be creative to contemplate the what if’s of possible avenues forward.

~ Alison

A servant leader employs grace. By doing so, the opportunity for others creativity is able to seep through. There are so many unknown variables that are at play when serving as a leader. With that, having a gracious approach makes that work both attainable and sustainable.

~ Nisaini

Students need to be able to express their feelings and thinking through art. May values, personal beliefs and struggles, aspirations can be revealed through art.

~ Tatiana

Creativity, when fostered, nourished, and developed within our schools, produces innovative and motivated citizens.

~ Bobby

School principals can themselves be creative and use those creative talents to build and maintain positive school climate and culture.  Principals have more power and ability then they sometimes perceive.

~ Jenn

Quotes from UPAL Students (Cohort VI): Learning Creativity and School Leadership

To foster creativity, principals need to make sure that the space is safe. This doesn’t mean that everyone says “Great job!”,  because that doesn’t move the idea forward. Instead, the team needs to develop skills to critically analyze - what works, what could be changed, what are they now wondering. 

~ Heather

Our 21st century students are our 21st century future leaders, not just students replacing cogs in a machine like in the industrial era (which sadly, many of our schools still mirror)… Our students will need to powerfully and creatively respond to problems that we may never have seen in our own generation… As educators, it’s important to emphasize and impart a problem solving process that calls for new “out-of-the-box” solution. Using the problem solving process as a backbone allows for students to respond creatively…. the problems of our own education system realities also call for school leadership to courageously respond creatively.

~ Sabrina

I would like school principals to understand that Student Creativity is a process that should be fostered and encouraged. It is not something that is done, but something that is cultivated and nourished. Principals should let students explore with a purpose. Give students a task or a “problem” to solve with minimal restraints and see what they create as solutions.

~ April

A connection I see between creativity and the work of a school principal is that principals can access their creativity to solve problems within their schools in non-traditional ways.  Moreover, the creative process (which included pre-planning, collaborating, evaluating, revising, and committing) is a process that effective school leaders will need to engage in on a regular basis to ensure that decisions and structures are designed as effectively as possible. 

~ Katy

As a school principal, we need to be creative in solving problems. When something does not work, we need to find another way around to make it work. Taking a problem and setting it aside is not the solution, finding creative ways, like we did to finish the project without getting another piece of paper is the way to go.

~ Floralba

Principals need to understand that all students have a creative side. But not all of them are stimulated in the same manner. Some take more time and some may need more prompts. The experience that i have gained from this project is one of patience. I started out frustrated but i was continuously encouraged by my teammates.  The lesson learned was one of resiliency.

~ Charles

I believe passion is the cornerstone to creativity.  Teachers and administrators tend to lack this trait and the students have a great detection for this...  When passion is absent, creativity and the desire to feel the need to be so, is absent as well… As far as school leaders go, it’s ok that your ideas get changed for the better through a creative process.  We need to ask ourselves is it change we can accept, respect and move forward with?

~ Keith

Principals need to foster creativity, nourish it, and develop it because that is how we enrich children’s lives.  In order to empower children we have to create an environment where creativity can happen. 

~ Dana

Student creativity is diverse; what they feel is creative is unique to them and is connected someway to their learning. It is a colorful reflection of who they are… Creativity will look different to everyone.  

~ Kristyn

Creativity allows students to look inside themselves. It is an opportunity to be reflective and expressive in a non-judgemental way. Giving students an opportunity to be creative allows them to develop critical thinking, metacognition, and to think about multiple ways to approach their thinking when it comes to their work. It allows them to expand their knowledge as they use creativity to develop these skills.

~ Ramona

Today’s lesson was an eye opener for me because I normally do not categorize myself as a creative person. However, as I pondered more about this, I find that I am creative, but in a bit of an abstract way. As a school principal, I will use my creativity for visionary purposes, but I will collaborate with my team to assist in the execution of our vision.
                                                                                                ~ Kimberly

After the experience today, I believe that it is extremely important that principals understand how important it is to foster creativity in our scholars. It is amazing to see how children can comprehend and take ownership over an learning experience if they are encouraged to approach the activity in a creative way. Instead of focusing on whether something is right or wrong,

~ Jessica

I learned that the process of working together, coming to an agreement, and being able to compromise, are all very important aspects to building a strong working environment where learning and sharing can take place.

~ Ryan

As a school leader it is important to embrace the creativity of our students in order to allow for student achievement and growth. Creativity and Autonomy will also allow leaders to identify those variously talented students.

~ Ramon

One thing I want principals to understand about student creativity and how to foster, nourish, develop it is that a student’s mind is precious. Creativity is a perishable skill and due to that it can be honed or subdued. Principals need to understand that creativity should be incorporated into every classroom on a regular basis. The more often students utilize their creative skills the better the skills will become.

                                                                                                ~ Matt

Today's experience of creativity demonstrates how principals delegate task and tackle goals aggressively. Principals establish a framework with the leadership team to assign areas of improvement to team members.

~ Kalomo

The team concluded the role of a principal is three dimensional, therefore the paper arrangement should represent a three dimensional model of words

~ Walter

Creativity is something school leaders should nurture. It is very easy to do. Just get out of the way and let your students take it wherever they want to. Sure it might be outside of your comfort zone. If you feel outside your comfort zone it means that you are not connected to your students. In return, what makes you feel like students are connecting to you? How do you know it? Maybe observing their creativity will be a good starting point.

~ José

One thing I would like principals to understand about student creativity is that in order to foster and nourish it, the students need autonomy within boundaries. Set guidelines, but allow for options and student choice. Encourage thinking through the creative processes. In today’s session, I learned that making decisions requires looking through different lenses and considering all the perspectives. It also takes reflection before commitment.

                                                                                                ~ Tori

principals should understand that creativity is not something that is learned. It is something that students needs to experience through collaborative activities… As a school leader, this activity has helped me see that I need to encourage my staff to instill creativity in their students by having them step out of their comfort zone in their own classrooms.

~ Alisha

Through this experience, I learned that creativity can be a collaborative process.  It is important to have a clear vision by all. I

n a school, the leader needs to set clear expectations and explain ideas to the staff. Teachers need to understand what is expected of them.  They need to know what the common goal is so the school can work together for the best outcome.

~ Dane

With this class activity I reflected on how we have been reforming schools for 65 years from more to better… Our great hope is that new school innovations (doing it differently) will build collaboration, autonomy, and a powerful creative expression in classroom instruction.

~ Jeanne