Schools are complicated places. Building creativity at the school or district level means thinking beyond individual classrooms to include all the people and systems that make schools work. Just as in creative businesses, one of the key differences between individual and whole-school creativity is the role of leadership. Leaders in organizations working toward creativity are … Continue reading
I’ll admit it; it has been a tough week. How about you? As these weeks and months of pandemic stressors drag on (and on and on), so many things seem harder. I just read a New York Times account of the dramatic increase in traffic deaths over the last two years, along with increases in … Continue reading
I recently retired after 35 years at Eastern Michigan University (OK, I’m teaching again this semester, but that’s another story). Even this state of not-quite-retired has caused me to think back on my years at EMU, in roles from beginning assistant professor to interim dean, in times of near-explosive growth and periods of retrenchment. The … Continue reading
Apparently, in Boston, this week has been full of French Toast alerts. I’m not sure when the French Toast Alert system was created, but it surely must have been after my years living in New England, otherwise I can’t imagine missing such a delicious weather warning. According to Boston’s Universal Hub, the French Toast Alert … Continue reading
David Zinn is an Ann Arbor treasure. I’ve written before about the seeming magic of his chalk art, in which fantastical creatures briefly appear in the nooks and crannies of the city, only to disappear with the summer rains or (as currently) winter snows. Now Zinn has shared his techniques with young people in The … Continue reading
Here I am back. Again. It is true that, like everyone else, I’ve had my life rhythms disrupted by COVID. But I am among the fortunate in that my immediate family and friends have been spared major illness thus far, so that isn’t a great reason for my absence. I do have one good one, … Continue reading
What a beginning to a school year! All around me, my teacher friends and parent friends are struggling over what young people need most. How can we protect them from illness while maximizing their learning? How do we balance the social and educational needs of vaccinated adolescents while protecting their unvaccinated siblings? What should we … Continue reading
This is Katherine Johnson. I know it looks like a monarch butterfly egg, and it is, but its name is Katherine Johnson. It is not every butterfly egg that is fortunate enough to be named after an early NASA mathematician, but this one is. Katherine—the butterfly version—was named by my four-year-old friend, who holds Katherine … Continue reading
I have a friend who, together with her quadriplegic husband, raised four wonderful children. Those “children” are now adults with not-so-young children of their own, and I continue to be impressed with their intelligence, integrity, and persistence in the face of obstacles. My friend and I have talked over the years about the things that … Continue reading
I’m having trouble watching the news these days. Truth is, that’s been true for years now. I have to moderate my news consumption to keep from being swamped by the flow of negativity and anger. I know people have always disagreed, but it hasn’t always seemed that our view of those we disagreed with was … Continue reading
creativiteach 