My 6 word memoir says it all. A teacher at heart from the age of 5, I always knew education to be a calling on my life. Easily embracing the labels of Southern Woman and Teacher Lady, my biggest struggle in my 31 years has been the gift of creativity. Aptly named Dream Girl by my husband, I am constantly dreaming about my next creative exploit...
A blog about stationary---- "Pink Cricket Paper" (check).
A vintiques booth at a local antique shop---- "Miss Mimosa Vintiques" (check).
A hobby in embroidery, a passion for graphic design, a desire to do something beyond the status quo--- (check, check, & check).
My true calling to teach was constantly battling my strong gift of creativity. The demands and standardization of public education stifling my need for creativity in my own professional development as well as in the academic development of my students.
After 9 years of teaching I found myself tired and in a creativity drought. My dreams drifting to new ways I can make a small income to make up for my small teaching income. As I came closer to the end of my first decade of teaching, I found myself in a depression as I considered leaving the profession that I have loved so dearly from a young age.
The change came when I took a new job in a small private school close to home and I began to reflect on my teaching practice. In one swoop ah-ha moment, I found the disconnect--- my teaching and my creativity were in two different spheres. In conforming to the standards and expectations of the current education system, I completely separated the two... that was my one fatal teaching flaw.
My epiphany is a great start to my second decade of teaching and one of the main reasons for the start of this blog. I have so much creativity and dreams and ideas bubbling inside of me that it is hard to contain. I am excited to start a new blogging journey and to share with y'all as I go.
Here's to reflecting on my own professional development, to bringing more creativity into my own classroom, and maybe even to inspiring others to embrace creativity in their teaching, too!
--Cricket
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