Kids Creative Ruminations: The Rewards and Challenges of Teaching with Kids Creative

Adam here.I was inspired to write this e-mail after exciting visits to each of our after school sites and conversations with teacher, parents and kids. No matter what medium we use to fulfill our mission, the teachers all share the rewards, the challenges and the importance of being a Kids Creative teacher.

The rewards:
During my visits, I have seen kids who are incredibly excited to be part of making THEIR ideas come to life through music, theater, art, video, dance, or a combo of them all. That is our reward.

I still remember a few years ago when a 6-year-old left Create-A-Play camp after spending the day working on her play and said to her mother, "Mommy, I feel like I'm exercising my brain every day." Her mom has been involved with Kids Creative ever since. That is our reward

Now, even if you don't have a 6-year-old student who is that articulate, you can see the reward in their smiles, their interactions with you and the other kids, their excitement at having someone who listens to them and you can see the reward when the kids help each other out to reach a common goal.

When we founded Kids Creative, we didn't create our 6 C's (http://www.kidscreative.org/pages/our6cs) and then go out and test it out on kids. The Kids Creative philosophy is something that has grown organically over the last 10 years of working with kids, their imaginations and the group creation process. We find that if we're all challenged to reach a common goal (creating a play, a dance, a book, a song, etc.), there is only one way we can accomplish it. We have to work together, resolve conflicts that arise, cooperate and put in our best effort to perform. We have found that the best way to do that is to think outside the box. Each child will gain confidence in their ability to contribute if they know that everyone is working towards a common goal and that their ideas are valued by every member of the group. Many parents have told us that they are so impressed with how we are able to get their children to use their minds and to get up and sing/dance/act/have fun. That is our reward, and it's theirs too.

The challenge:
Our ultimate goal (and our challenge) is encouraging everyone to use their own creativity to help make a more peaceful world. We may not know the issues that our kids deal with during the school day or at home, but we can be their guide, their role model, their teacher and their friend. When it comes to creativity, we MUST be excited to hear their ideas, to encourage their imaginations and to want to watch them grow. Who knows, they may constantly be encouraged at home and in school to express themselves, to be confident and to think outside the box. But think, what if you are the only person that they see all day or even all week who gets excited to hear what they have to say? Our work is that important. Though we may not see the fruits of our labor every day, believe me, they are there.

In conversations with Kids Creative teachers, many say that the brainstorm is their favorite part (I know it's mine). Teachers Suzu and Alexis were just talking yesterday about how their summer camp group grew following the brainstorm. A group that started off in cliques (the older kids, the 191 kids, the MSC kids) immediately started to break down those barriers when they were challenged to share ideas and work together. And those friendships were not just in the classroom, but on the playground, on field trips and more.

The biggest challenge? How do you get kids to work together to create? This requires a very extensive answer that is in our curricula, but in short, be really excited about all ideas and activities. And do not allow teasing or even fake teasing. One of the reasons that we tease (even as adults) is that we feeling a lack of confidence and the need to "bring others down". It can be fun, sure...for the person who teases or those who watch and sometimes even for the person who is teased. But what happens when it strikes a nerve? We start to question ourselves, our ideas and our abilities or we lash out. We should definitely challenge others and be challenged ourselves to think critically, but if we're doubting our own ideas and abilities, we are less likely to be able to even think critically. Although it is at times a very difficult rule to enforce, the rewards for making sure the kids know they won't be teased at Kids Creative will be great. A group that is able to work together, to value each other's ideas and to challenge each other to grow and think critically is a group that can succeed at just about anything.

In my visits, I have seen an incredible energy and enthusiasm for the children, the groups, their ideas and the art, music, dance, theater, whatever the vehicle for reaching the greater mission of Kids Creative. Thank you to all of the teachers for your hard work and keep it up. We look forward to watching these unique creations grow.