What are you doing in your library to foster Creative Confidence?

Creative Confidence Builds a Strong Future

In an education world that is increasingly driven by data and test scores, I found an article that argues for creative confidence a refreshing read. Whittle argues quite effectively that "all students are born naturally creative, full of curiosities and questions. The difference between those who continue to be creative in careers as leading scientists, inventors, historical figures, artists, and philosophers and those that do not is all in how they are nurtured. The more children are encouraged to keep asking those questions and pursuing their curiosities, the more likely that creative spark will remain – and there couldn’t be anything more important in today’s increasingly competitive knowledge-based economy."

Most educators would certainly agree.  They are, however, in that awkward place where they are evaluated by test scores and urged to teach toward these scores.  Equally strong, though, the mandate to prepare our students to function in this 21st century world of ours.  Seemingly, librarians are in a unique position to foster creative confidence.  We encourage free reading, foster research skills, create maker spaces. We absolutely have ample opportunity to utilize the 7 suggestions for instilling creative confidence. We must pay careful attention to our students when they are in our space. We can allow them to be messy and create and provide the tools to do so.  I tell my kids we are a one stop shopping spot for their project needs.  We are happy to scrub glue residue off our tables. We can seek ways to offer positive feedback without the pressure of having to follow up with a grade.  We can suggest improvements freely.  I have teachers who are great at keeping me in the loop on their students' upcoming assignments offering me the opportunity to encourage them to dive in head first.  Frankly, with some creative planning we can provide the artist date as suggested in the article. What are you doing in your library to foster creative confidence?

Push Girl - Chelsie Hll and Jessica Love

Hill, Chelsie and Jessica Love. Push Girl. New York: Thomas Dunne Books, 2014.

Push Girl pressed most of the buttons for this librarian. Co-written by a “Push Girl” herself, this book tells the story of Kara and her senior year. Her life is changed in the blink of an eye when a drunk driver plows into the side of her car.  When she wakes up 2 weeks later, she learns she is a quadriplegic.  Over the course of her journey, she goes from feeling trapped in her wheelchair to feeling empowered by the freedom the chair gives her.  She navigates friendships old and new, learns to process the “head tilt” that inevitably greets her, a new relationship with an old love, and the crazy politics of a run for homecoming queen,

Chelsie Hill a co author is herself a push girl.  She was involved in an accident in her Senior year that left her paralyzed.  She is active also in the TV series “Push Girls.” Because of her experiences, Kara’s story is heartbreakingly real.  The reader experiences her wide range of emotions as she figures out her new reality.  We are sometimes shocked and sometimes saddened, but always learning.  Perhaps because the other author is a high school teacher, the teenage interactions ring true.  While bits and pieces of the language may quickly become dated, these are far overshadowed by the genuine nature of the teen experience. My students will relate to Kara; hate Curt; root for Jack; and appreciate Amanda. Certainly they will enjoy the ever so slightly overly happy ending. Sometimes we all just love a happy ending!

The buttons? Kara is an overcomer.  She experiences the unthinkable and certainly struggles, but ultimately becomes a champion, raising money and awareness for other folks in wheelchairs. Kids need to read inspiring stories like this.  Also, because it is so grounded in real life, this will resonate with many of my students who like to feel that a story is “true.”  And the happy ending - refreshing and lovely.

Steelheart - Brandon Sanderson

Sanderson, Brandon. Steelheart. New York: Delacorte Press,  2013

Amazing world building. Superb character development. My intentions, honestly, were to skim the book to make sure it was appropriate for my library.  I am not necessarily drawn to action adventure, and I find myself thinking that I’m over dystopia; can we top Divergent and Hunger Games anyway? So I started to skim, and the story of David, from the very first chapter drew me in. This kid is one who loses his dad in an unspeakable and violent interaction with a revered Epic.  Forever endangered because he has seen the Epic’s weakness, eight year old David escapes and spends his life studying the Epics in his world, charting their moves and their weaknesses, making it his life mission to become a Reckoner, the group that is working underground to hold the Epics accountable for their terrifying and destructive rule. Not without struggle, David joins Megan, Prof, Cody, Tia, and Andrew for some epic battles with evil.  

I was not at all familiar with Sanderson’s work, considered it not my genre even, but completely enjoyed this book on a variety of levels. The character development of David won me over first.  He is an incredibly complex and vulnerable action hero.  I loved the back story and the insight into his vulnerabilities throughout the book  I liked the little bit of a love story with quite a cool twist. I am not that familiar with weaponry and tactical skills, but the cleverness of these confrontations and the need for quick thinking on the part of the heroes kept me interested along with some futuristic technologies like tensors and harmsways.

I will be book talking this soon with my juniors.  I am always on the lookout for adventure and war stories for the fellows.  They will absolutely be drawn to this title. Book two? Ordered.

Opting Out of Standardized Testing

As an educator I can’t help but be interested in the growing number of parents who are choosing to opt their children out of standardized testing driven in most states by the infamous common core.  As the dreaded testing season approaches, articles seem to be popping up all over the Internet detailing this movement.  In an era where educators are called to defend things like the offering of electives to students, I am surely anxious to see how this movement develops.  Some pertinent articles and resources:

Kathy Matheson’s “Testy Over Testing: More Students Snub Standardized Exams” at the Huffington Post.

This article explores a variety of communities where parents are taking the little explored option to remove their children from standardized testing.  Even teachers are holding evening workshops to increase awareness of this option.  Several alternatives to high stakes testing are suggested.

Valerie Strauss’s “Principal: ‘There Comes a Time When Rules Must Be Broken...That Time is Now’” at the Washington Post.

This blog entry includes a post by award winning principal Carol Burris from New York who feels led to make her parents aware of the opt out choice with regard to standardized testing. Several movements in New York, New Jersey, and California are noted. Burris also provides compelling details regarding 4 reasons she believes the opt out movement will continue to grow: Backlash Against the Common Core, Lack of Evidence that the Testing Movement is Increasing Gains in Student Achievement, Annual high-stakes testing has not resulted in equity gains, and the Realization About the True Agenda of Standardized Testing. Burris provides link to a variety of studies to support her arguments that should be thought provoking and conversation inducing. Fairtest.org offers a variety of resources for parents who are considering opting out of standardized testing.
From the website: The National Center for Fair & Open Testing (FairTest) advances quality education and equal opportunity by promoting fair, open, valid and educationally beneficial evaluations of students, teachers and schools. FairTest also works to end the misuses and flaws of testing practices that impede those goals.

Charlie Boss’s “Opting Out of State Tests Has Costs for Ohio Students, Schools” at The Columbus Dispatch.
This article explores some of the drawbacks in Ohio for opting out of state testing, suggesting that such a movement is not necessarily an easy fix for the problems of testing.