If I could color creativity,

it would be red.

Red is the color of fire –

And fiery flames grow and change

ever moving, ever flowing.

Red is such a vibrant color,

and there are so many shades of it too.

Just ask a student to create a palette of reds

and see what happens…

Light a fire under you…

And then light one under your students.

Allow creativity to always be an option.

Let the inspired flames that live in your students burn,

not burn out.

Don’t be the teacher who snuffs out creativity.

Get creative

and let others around you get creative too!

I do see creativity in red.  A stream of red that is ever growing and changing, vibrant and new.  Creativity is becoming a buzz word in education and in the business world.  We need to foster creativity so that our students can be ready to think and innovate in the future.  Creativity is rooted in problem solving, critical thinking and even collaboration.  These are the skills that are in high demand in the 21st century.

And what better way to foster such skills than with the arts.  Through arts education AND arts integration, students can exercise their minds in so many ways.  Support the arts in schools and communities not just with your words, but with your actions.

• Attend a local performance.
• Have an art night with your children at home.
• Provide your students/children with materials to be creative: draw, write, build, play.
• Organize a Studio Day in the classroom.
• Write a poem and share it with your students/children.

Keep the creative flame burning!

~EMP