Reflection Response 2

Reflection Response Two
Knowing what you know about using the creative arts in elementary schools, from both personal experiences and reading the text, please discuss why the teacher’s role is so crucial. Also, feel free to address what you see being done in public schools today that fosters the creative arts.
The teacher’s role is crucial in encouraging and supporting creative thinking and creative arts in the classroom. As teachers, we set up the environment of our classroom and help set the tone for the class. It is our responsibility to create an environment where children have the ability to express themselves creatively (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2014, p. 243). Teachers can encourage and support their students by giving the students chances
to make choices in their learning, setting a tone of respect for everyone, and planning activities that foster creativity in a new, exciting, and challenging way (Isenberg & Jalongo, 2014, p. 248-251).
I know for me, personally, my elementary school years were full of opportunities to be creative.
My fondest memory of being able to be creative in elementary school was during my fourth grade year. After recess every day, we would come back to the classroom and our teacher would spend thirty minutes reading to use from a “fun” chapter book. During this time, we were allowed to draw, color, and create using a special set of supplies that was just for reading time. We were given complete freedom as to what we created within a set of guidelines; we were allowed only two pieces of white paper (or sometimes colored paper), we could have as much notebook paper as we wanted, and we could borrow up to five Mr. Sketch smelly markers at a time. We could use the crayons, scissors, glue sticks, colored pencils that we kept in our desk as well. I loved knowing that every day I would be able to use those smelly markers to draw something. My teacher had specifically created an environment and tone of creativity during that time. We didn’t have to draw or color during this time, but I don’t remember anyone not gathering their supplies when we came back in. After reading time was over, she would give us a few seconds to share what we had created with our table and then a couple people would get to share with the class. My fourth grade year was full of creative engagement, and I know my teacher strategically planned each and every creative opportunity we had. She fostered, supported, and
encouraged us as individuals and as a class to be creative in everything we did.
Creative art is being fostered in elementary schools today more than ever. During my practicum this semester, I have seen so many creative outlets for students. Just walking through the halls I feel the creativity flowing. On the walls there are displays of student artwork, personal narratives accompanied by self-portraits, and creatively decorated bulletin boards and doors. I believe that one way teachers can encourage and support creative arts is to display their own creativity throughout the classroom via the bulletin boards and doorways. One class was doing a series of lessons over storytelling, and they were creating their own “theatrical performances” so the teacher had decorated the bulletin board to look like spotlights shining down on a poster of whatever the performance of the day was; she also decorated her doorway to look like the red carpet of Hollywood. This teacher was setting the environment and tone to create and reflect creative thought as discussed in the text by Isenberg and Jalongo (2014). Teachers should use the creative freedom they have been given to develop and plan for a creative classroom because environments (physical, temporal, and interpersonal environments) fueled by creativity foster creativity.