Innovation Week

It was nice to have a break from technology and being sort of "forced" into doing something else.  And by forced, I mean that we were given time to explore other things in lieu of tweeting, blogging, etc.  So what did I do with this time?  I spent time reading and drawing!  Reading for pleasure and drawing are both two things I enjoy, but they are the first things to go when I have school.

Reading for pleasure this past week reminded me how easy it is to get caught up and lost in a book.  For me, a book is where my two worlds collide.  I am able to get swept up into another world and put all that is happening in the real world aside.  Now when I compare reading for pleasure and reading for school, there is no comparison as to which one I would prefer to be doing and which one is more enjoyable.  In a sense it can be summed up as reading something because I want to versus reading something because I have to.  I think sometimes as educators, we tend to get caught up in testing, standardization, etc., that we force our students into unpleasant reading experiences.  In addition, we know some books may not be at the exact level of a student, so we direct them elsewhere leaving the student to be reading something he or she does not have any interest in.  So basically what I am trying to say is that yes I believe reading and improving literacy is extremely important, but we also need to find ways to motivate and captivate our students' interest and imaginations so that they will want to read.  With that said, students should have a time where they are able to have choice in what they read, whether it be at their level or not.  If we give them this option, they will find a book that interests them.  And as adults, we all know reading a book that stimulates our interests is over half the battle.  Giving students this experience will hopefully develop an enjoyment towards reading and will read for pleasure and also not be so against having to read for assignments.

Drawing, another thing that whisks me away.  It's something that helps me with to alleviate stress and to clear my thoughts--its a wonder why I have not done it while school has been in session.  My drawing ranges from doodling to sketching to perspective, pending on my mood.  Doodling is one of those fun mindless things that allows me pay attention to other things while simultaneously doing it.  I actually find myself concentrating better when I doodle as oppose to when I don't.  Perhaps, it's because I am not spacing off.  Ha.  I think perspective drawing pleases my left brain as I am one who enjoys straight line and using a ruler.  Sketching is the most challenging yet the most rewarding to me.  It forces me out of a detailed oriented perspective to see the whole picture.  I have to look at whatever I'm drawing as a whole rather than focusing on one specific part before moving to the next.  This sometimes is frustrating to me because things do not come together until then end.  It can get defeating because my drawing looks nothing like  what it is suppose to be all through its beginning stages.  But drawing, like reading, is something I want my students to enjoy.  I would like to be able to incorporate these things into my classroom teaching as I find it important for students to be able to express themselves through art and to stimulate that right side of the brain. 


Doing these things this past week has been refreshing.  But it was also interesting to see that how easily I can get caught up in things when I don't have to do other things.  Other than reading and drawing, I spent more time studying and invested in other classwork.  These things were done unintentionally.  I think I did it because I did not feel as though I had to designate or compartmentalize my time.  Just looking back on this week, it has made me realize how easily it is to be swept up in the busy and sometimes chaotic lives we lead.  Many times we do not recognize how much of our time is invested in to certain things and how much we are constantly on the go.  I am appreciative that I am able to be constantly on the go, but at the same time I need to not lose sight to what is important to me and what I enjoy doing.