Better Cards

This school year, I've been participating in a cohort about creativity, innovation, and design thinking. It has been one of the most fun and relevant learning experiences I've ever had.

Steps in the design thinking process - via therightbraininitiative.org

It turns out that innovation can be a very process-driven activity, and it's not only reserved for people blessed with flashes of genius that hit them out of the blue. We can't all be Steve Jobs or Leonardo DaVinci, but the great news is that we don't have to be in order to bring about positive change.

All we really need is a willingness to be unaccepting of the status quo. We need to let that voice in our heads speak a little more loudly that the rules of the game aren't set in stone. 

We need to not fall into the trap of playing the hand we're dealt.

Instead, we need to get better cards.

If you're an educator like me, summer is a time to reflect, recharge, dream, and plan. As we're doing those things, let's commit to not just working within the systems that are in place, but instead bringing about better methodologies, programs, or practices. Even if the innovations are small, they can be the sparks that ignite other ideas and lead to great improvements.

So take some time to reshuffle the deck this summer and deal out some better cards!