Modeling Creativity at Ellis
My father, who passed away in 2013, would have turned 100 this year. On his birthday, March 31, my family members and I found ourselves emailing each other stories about him, and memories of his many qualities we adored. One thread that emerged was his relentless optimism and ability to tackle problems with great creativity. He was, to coin an Ellis word, a real changemaker.
I find it particularly interesting to think about creativity as a key element to being a good problem solver. We often think about creativity only in the realm of the arts. I couldn’t be prouder of the arts program at Ellis, with the rich and varied experiences students of all ages have in our visual arts studios and performing arts spaces. Our arts faculty are truly incredible. At the same time, we are committed at Ellis to our students becoming creative problem solvers in all realms of their learning, whether it be Lower School students exploring different ways to think about and solve tricky math problems, Middle School students working together in teams to design computer code to guide objects through complicated paths, or Upper School students crafting college-level theses in their senior English classes.
We can think of creativity as a muscle—one that, like all the best human traits, takes some work and persistence to develop. It doesn’t grow in a student all at once, but slowly over time through an accumulation of experiences, with support and challenge provided by a variety of adults. And that growth is certainly enhanced when students see creativity modeled by those adults. I am my father’s daughter and count myself lucky to have inherited his optimism, which has allowed me to continue to look for bright moments and unasked for gifts from this very challenging last year. One of those, for sure, has been the creative problem-solving that has absolutely abounded among the faculty and staff at Ellis. Ellis students have seen their teachers teach in new ways, with new technology, new classroom configurations, and new schedules.
During so many moments this year, students and teachers have laughed together when first attempts flopped or technology has been glitchy and they have had to figure out new ways to proceed. I couldn't be prouder of our faculty, staff, and students for the good humor, persistence, and flexible thinking that has made this year possible, and—even though we didn’t ask for this opportunity—provided us with yet another powerful way to model creativity for our students.
