It is starting to dawn on me that not very many people are going to be interested in trying to start their own Innovative Arts classes. It does not fit with how we normally do school. The idea to prioritize student creativity and develop student autonomy as a starting point is simply not done anywhere, to my knowledge anyway.

Doing it first is always going to be way more difficult, but every time I tell a parent what I am doing, they get excited and glad that I am trying. Students need to tackle larger projects, make decisions about their work (“I don’t know, are you done? Is this the final version and there is nothing you want to revise?”).

I feel lucky that I have had the freedom to design and develop the course to this point. The expo at the end of last year was a huge turning point. The 5th graders got really excited to do more, I finally understood what an expo would look like, and next year’s will be wild.

There is SO MUCH still to do, I am working on it all late into Friday night and will pick it back up Saturday morning. It is work but I am finding deep meaning and satisfaction in these development steps.

I’m just excited. Back to it!