You’ll never believe what happened this week!  The Christmas Concert Was Saved!  I know, I know!  It sounds like a children’s book.  But, it really happened at our school and it is a story worth telling!

Our LearnForward nest at Willowstone Academy is all about personalized learning, critical thinking, and creative thinking.  We are working towards being and becoming exceptional in those three specific areas of education!  Most recently, we were discussing creative thinking.

A common and reasonable question is “How does LearnForward impact what you do each day in your school?”  Let’s chat…

Typically, one of the most creative times of our school year is Christmas.  We host a performing and visual arts extravaganza that is wrapped around a theme that illustrates the best of the season!  One year, it was the “Spirit of Christmas” and children explored the concept creatively in both the visual and performing arts.  The results were astounding!

Our pace was accelerating this year towards our special evening, when our music teacher was suddenly unable to continue.  While our hearts went out to her, we held in our reality that our Christmas fine arts evening is just 30 days away and we are starting from scratch.

I wrote in my journal.  Each day, I wrote down that creating a solution to this challenge was my highest priority.  Yet, I didn’t know how to do it!

Our team gathered and one thing was for certain, we were going to do our best to hold faith that something wonderful was about to happen!  Something even more wonderful!  That’s faith…

Creative juices started flowing.  The team brainstormed.  Musicians throughout the city were contacted.  Old paradigms were shed.  Hope was cultivated.

On Wednesday morning the miracle happened!  Two music teachers arrived unannounced and unplanned at my door!  They didn’t know the other one was coming!  We began to share, collaborate, and synergize.  The results are amazing already!  Mrs. Priebe and Mrs. Berg are doing it together…4 weeks and counting!  Each musician and music teacher is bringing brilliant and unique expertises to bear.  I just finished writing the script!  

There will be singing, dancing, instruments, acting, setting, staging, lights, and meaning.

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“Mittens with Meaning” is coming to life!

Creativity often happens within collaborative communities.  There is a mysterious, complex process that happens when people knit hearts together and move towards a common purpose…

Christmas happens!

Would this happen if we weren’t committed to creative thinking?  I don’t think so.  I don’t think we would experience the “Eureka!”…the miracle.

How can we be open to greater levels of collaboration in our lives this week?  What will you write in your journal each morning with hopefulness that some creative miracle will unfold?  How can we create a new openness to the “something wonderful” that is just around the corner?  Let’s notice the children being creative and collaborative too!

Being, becoming, and believing,

Karine

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