We Got Skills

At an after-school program, I squatted in a sandbox with several preschoolers as we made "cakes" and "pies" out of sand.  We baked them in an imaginary oven and even decorated them with leaves and rock sprinkles.  A rambunctious three-year-old named Turner kept jumping in and out of the sandbox and running all over the playground trying to get the rest of us to chase him.  At one point, he hopped into the box, and I asked him if he wanted to make pies with us.

"Those aren't pies," he said.  "That's sand."
"Don't you ever use your imagination?" I asked.
"No," he said and bounced away again.

I know that he uses imagination at least some even without realizing it and that I can't judge America based on one three-year-old, but his low value of imagination and creativity surprised and disappointed me.  As a little girl with a brother ten years older than me, I often played in the background by myself, but I invented an array of characters to join me in an array of magical places.  I think imagination is one of the beautiful traits of childhood, but that skill is squandered by our society and by education.
Imagination leads to creativity and innovation, which also assist in problem-solving and critical thinking—several of the major 21st century skills critical in today's global economy.  All of the 21st century skills, which also include collaboration and communication, emerge early in life in basic forms and thus should be fostered and enhanced throughout a child's education.

As an early childhood educator, I must practice these skills as well as teach these skills.  Teachers practice creativity, innovation, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills when they plan meaningful curriculum, engage students in learning, reteach material in a new way if students misunderstood it, and enforce positive behavior.  They establish behavior and academic expectations and use the skills in their arsenals to help all students succeed inside and outside the classroom.  They must constantly adapt their lessons and practices to meet students' needs.  Educators also utilize collaboration and communication skills and cultural awareness when working with parents and coworkers.  They must build respectful, trusting relationships with parents and fellow teachers to create a school community.

One of the focuses of the Common Core State Standards, the new frameworks by which teachers teach, involves helping students become college and career ready.  All teachers need to incorporate 21st century skills into their everyday instruction in order to prepare children for the real world even in elementary school. "Students can master 21st century skills while they learn reading, mathematics, science, writing, and other school subjects." Educators can no longer simply teach to the test and tell children how to think.  Students must learn to think for themselves.    

I will serve as a role model for students, so I must acquire these skills through various experiences and develop them through practice.  Ways to do so include reading, research, trying new things, meeting people, going places, and simply practicing an open-mind.  We are all life-long learners, so we must all be open to every opportunity and educational experience.  We will never possess all the knowledge, but the pursuit of knowledge and the skills we develop along the way are what make us great.