Encouraging Creativity

"I can't do it, Mr. Davis; I just can't," Emily lamented, staring at the blank piece of paper in front of her. The assignment was fairly simple: draw or illustrate one of the scenes from the short story we'd just read.
"I'm no good at drawing. I failed art," she explained.
With a calm and reassuring tone, I answered, "You're not being graded on your art for this. You're being graded on your effort."
She began to slowly pick up markers, one by one, and placed representative stick figures on the page. Then she scaled out some geometric shapes that became a house. The more she drew, the more elaborate the picture became. Details from the short story worked their way into the scene, and she explained each one as she sketched it out. By the time she had finished her "art," a vivd and real portrait of the story's plot had become plainly evident on the page. She beamed with pride, smiling her toothy, broad grin.
We posted Emily's picture and others from the class on our bulletin board just as we usually do. Emily's case is not exclusive -- millions of children think they have no creativity because their past has led them to this conclusion. With encouragement, patience, and dedication, even the reluctant student can express themselves. Here at Academic Success Partners, we believe in scaffolding students to support their abilities and develop the areas where they feel ill-equipped. It is this support that makes all the difference in the minds and hearts of our clients, and prepares them to succeed in school and beyond the classroom walls.