So after the first class of Innovative Activities in TR, I am officially excited. One of the main reasons for my excitement is the flash mob that we'll be performing during February for National TR month. I think that will be really fun. Other than that, I'm pretty excited to get to know more people in the major and get out of my comfort zone. That is one thing that I'm continually learning and was reminded of in the first class: it is important and beneficial to get out of your comfort zone. During class, we facilitated name games as small groups and with it being the first night, it was a little awkward and a little uncomfortable, but really fun.
Another thing we talked about was the word "innovative." We basically came to the conclusion that being innovative is being creative with the materials you're given. This is such a good skill, not only for our profession and for the populations we'll work with, but for life. Think about being a parent one day. You're sitting in church and your son is getting antsy, but you forgot to bring any toys. So you fold your church bulletin into a sweet origami bird and let him play with it. That is being innovative and it's a skill that can be grown and nurtured as we grow and put ourselves into situations that make us uncomfortable. We also talked about how not everyone thinks they are creative or innovative. It would seem as if it would be true that if one isn't born being creative, they never would be. However, we put creativity into an "arts and crafts" box all too often. Being creative is more than being able to draw or write poetry. It's hard to even put a definition on it because it come come out in so many talents. I think something that will quicken innovative growth is putting ourselves in situations that are outside of our comfort zone.
Anyways, I'm really excited for this class and I'm excited to grow with and learn from my classmates. It should be awesome.
