Up early this morning to attempt to clean the house before the kids come over for art classes. Not feeling too great, waiting patiently for the Rituxan to kick in, and hoping that it will. Very interesting video posted by rheumatologist Max Hamburger in which he wears a suit designed to mimic the stiffness felt by RA patients. His reaction is surprising, and a reminder of what this malaise could be like, and gratitude that it isn't that bad in my own body now. It also serves as a reminder though that on the days when I feel like I am not measuring up to my own expectations, I have to remember that I have such a suit on, and it's fair to acknowledge its impact on moving around. Rest is rust, but sometimes the rust wins. Because the suit is invisible, it is easy to forget, even though just moving is hard and painful sometimes. Maybe if it was rainbow colored it would be more fun to wear.
Another great article today from The Creativity Post about Nurturing Your Creative Mindset. The article promotes the element of mystery in a creative pursuit, which is lacking in performance based goals. I have an article ready to write in my head about why the current trend of "Smart Goals" is all wrong for education, and this article is very supportive. To know the measurement (performance assessment) of a goal before it is started limits possible outcomes and defeats the process. The article linked above cites a study in which college students were asked to think like seven year olds to develop creative answers to an open ended problem. The results were much more creative and diverse than those by the group not primed to think with a child's eye. This relates to the mental shift our brains make as we grow from impulsive behavior and thinking to more rigid, "rule bound" thought. The article recommends thinking like a child to discover new more creative answers and discover the "growth mindset" that should be present in a rich learning experience. Since this is difficult to Measure (the "M" in the required Smart Goal Template required for teachers to use in their planning and evaluations). it tends to be minimized. How sad.
A last creative bit of news is that I heard back from Gill Riordan of the Distance Learning Program of the Embroiderer's Guild UK about participating in their Embroidery Certificate program. She (he? SO sorry!) cited Beaney and Littejohn as the creative direction towards which their program teachers. Ummmm....YES! It was recommended I look up these two artists to get a feel for the type of art that influences the courses. If she could see my textile book closet she'd know that I LOVE this kind of art and it is the type of coursework I want to do. Being in a certificate program would give me structure to try new possibilities that I might neglect in my own progression.
Hapi is yelling "OK! TOAST!" so I have to run! tally ho to 3/5!