Creative Versus Comfortable

In my educational career so far, this school year has probably been the most taxing on me - initially, I chocked it up to a massive amount of change in both my personal and professional lives that seemed to come all at once. With a new school and grad school, my personal life took a bit of a backseat - or a spot in the wayback, to be exact - & I started to become more critical of my surroundings. At first, after conducting the culture survey for EPEL 8650 (The Principal), I just believed that I was working in a toxic culture. As first semester wore on, I became more and more frustrated - things didn’t seem to be changing and I did not have the power to change them. 

Honestly, I became a little judgmental in regards to what I would deem “unacceptable behaviors” from educators, let alone adults. I kept my opinions to myself with the exception of a few trusted friends who did not work in my school or district. 

After a few weeks of marinating on this approach, I only found myself sinking more and more into a pit of gloom; those individuals whom I was silently judging weren’t affected - they just continued on as they have done for a while. I started to consider if I was the problem - maybe I thought too highly of myself. I spent the end of the semester trying to just roll with each day, and I was able to make it to winter break. When I returned, I found myself searching for an answer for my dissatisfaction - why didn’t I like coming to work?

And when did I start thinking of my career as work???

Realizing that the only person that I could change was me, I started doing a lot more self-reflection, and in my readings and podcasts and journaling I realized that I’m a creative in a comfortable’s environment. Many of my peers are aversive to my ideas because they are comfortable where they are - in their practices, in their classrooms, in the building - they do not want to rock the boat. The student’s perform well, so perception is reality - we’re considered an incredible school…some even refer to us as the kids getting a private school education at public school prices.

Perception is reality.

Or it isn’t.

I could launch into a rant about the things that I would change, but I want to get back to this idea of creatives and comfortables. Creatives like to think outside of the box. They like to be challenged. They’re problem solvers. They’re risk takers - well, I’m getting back to being a risk taker. They don’t settle for good-enough. They strive for let’s-make-it-better. 

A few years ago, I went from being a creative to being a comfortable. It wasn’t a decision that I wanted to make, but for me it was a question of surviving where I was teaching - a high-performing school with a if-it-isn’t-broken mentality. Over the course of my first year, I was told to “go-with-the-flow.” 

So I did.

I made it a year before I started getting antsy.

Although not the original source of my epiphany regarding creativity, Adam Dachis’ insights on “Why Comfort Is a Productivity Killer” really resonated with me, especially when he describes being “‘comfortable’ in a job I mostly hated, but I didn’t realize it because [it] was so simple…I could go home and be lazy at the end of the day and no harm done—you know, except for pretty much giving up on what mattered to me.” OUCH! I’ve read and taught enough dystopian novels to know that perfection does not exist…or it doesn’t come without a cost (that I don’t want to pay)…but I need an environment that is not only going to allow me to be creative, but one that encourages and supports me in doing so. Margie Warrell, in her Forbes piece, poses some great questions that I feel every school leader should ask her or himself:

• Do I keep doing what’s always been done, or challenge old assumptions [and] try new approaches to problems?
• Do I proactively seek new challenges or just manage those I already have?
• Do I risk being exposed and vulnerable, or act to protect my pride and patch of power?
• Do I ask for what I really want, or just for what I think others want to give me?
• Do I ‘toot my horn’ to ensure others know what I’m capable of, or just hope my efforts will be noticed?
• Do I speak my mind or bite my lip, lest I ruffle feathers or subject myself to criticism?

I have a place that I want to be in the near future…and it’s time to get out of my comfort zone. What about you?