In a recent meeting, I enthusiastically took up the task of writing an article for the Newsletter about the relationship Summerhill has with creativity. As a houseparent and teacher (and long-term dweller of the Art Room) I thought this would be an easy task, as it’s an element of community life that I ruminate over on a daily basis. However, under closer inspection I realised that writing this article was an almost impossible task. Not for any lack of evidence, but because the realm of creativity is so vast, and it is found in almost every aspect of life at the school. To understand my conundrum, it felt important to look a little closer at what I mean when I refer to creativity. To me it means this… To be creative is to be imaginative and playful. This could be a playfulness with ideas, or with materials. I am certainly not only referring to things done in the name of art. It could occur alone, following an instinct, or with others, finding ways to collaborate. For many adults being creative is about returning to a kind of child-like state; not scrutinising over what others may think or how the end result will turn out; it’s about freedom of ideas without judgement. It can be led by curiosity, or necessity, I also believe that a key feature of much creative thinking is uncertainty; this not-knowing-ness, with space and time and a sense of self-reliance, encourages exploration,original ideas and innovative approaches to problem solving. What I began to realise, when I fell down this rabbit hole trying to define creativity, in an attempt to describe where it’s found at Summerhill, is that the core values which dictate the way we live together, produce the perfect environment for creativity to flourish. The real examples are endless, from a couple of San kids deciding to dig the deepest hole could, which lead to many more joining the cause, and it then being filled with water (of course) and becoming the centre of much water play and games, to some kids wanting the community to be more aware of the climate crisis, making informative displays and protest posters to go all around the school to encourage more sustainable habits, leading to an upcycling area in the art room (formerly the Summerhill Swap Shop),
https://test-thanktuary.spaceshipfoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/IMG_7458.jpg12362472rylecashttps://test-thanktuary.spaceshipfoods.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/IMG_7218.pngrylecas2021-04-13 19:34:002021-04-13 19:34:00Summerhill School Example News 5
In a recent meeting, I enthusiastically took up the task of writing an article for the Newsletter about the relationship Summerhill has with creativity. As a houseparent and teacher (and long-term dweller of the Art Room) I thought this would be an easy task, as it’s an element of community life that I ruminate over on a daily basis. However, under closer inspection I realised that writing this article was an almost impossible task. Not for any lack of evidence, but because the realm of creativity is so vast, and it is found in almost every aspect of life at the school. To understand my conundrum, it felt important to look a little closer at what I mean when I refer to creativity. To me it means this… To be creative is to be imaginative and playful. This could be a playfulness with ideas, or with materials. I am certainly not only referring to things done in the name of art. It could occur alone, following an instinct, or with others, finding ways to collaborate. For many adults being creative is about returning to a kind of child-like state; not scrutinising over what others may think or how the end result will turn out; it’s about freedom of ideas without judgement. It can be led by curiosity, or necessity, I also believe that a key feature of much creative thinking is uncertainty; this not-knowing-ness, with space and time and a sense of self-reliance, encourages exploration,
original ideas and innovative approaches to problem solving. What I began to realise, when I fell down this rabbit hole trying to define creativity, in an attempt to describe where it’s found at Summerhill, is that the core values which dictate the way we live together, produce the perfect environment for creativity to flourish. The real examples are endless, from a couple of San kids deciding to dig the deepest hole could, which lead to many more joining the cause, and it then being filled with water (of course) and becoming the centre of much water play and games, to some kids wanting the community to be more aware of the climate crisis, making informative displays and protest posters to go all around the school to encourage more sustainable habits, leading to an upcycling area in the art room (formerly the Summerhill Swap Shop),
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