“There's this part of me that always has to be doing my personal work to get in touch with my authentic self.” - Brian Pinkney, Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, August 7, 2022
Pinkney went on to share his process. He keeps a drum nearby. He dances before he creates. Drumming and dancing help Pinkney find his alignment with his authentic self. And this helps him to produce emotion-filled art that speaks to his audience.
We know that the work of education is both science and art. Science is all the research that informs educators about how and what to teach and in which order. While art is the teacher bringing their authentic self to the work of teaching. As you prepare for a new school year, how are you aligning with your authentic self?
For some educators, it may be dancing in their classroom before children and their caring adults arrive. For others, it is walking the schoolyard or drinking a cup of tea. For our children it may be putting on their backpacks before the first day of school and giving themselves affirmations in the mirror ---- “You are so smart!” “You are going to have the best school year!” For the children’s caring adults, it may be watching or reading a story about school with their beloved young people.
What aligns you? Don’t know? Still searching?
Follow our Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram posts over the next few weeks to see what you learn about your authentic self.