This past week demonstrated to me that creativity is a vital trait that teachers must have, and that there is a big difference in delivering a lesson that comes from the heart and a lesson that comes from a book. I had the pleasure of teaching many lessons this week that seemed to engage the students in hands-on, in-depth and active learning. To begin the week, I taught a Science lesson where students were able to use wooden ramps and hot wheels cars to investigate the concept of inertia. Although the initial inspiration for the activity came from a Pinterest post I saw, I made it my own and designed the other lesson materials for it. The students enjoyed the opportunity to learn through experimentation and I felt comfortable facilitating the process. I also led a lesson where students brought in cultural objects from their own lives and shared them in one-on-one discussions with their classmates. This seemed to given an opportunity not only for me to get to know my students better but for them to practice the vital skills of active listening and articulate sharing, as well as allowing them to connect the abstract idea of culture with their own experiences and interests. Finally, I taught a lesson where understandings of inertia were furthered for the students through a demonstration, group reading of a text, and an outdoor exploration activity. This lesson was entirely designed by me. Although I still faced some significant challenges in holding the attention of the class without chatter at their table groups, I felt that all of the students reached an understanding of the concept and this was reflected in their work. The students were also excited to engage in outdoor learning and stayed focused for the most part while outside. In contrast, I taught a Language Arts lesson designed by Adrienne Gear, and although this was a well-designed lesson that reflected Gear’s depth of expertise, it was not tailored to the needs or interests of my students and so it did not capture their attention and I struggled to manage the class during it. This demonstrated to me that, no matter how strong it may be, lifting a lesson straight out of a text or a teacher manual will never replace the individualization that can occur when a teacher designs a lesson with their students in mind. Keeping this point at the forefront, I will now use the work of experts such as Adrienne Gear, as inspiration or a template instead of a full text. I also intend to use the types of activities that I have seen my students successfully engage in, such as outdoor learning, activity-based learning, movement-based learning, drama-based activities, and small-group work, while minimizing as much as possible the forms of learning they struggle with, such as large-group instruction. Although this type of design will take all of my creativity, I also feel that it will lead to the best experiences for both myself as the teacher and my students as learners.