THE BOUGIE INSTRUCTOR

What a great rest stop! I was able to take a breather and reconstruct my thoughts on how I wanted to approach VARIABLE #6 of the Chain of Becoming & Staying Inimitable. If you missed out on the previous five variables, please, take the time to read my preceding stories.

So, are you anxious to know the 6th variable? Are you wondering what's up with the SEESAW? If you are, without further adieu, let's put this bad boy into 5th gear again and ride. Don't forget to secure your seatbelts!

The sixth variable to becoming and staying INIMITABLE is, "COMPETENCE & CREATIVITY". Do you remember reading about the 5th variable, CREDIBILITY, in PART 5? Remember how I briefly mentioned "competence", and that when coupled with the other four variables (Purpose & Passion, Values, Open-Mindedness, and Compassion), your credibility will SPARKLE? Well, in this story, I'm going to talk to you about, not only competence, but also creativity, and how the "BRIDGE" plays a major role with you balancing these two variables.

First, I'm going to share with you the definition of both:

According to "Merriam-Webster Dictionary", COMPETENCE is the quality or state of being competent; such as, the quality or state of having sufficient knowledge, judgment, skill, or strength. In layman's terms, competence is having the "KNOW-HOW" and "ABILITY" to do something well.

CREATIVITY, according to CreativityAtWork.com, is the act of turning new and imaginative ideas into reality. Creativity is characterized by the ability to perceive the world in new ways, to find hidden patterns, to make connections between seemingly unrelated phenomena, and to generate solutions. In layman's terms, creativity is THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.

It always staggers me when I ask nurse aide instructors to perform a particular manual skill, and the response I receive is, "Are you kidding me?! Let me look in the handbook really quick.". Hold up! Wait a minute! Are you kidding me?! As a teacher, instructor and trainer, you should know how to perform skills, math problems, science experiments, etc., that you expect your students to be able to perform. How can you teach your students something that you yourself are not competent in?

Your competence affects your students' learning motivation and achievement. Being COMPETENT will allow you the opportunity to be CREATIVE in what and how you teach, train, and instruct your students. Being competent in what you do will help you transfer and combine your knowledge, skills, experience, and know-how into creative and innovative problem-solving strategies and activities. But, before you can be creative, you have to harbor CREATIVITY SKILLS. The skills of creativity involve development and management. The FOUNDATION of CREATIVITY is built based on your skills, experience, your willingness to listen and learn, and your discipline. Even if you do not have a creative bone in your body, you can learn to be creative by experimenting, exploring, asking questions, and using your imagination. The only way you will be able to do this is if you are married to your passion, because doing so takes a lot of effort and time on your part.

Here are just a few CREATIVITY SKILLS that you will need to develop and manage:

1. ANALYTICAL THINKING - You must have the ability to analyze things, first.

2. OPEN-MINDED (SPONGE) - Try thinking of things no one else has considered before. Inherit concepts from other teachers, trainers, and instructors. There may be times when their ideas or strategies may not seem the perfect fit for your students. However, you may always twist in a lemon or lime to make it your own...to make it the perfect fit for your students.

3. PROBLEM-SOLVING - You must be able to recognize and resolve important issues.

4. ORGANIZATION - You have to foster an ability to structure a plan of action with clear goals.

5. COMMUNICATION - EFFECTIVE communication is key to creativity. You must develop strong written and oral skills, the ability to listen, and the ability to ask the right questions.

CREATIVITY will empower your students to learn. CREATIVITY will create an environment where your students will WANT TO LEARN, rather than have to learn. In order to create this environment, you have to be competent in what you do and how you do it. You have to marry your passion in order to dedicate your time and effort into this creation.

You've probably already started recognizing how each variable of the Chain of Becoming & Staying Inimitable has the significant potential to affect one another. If not, here's a little peek at how they do:

You are almost at your destination, INIMITABILITY. Just a couple of more miles to travel, and you'll be there...ready and willing to "WOW" your students and yourself. Stay tuned for the FINAL CHAPTER of "THE BOUGIE INSTRUCTOR".

Julie Ann Reynolds, LVN, C-NM, QCP