When I introduce myself as a director of innovation, people often assume that my job is to make waves, whether reinventing programs, jumping headfirst into new technologies, or pushing for big, bold changes. While I do love brainstorming and tapping into some futurist thinking, in reality, innovation is often quieter and more incremental. I’ve always defined innovation as “doing things differently enough to achieve better results,” and I’ve found that, more often than not, that difference comes from small but meaningful shifts.
Brainstorming big and far-off ideas in innovation team meetings is always exciting and inspiring. However, the true moments of joy and the heart of our work lie in figuring out how we can adjust and tweak what we already do to make it more empowering for our students. How can we pull in a design element? What technology platform might enhance this lesson? Can we seek out an expert to learn from? Questioning what we are doing, why we are doing it, and how we might do it a little differently, and better, is where we start to see the real power of innovation.
This week, our sixth and seventh graders are in the final stretch of preparations for the STEAM Expo. The students are now making small tweaks to their projects, reinforcing the structures of their models, revising gameplay rules after testing, adjusting lines of code to improve functionality, and fine-tuning the mechanics of their LEGO builds. Meanwhile, our eighth graders are engaged in Capstone Studio Week. They are taking their project ideas from concept to reality. Spaces across the Schoolhouse and the Barn were filled with a creative buzz—hallways lined with sketches and prototypes, classrooms transformed into studios, and students naturally engaged in conversations about refining their work. “I like this layout, but something still feels off … Should I shift this section over?” “Do you think this material will hold up better?” “I think I need to add a delay here to make the animation smoother.” These moments of collaboration and iteration happen organically, with peers and faculty mentors offering feedback and suggestions that shape each project and student experience in meaningful ways.
Supporting and celebrating our students’ small but deliberate changes improves the quality of each project. It also builds critical skills like resilience, reflection, and problem-solving, shaping an innovative mindset.
Most importantly, it allows our students to experience real, authentic innovation firsthand. It enables them to understand that innovation is not always flashy or big and is not always about inventing something new. It’s about the balance of taking care of what we already have that works and keeping an eye on continuous growth. It’s about asking the right questions, engaging in thoughtful reflection, making deliberate choices, and embracing the small changes that lead to better outcomes.
