Build a Better Mousetrap

I’ve never been one to go with the status quo, just because. Of course, I don’t feel a need to reinvent the wheel, just because, either. I do feel a driving need to create items or complete tasks with the most efficiency and most direct method of completion to a goal with the smallest chance of error or failure. I’ve discovered most people don’t feel this way.

The pondering of this came about while working on my various incarnations of yoga socks. How I got from one point to the other may seem a bit of a stretch, but I got there. The short version: I couldn’t find what I wanted, so I went about determining what would be required to create what I needed. I determined the efficiency, the most effective method of getting there, the possibilities of error, and set my course. As a result, I now have 3 variations of socks, one complete (Easy Peasy over on Six Degrees), and two in the works. I even have a tutorial over on Six Degrees for working part of one of the socks. The other two socks should be finished fairly soon, ready for their unveiling.

What I’ve discovered, in my very direct method of creating my path to efficiency is that many people perceive me as being negative. I’ve been accused of not being a team player, of not supporting the group, of not being ‘happy’, of being a spoil sport. I often play Devil’s advocate in a situation, find the holes, the errors, the mistakes. I see the whole picture instead of just the steps, and I often say what I mean and mean what I say.

I’m not a yes woman. If asked, I will give my honest opinion. If I don’t know, I say so. If it’s not strictly positive, I’m very likely to offer some suggestions for improvement or ways that might make the plan more effective. I think in the long term, not in the now.

I tend to not be a very popular person in a work environment, especially education, which is currently driven by No Child Left Behind (thanks, George W) and test scores.

When I find a true kindred spirit, who enjoys collaboration as much as I do, the results are wondrous. The art teacher at one of my schools and I often collaborate. We have several art/music projects across grade levels and throughout the school year. We work together with several school programs, where we always receive tons of compliments for our work. We have written and received grants. The one we’re most proud of involved assisting our students in creating bags of art and music goodies for children who might not have things at the battered women’s shelter and the Children’s Hospital.

Why did I feel the need to write this all based on some yoga socks? I don’t know. At times, I suppose, despite how self sufficient I tend to be and how resilient I am (not to mention how right I am about the whole thing, but that’s another post), it’s still a sore spot.


Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your door. Ralph Waldo Emerson