What does brainstorming mean exactly? Its literal meaning is group discussions to create ideas inside our brain or to grasp a solution for a problem. During the wind, thunder, lightning, and storms of brainstorming, survival might land on reality’s territory and a solution could be created by simply exercising brainstorming. Brainstorming is a synonym for labor before birth. Not only is it a solution for a current crisis that needs a miracle to end, but it is also to find something that we have lost since 2015. We have lost too many things, I agree, more than we can list for the record. What is the most precious thing though, that we have lost for seven, dark, and veiled with violence years?
We have
lost our homeland wrapped with our identity. All geographical maps have
disappeared or deliberately been scattered. It’s the most severe loss. People
get angry if they lose money, a keyring or a smart phone, but they can’t even
imagine how it feels to lose your homeland that you love, and to watch in
inability while it is gone with the wind.
I have
been an ESL instructor in Yemen -my country - for quite a long time and due to
my job in the field of teaching I have attended many training courses. One of the
best training courses that took place in the year 2010 was with Ms. Zemach
Dorothy. She trained us how to make students brainstorm to collect ideas and
then write about a specific topic. Her idea was very fun and we all loved it.
She divided us into groups of teachers and then she gave each group one sock.
She asked us to write a list of usual and unusual things we can do with this
sock. Absurd ideas were more preferred.
In the
beginning the points were expected and normal like : wearing the sock before we
wear our sneakers. Another idea was keeping money inside them. Another was use
them as gloves. Another was making them act like puppets. There was a lot of
laughter, excitement and enthusiasm to write the longest list. The next week I activated
brainstorming with my students. The same things happened laughter, crazy ideas,
excitement and fun. At the end I asked every group to read what they
brainstormed. It was amazing! I enjoyed this activity to the extreme.
After
war, brainstorming became different. It was forced to come in disguise. It was
gloomy and saddening. The odor of war was smelled inside our classes whether we
liked it or not. Although I repeated several times that mentioning war or politics
is forbidden, but still those ugly owls of sadness popped out during the
activity.
After war
in my class, I divided the students into groups I gave each group a sieve. Each
started speaking and one wrote the ideas. I went around to make them challenge
each other. I would read some of the written ideas and say loudly pointing at
one of the groups :-“ Hey guys, this group wrote a magnificent idea. Come on
write more. Brainstorming! Brainstorming!” When, the time was up they would start
reading out loud their ideas to all the other groups to hear. I would jot some
of the inspiring ideas to think about them at home by myself. One student said
:” My mom waters the plants at home with a watering can and I bet they would be
happier if I pour a glass of water through this sieve to trick our plant that
it’s actually raining.” Good idea! I jotted it down. A student said I will use
to sift the flour. Great! Another student said I will put it on my face if I am
a beekeeper. Excellent guys! Just excellent!
After
war, again in another class of mine. I gave them a branch of a tree about 50 cm
long. The ideas that day were more imaginative, fancy and colorful. A female
student said that she would tie the edges with two ropes and then hang it to a
thick strong tree branch and swing. She said she will swing so high to the sky.
Excellent! I wrote it down. She smiled with pleasure. Another younger student
said he would stick at one end of the branch a broom without its stick and jump
on it and fly towards the sky like a witch in animation. He said he will go to
see how other people abroad are living. Amazing! Yup! Why not my dear students,
imagination is free. Come on brainstorm. His classmates and I clapped for him and
he was impressed. Another student said he would put the branch on a brick and
stick two small plates to the two ends and use it as a scale to weigh tomatoes.
We all laughed. A female student said she would hang the laundry on it. Another
student said he would paint it white like the color of his grandmother’s heart
and give it to her to use it as a stick when she walks .Then a student who had
just moved from his hometown to Sana’a due to the war, said that he would use
it to fight his enemy. He commented bitterly :-“ What swing and what broom
guys? WE have war!” I told him that in difficult periods brainstorming makes
paths of salvation for us. Brainstorming can generate exclusive ideas, while
fighting has done no one any good.
After war
in another class I gave each group a handful of white cotton. The students
started brainstorming. The student liked the color and the feeling of the
softness. The ideas started arising. I heard dozens of ideas. I jotted them
down. We clapped. We laughed. We admired. One of the funniest ideas was when a
female student put the cotton on her chin and said she will use it in a
disguise party. We burst of laughter because she looked very funny. One said he
will make a nest for his mother’s hen so it can lay eggs on it. The best idea
was that of a student who said he will blow into the cotton his breath and soul
and it would become a cloud then at night when everyone sleeps, he would fly to
God and pray to Allah to stop war in Yemen. Some ideas injured my soul. The
youth! Who is going to compensate them for spending their youth in this sadness
and despair?
Ok dear
Yemeni students and dear Yemeni people, as long as we are so creative when brainstorming,
why don’t we allllll brainstorm for Yemen?