This paper, based on a qualitative study of secondary school teachers combining interviews and in situ observation, attempts to account for the interaction between two of the phases observed during teaching: creativity and routine. How do creativity and routine manifest themselves in teaching practice, how do they differentiate themselves and interact? What factors bring in one or the other? How, and under which conditions, does creativity become routine and routine a source of creativity? We will discuss the complementarity of the two modalities in studying the activity of the teacher, his/ her quest for the relative stability in social interaction that can promote learning among students during sports lessons. Thus, the analysis of “work in process” brings to light different factors influencing the articulation between creativity and routine. The different processes and procedures identified relate to the identity of the different agents, to the variety of social interaction during and out of the class (with students, with colleagues), as well as to the stress of social expectations and of the subjective evaluation of the effects of experimentation.