Week 4- Comments to My Classmates #2

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Tracy's Comment re: The Art of Possibility-

Okay, I have agreed with most of the sections of this book up until now. I have to put my foot down on the Being the Board chapter. To a certain extent, yes, we need to take responsibility for the known risks we have put ourselves victim of. Take for example you decide to build a house on a flood plain as in the example in the book, you should not be devastated and blame others for the declaring yourself an unwilling victim of a known risk. However, we cannot always foresee the future, and sometimes, bad things happen to good people. I will not twist the situation so that I will somehow blame myself for every situation. It just might be someone else’s fault.

When you are in a position of leadership and you assume responsibility for failure at some level; I get that. I am the Yearbook Advisor for the district and try to allow the students as much freedom of responsibility and creativity as possible. However, when push comes to shove, the District will not blame or fire students; it will be the teacher that will feel the conviction. I am upfront and honest with my students while they choose every opportunity to put off their chores to make sure the Yearbook is completed in a timely manner. I call myself the Queen of the classroom and it has sent the appropriate message.  Time will tell.

My comments to Tracy-

Tracy, I see where you are coming from with regards to the ownership issue, however I think I may have another angle to approach the situation from.  The way I read the chapter, we are to not "blame" anybody, not others OR ourselves.  It is to take ownership for the possibilities that our behaviors afford us.  When we take a risk, such as buying that house, we must own every possibility that that experience opens for ourselves.  Yes it may be in a flood plain, but we may learn something and meet someone, and feel something that we could never experience from any other action than from buying that house.  The way a see it I want to own all the good things that come into my life, but in order to do that, I have to own the bad things as well.  But the bad things are more than just "bad things" they are opportunities to learn, opportunities to change, opportunities to walk away different from when and where you began and those things are valuable.  I think what the text is asking us to do is to change the way we look at things.  Yes, our administrators have the ultimate power to sign our pink slips, but is it not us who took the chance to apply, it is us who took the risk to think or act in a way that brings attention to ourselves, and it is us who then owns the opportunities that result.  So if our administrator does in fact let us go, the opportunities that open due to us being let go are also ours to own.  If we are not "let go" then perhaps we would never be afforded to opportunity to find our dream job or to meet that connection who changes our lives.

I think it all just comes down to changing our perspective.

Week 3- Comments to My Classmates- #2

http://heatherindelicato.blogspot.com/

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Heather’s comments re: The Art of Possibilities-

There seems to be a fear among leaders that their leadership will fade, if they allow those they lead to become great. I love the idea of gathering perspectives and approaches from those being led by asking them to lead so you can “see how it sounds” or give their ideas and suggestions, as in the “white sheet.” Figuring out how to make this work in each class is exciting, even more so when you catch the passion of the learners through it.

The confidence and excellence I find in my students when I manage to foster this is wonderful. I begin each quarter, and remind them throughout, by telling my students that I have a class of teachers and each of them knows something even though they don’t yet have all the skills. Especially when working with my lower language skill classes, I find it would be impossible to successfully assist each student if they didn’t work together to answer questions when I’m working with another student.

In “Rule Number 6,” I’m reminded of the many times we insist children “be serious.” I think the calculating self is more than just our personality developed throughout childhood to establish a niche of acknowledgement and acceptance. I think it may be the restricted and “self-controlled” habit we’ve learned over time as we’re instructed to “behave” and “be serious.” 

It’s when we remember that childish excitement and intrigue that we can really enjoy life in its fullness. It’s the children who are constantly imagining other realities and creating different stories and games to explain the world around them. When we are able to approach life with that same freedom, interest, and excitement there’s no telling what will happen.

My Comments to Heather-

I agree with you whole-heartedly regarding Rule #6.  I think that we develop a way of thinking that allows us to just get by, almost as a survival mechanism.  If we stand out from our “herds” we will get spotted and eaten.  However, in our world, if you don’t stand out, if you don’t separate yourself from the crowd, nothing new or exceptional will ever happen.  We teach our children to follow rules, don’t ask questions, uniformly fall in line, but what about promoting uniqueness, seeing their potential in order for them to believe in their potential?  It is our job to teach them HOW to think not WHAT to think.  I don’t even like to use the words “restriction” and controls when speaking about students’ learning.  We want it to be exciting, uncontrolled, unexpected, and lacking seriousness.  

Week 3- Comments to My Classmates- #1

http://elijahduncan.blogspot.com/2011/03/wk3-reading-what-starts-as-trickle.html?showComment=1300644474209#c549488463370666899 

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Elijah's comments re: The Art of Possibility-

Chapter 5. Leading from Any Chair: We’re all leaders. How can we make a difference in the people will influence each day? How do we listen to those who help us make our dreams become reality?

Listening to those who act in contrast to our dreams, our visions, our passions is one of the most difficult tasks of our human existence. This chapter really helped me to focus on how those voices also contribute to the possibility of seeing our dreams, our visions, our passions become a reality. If we are truly and deeply listening to what could be perceived as attacking, counteractive, negative we can begin to make what we have envisioned the mere starting point of a more evolved possibility.

Chapter 6. Rule Number 6: Don’t take yourself so seriously. Life is a journey–enjoy and learn along the way. Live, laugh, and love!!

Teaching kids is serious business. So often I get lost in that seriousness, forgetting to relish in the passion of teaching. I suspect that my students can sense this to at times. On the one hand I yearn for them to tap into some intrinsic love of life-long learning, and on the other demand seriousness. I guess the key here is not to a take yourself SO seriously. Seriousness is necessary, but shouldn't be the primary driving factor.

Chapter 7. The Way Things Are: Sometimes settling for the way things are is a lowering of expectations, sometimes it’s finding a starting point so that one can make things better. Where are you in this continuum?

I am so about settling for the way things are these days. Working here in the middle east has begged me to keep my head low, not stir the waters, be complacent. There are people at the top here wanting to make radical changes to education, but on the day to day level you have teachers and administrators who want nothing more than a paycheck. Most of them responding only to the most dire of crises. I came here because I wanted to innovate take my knowledge, learn from the knowledge and experience from the culture around me and blend that into something new and evolved, a new way forward for teaching and learning. The complacency of those around me and the fact that I get shunned every time I try to initiate some of what I was hired to do has resulted in a lowering of my expectations. Finding a starting point as the chapter suggests seems nearly impossible to do alone. Maintaining communication with those who seek to maintain their own high expectations and desire for change seems critical for me now.

Chapter 8. Giving Way to Passion: Control says that the only way to avoid disappointment and frustration is to not care at all. No hits, no runs, but most importantly, no errors. What are you doing in your daily life that expresses your passion or the things you are passionate about?

My Facebook wall has been a place for expressing this passion as of late, through posting links to music, art, news, images, etc. I have also been really focused on communicating my passions with my friends and family, since I don't always have a forum for this at work.

My Comments to Elijah-

I agree that there are times when things seem difficult.  As you stated in your comments regarding chapter 7, I wonder if listening to and truly internalizing the message of chapter 9 might not be helpful.  We need to really look at every situation as though it is an opportunity.  What effect can we have on those around us, what way can we better the place and the people involved.  It sounds like you had a mission in mind, that you had a vision and an inspiration.  Don’t lose that, those are the types of situations this book speaks of.  You can spark inspiration in others, and if you have the confidence and the motivation to move to the other side of the planet, don’t forget how strong you are, use it!  I think that the overall message is that we as people but particularly as teachers use our brain in a particular way but that perhaps “that way” is limiting and holds us back.  Our brains look to categorize and justify, to connect and simplify.  But true inspiration and deep clarity comes from intrapersonal and interpersonal connection while letting go of the limiting connections of thinking.  By that I guess I mean that ingenuity comes from thinking outside of that defining and restrictive box. 

You have already given up that “control” by taking a chance, now look to see where you can structure some new possibilities!  Go get ‘em!

Week 2- Comments to My Classmates #1

Noelia post regarding The Art of Possibility

http://noeliabadilloemdt.blogspot.com/2011/03/week-2-reading-1.html

Image retrieved and modified from FB profile pics.

The book The Art of Possibility is a book that makes you think deeply about how we see ourselves and how we can see things from the point of view we desire. In the first four chapters, the author opens up a world of possibilities to challenge our initiative towards a greater concept of our being, the confidence we have in everything we do and how we should stop for a moment and review the events to be responsive to these in a positive, powerful and efficient way. It discusses how we can have the success that we want and what we can achieve if we actually see and accept who we are and what we can be. The text directs us toward an objective and authentic attitude to open up new paths and new challenges. It also reflects the power that we have as educators if we learn to see and appreciate the styles and actions of our students and how we can encourage and motivate students to wake up their hidden or repressed skills. A perspective in which we can learn new things from students and the importance and meaning of things for them. In the fourth chapter the author describes the importance that produces contributing to the lives of others, to move away from ego-centrism, to relate with others and make a difference. It's amazing the simplicity with which the author makes us rethink the way you view life and its circumstances. Personally I identified myself with several of the stories in the book and learned a few strategies on how to deal with the situation by simply asking myself important, thoughtful questions and answer them from another perspective, a perspective that is what I desire, what I want. The effect of the practices that the author explains can greatly benefit our environment, our success, our relationships with others, in fact our course in life and most importantly our happiness. I enjoyed reading this book and like me, I know that it will help others have a better vision of our circumstances and because of all this I give the authors an A.

Comments to Noelia-

I was especially drawn in to your reflection on the "power that we have as educators if we learn to see and appreciate the styles and actions of our students and how we can encourage and motivate students to wake up their hidden or repressed skills. A perspective in which we can learn new things from students and the importance and meaning of things for them."

I find that too often the idea is overlooked that each one of our students brings a unique experience to the learning table and that if we as educators do not acknowledge, appreciate and foster the sharing of that experience we all lose out.

I agree with you that the author has an ease with which the message is delivered.  The reader is guided through a pretty deep and philosophical journey by relatable and applicable stories and practices.

Thanks Noelia- you summed it up in a clear and stimulating piece!