The power of positive thinking is truly a powerful tool! Zander’s experience with music is a perfect way to set the “tone” for explaining his views on possibility. I agree that we all seem to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. I find myself making judgments and assumptions on a daily basis that are limiting my view on the world and things that are indeed possible. What we can achieve is limitless, but our ability to create a mind set that is open and judgment free is incredibly difficult due to the underlying information we learn growing up in our society. I find it amazing how often I hear my students saying they can’t do something before they have even tried it. It seems people are so terrified of failing that they are scared to even attempt something they may be great at. Zander uses his musical teaching metaphors to explain this view of limitless possibility, as a teacher I feel it is critical for us to embrace this mindset and try to instill it in our students, so their future is full of possibility.
Jodi,
I, too, have students who are afraid to try anything new. The idea that they might not be good at it just paralyzes them. I think it is a sad commentary that our tendency to measure and compare everyone is creating such a negative impact on young learners.
I have to carefully monitor our online grade reports, since the default setting includes the students rank on each assignment, and their overall ranking within the class. This is not editable on a global basis, but must be reset in each grade book for each teacher. Still, it is worth to time and effort.
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