MAC Week 3 Reading: Chapters 7-9 The Art of Possibility

What an interesting and enigmatic reading this week! Would that I had read this prior to posting to the discussion prompts! The first chapter assigned this week dealt with “the way things are.” The discussion prompts dealt with our experiences with introducing new ways to do things into the school (or business) setting. The second topic dealt with the reason educators seem to be so resistant to change. Both of these topics spoke to me immediately, and I jumped right in and began cataloging all the difficulties I have had and PLACING THE BLAME for the resistance I had met. Reading chapter 7, though, reminded me that there are two things I must consider. One is “the way things are” and the other is “the way I perceive things to be.” As Ben Zander has said, “How fascinating!”

Obviously “the way things are,” the resistance expressed by our administration to the use of technology with our students, exists. I even understand many of the reasons our particular district has set the standards that are currently in place, and I can continue to disagree with them, and work toward the development of a more enlightened policy. I may or may not be successful, but the primary reason for engaging in this program has been to arm myself with the skill set needed to help move education into the 21^st century. After reading chapter seven, I asked myself what benefit my students or I gained from me blaming the administration for the current status quo. The answer, of course, was “none.”

What “is” is. What needs to be changed, needs to be changed. Instead of placing blame, I need to be looking at a much bigger picture. It is not enough to know why something is the way it is. I must also look at what small steps can be taken to facilitate change. In much the same way as the example story of the father who felt his son was uncommunicative and walled off, even though this same son had requested and gained counseling for his family, I must look at the walls and barriers I am creating through my interpretation of the situation in which I find myself.

MAC Week 2 Free subject

Note to self:

If you ever enroll in another education course requiring action research, check the scheduled due dates for the project to make sure it actually coincides to times you have students!

I have loved every part of this program, but am really feeling the pressure now to complete the action research project. Cycle one fell during the last month of classes at our school. The only thing the teachers were doing at that point was review. While I was able to set up my training for asynchronous planning, there was no opportunity to deliver the unit to the students. Cycle two was scheduled during our summer break. We are a small parochial school. There is no summer school. Not only that, we had a major overhaul in our faculty over the summer. Since we are a tuition based school, enrollment determines our staffing needs. With the current economy, we have lost many of our students. This necessitated many faculty members being cut to part time. Some of them were not able to accept a contract that did not include benefits, and have left to seek other opportunities. The new additions are all excellent, and willing to pitch in and help with my project, but nothing can be done about the actual dates for our school attendance.

The second difficulty I foresee is in creating any visual record of the project in action. A large number of our students' parents refuse to allow any photos or videos to be made of there children. Many even refuse to allow their students pictures to appear in the yearbook or on the school bulletin board. I suppose the world has changed quite a bit since my own children were in school. I never thought twice about allowing their pictures to be taken and used on campus or submitted to the local paper in recognition of their accomplishments. I'm not sure what next month's course requirements will be, but I certainly hope I will be able to fulfill them!

MAC Week 2 Comment: Carlos Benitez

Chapters 4,5 and 6 of the book the “The Art of Possibility” continue to evolve within the subject matter of human behavior and very specifically as it relates to the contribution that falls to each person not only in terms of personal fulfillment but also in relation with what should be the contribution to others. The various writers on this subject have been very repetitive in that an important part of our own welfare is inextricably tied to the two-way relationship with our fellows, whether they are our relatives or just friends.

Even renowned authors such as Dr. Deepak Chopra continue stressing the importance of focusing on the positive contributions to others as one of the ways to find inner peace. At a recent conference in the Colombian city of Cali, Dr. Chopra moved hundreds of attendees at the conference "Reinventing the body, reviving the soul" made in the context of the seminar "Exposer." He was very explicit in saying that 75% of happiness has to do with the choices we make. "If we act in line with our creative expression, if our actions have purpose, meaning, and make others happy, we walk toward happiness." But what Dr. Chopra stated is not entirely new, other wonderful authors of these thematic, as is the case of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, widely known for his book "The Power of Positive Thinking" and its invaluable contributions to the theory of positive thinking, have repeated it hundreds of times. One of the great merits of Dr. Peale was to have spoken to us about these concepts more than fifty years ago; he always repeated about the importance of believing in yourself and make a contribution to the cause of others.

Carlos,

I agree with you completely in the power of positive thinking. I have long been an admirer of Dr. Norman Vincent Peale. I think we often blame our unhappiness or lack of fulfillment on others, but in reality, we have the choice of how we will greet each day.

MAC Week 2 Comment: Denise Cullen

This week’s reading musings (draft)...

Fact: I haven’t been enjoying life as much as I could (and should be) over the past several years. Logically, my life looks pretty darned good on the outside, but emotionally on the inside I haven’t been having much fun. Could it be that I have been conforming to the pressures that I must constantly measure up? Of course, expecting that I should be having fun is an indicator. After all, isn’t that what they say, that if you’re not having fun, then something is wrong, or wrong with you?

Sharon Jones

It is so easy to fall in to the trap of trying to measure yourself against some arbitrary (and often changing) scale. I have found that the mood with which I enter a classroom sets the tone for the direction in which the class will go. That isn't to say that you have to smile and accept whatever behavior your students bring, but that your mood, energy, and enthusiasm can have a very real impact upon your students, both for their accomplishments and their behavior.

I have found that when I am at my "silliest" my students are better behaved and more engaged than when I am in "drill sergean"t mode. This even applies to my youngest (Pre-K) students. I can make them giggle as I use my "scary" voice and face to explain behaviors that are not appropriate. They actually seem to remember those. On the other hand, when I am frowning and fussing, they either tune me out, or shut down completely. There is definitely something to be said for the power of positive thinking.

MAC Week 2 Reading: Rule number 6

As we continue reading "Art of Possibility" I am struck by the genius and simplicity of the Zanders' philosophy. This week the reading centers on Rule Number 6: Don't take yourself too seriously. How many of our perceived problems might disappear if we only adhered to that one simple rule.

I have found that the kind of day I am going to have is usually self-determined. If I choose to be in a serious, critical mood, I can almost guarantee I will have a less than stellar day. Do the students behave worse than usual? No, not really, but my perception of their behavior is more negative. If I choose to come to school in a light and happy mood, ready to explore the limitless possibilities with my students, will I have a better day? Definitely. This dove-tails very well into the philosophy of "not taking myself too seriously."

Ben Zander, in his examples, explores the unlimited possibilities that occur when a "leader" is willing to relinquish some of his/her control and listen to those being led. Roz Zander, on the other hand, approaches her work through identifying the central self defined by the calculating self. As I was reading her anecdotes, I could definitely identify the characteristics that have developed into my calculating self and central self. Together, Ben and Roz have presented a compelling model for shifting the focus from ourselves and our perceptions, to the idea that we are contributors to life. When the focus is no longer on our own accomplishments, but on how we have contributed to the accomplishments of others, our understanding of the role of educator undergoes a complete transformation.

Week 1 Open Topic

My school has now completed the first three weeks of class, and everything is beginning to settle into a pattern. In addition to my music classes and administrative duties, I am once again the reading and math resource specialist for the 5th grade. In this role I have "inherited" an adorable young man who has an official diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder. In addition, he has exceptionally low short term operating memory. This little fellow is as sweet as can be. The only time the defiant qualities come out are when faced with testing situations. He participates well in class and can generally express the concepts that are being studied. When faced with a test, however, he totally falls apart and frequently will refuse to even take the test. Such an incident occurred this week. The students were to take a test on the summer reading selection, "Brian's Winter." When I saw my little fellow shutting down, I removed him from the class and we went to my resource office. Once there, I turned the test face down, and asked him to tell me about the book. As he talked, I wrote down everything he said. The longer he talked, the more excited he got about the story. When he finished, he was all smiles. It was easy to praise him on the excellent job he had done.

I then asked him if he would like to use the notes he had just created and take the standard test everyone else was taking. At first he felt like that would be cheating. We discussed the fact that everything in the notes came from his own brain. I did not ask any questions or prompt him in any way. Once he was sure that this was fair (he is very literal and extremely fair-minded) he turned over the test and began to fill in the answers. He was very proud of himself upon completion of the test, and even chose to answer the bonus essay question. My goal for this student is to work on strategies to reduce his test anxiety, and increase his ability to order his thoughts.

This week's reading on The Art of Possibility could have been tailor made for working with this student. His anxiety level when faced with any traditional measurement system creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of disaster.

Week 1 Comments for Karen Williams

This read was a very inspiring one, especially chapter 3 - Giving An A. I loved the author’s statement, “When you give an A you find yourself speaking to people from a place of respect that gives them room to realize themselves.” We are instructing and educating a very different generation of students who are very focused on peer competition and measurement. The author stresses the fault of this comparison by grades as it does not give a true account of a students ability. When you show a student a universe of possibilities by allowing them to create that universe it becomes more rewarding for them.

The “A Letters” demonstration by one professor, which he called a poetry of self-invention, was wonderful. He decided to give his students an A for the course if they wrote a letter as if it would be a year from that initial start day of class. The letters were awesome because students’ letters were written as though they had already accomplished their dream and universe. They were able to create their own future just by having the opportunity to be creative. That is truly a practice many of us should adopt in our classes.

Karen,

The idea of "giving an A" to the students by virtually having them determine their own goals is truly uplifting. I particularly like the idea that each student identifies where they are now in their development as a musician, and as a person, then determines where they wish to be in one years time. Through this method, the student is fully invested in the true goad - his development, rather than the artificial goal of a grade.