MAC Week 4 - Response to Stacey Kramer's Blog

Stacey's Original Post


http://www.kvtechnosnake.blogspot.com/2012/06/mac-wk-4-future-of-possiblilties.html


I enjoyed wrapping up this book, but will definitely not put it away. It will be a go to book when I need some encouragement. In regard to the last chapters, a couple of points stuck out.

Being the board helps me to see the big picture. This chapter empowered me to take control of my life and my experiences. Eleanore Roosevelt once said “In the long run, we shape our lives, and we shape ourselves. The process never ends until we die. And the choices we make are ultimately our own responsibility.”

The other point that stuck out was regarding vision and needing a vision. I really never thought about having a vision for my classroom, which is funny because in the the weight loss program I am a member of, we have to do monthly vision boards. In Proverbs 29:18, it simply states that "without vision, people will parish..." Well, I certainly don't want my students to parish so I have put it on my summer to do list to start off my school year.


My Response


Stacey, I sincerely hope we stay in contact.  Regarding this blog, I am interested in how having a vision for your classroom will impact your instruction. I look forward to hearing your story about this.  How do you plant to implement this new perspective?  So far, what ideas do you have for the vision?  Will the vision be a theme that unites each of your class periods or blocks?  I'm just thinking out loud.  What is an all encompassing theme or value that you desire for your students to embody?  Please, please let me know  what you discover!  (By the way, Proverbs 29:18 is one of my favorite scriptures.)  Also, I think you have always had a vision for your classroom.  I'm inclined to say that you may not have identified or verbalized it specifically.  For example, you see your students as literate and competent users of educational technology. :)

MAC Week 4 - Response to Tamarah Costen's Blog

Tamarah's Original Post


http://www.tamarahcosten.blogspot.com/2012/06/mac-week-4-reading.html

Chapters 9 -12 "Art of Possibility"

The closing of this book was Empowering and Inspirational! This book has been an eye opener to me on so many levels.

The principles: Lighting a spark, Being the board, Frameworks for Possibility, and Telling the We story. All of the Chapters listed above were well written and they definitely served its purpose in my life.

When you allow yourself to "be the board", you are creating your own destiny.  You are not feeling pity for circumstances.  You are the driver, the pilot of your own life, but what happens positive or negative can be justified by owning up to success and failures.  The objective is not to blame others of mishaps and praise only yourself for success.  Take ownership of both the praises and the failures.

Frameworks and Possibility

How you frame or outline your life, business, career, relationships is determined by how clear your goals and vision is spelled out.  Your vision and mission statement should be a visual expression and statement of how your business will be run.  The drivers and participants should be able to fill in the gaps to make everything possible.

Dr. Martin Luther King III had a dream and vision to bring everyone together of all races, kindreds, and beliefs.  He created his dream, vision, and had people and tools in place to make it happen.  It was a visual account for what was going to happen in the future.

WE

The We concept was very powerful! It was simple and not complex, but it made perfect sense.  In a business partnership, relationship, customer service transaction, etc you can apply the We" principle.

If you take the "I' out of a problem and add "We".  If their is a problem in a relationship and one of the individuals in the relationship wants to break up or file for divorce.  Instead of saying , "I'm out and I have to do this for me".  Try to adopt, "We are going to have to work out our problems. What are WE going to do."  This concept really changes the energy and frequency and allows both parties to see the bigger picture!

My Response

Tamarah, I also gleaned a lot from not accepting "no" as an answer.  The authors really gave good advice and insight into the possibilities in receiving a "no" answer.  "No" is not synonymous with "stop."  This concept really paralleled with the idea of  "being the board." As you stated, "being the board" keeps us in the captain's seat of our destiny.  As long as we know and keep the perspective that we are in the driver's seat in our lives, we can avoid relinquishing power and authority to others. As we complete EMDT, it is important for us to know that we are in the driver's seat to use all we have learned. I encourage you to think of all the possibilities that await you and of all the people you will reach - educators and students. As Dr. King dreamed, I'm sure you have a dream for your life and for your family. I am confident that you will utilize your skills and abilities -driven by your passion- to assemble a team of professionals who will work in concert to achieve your collective goals.

MAC - Week 4 Reading

"This was by no means a rational or practical decision for Slava; it came from his passion." This quote from Chapter 9 has to be one of my favorite quotes in this book! I seem to spend a lot of tine in this irrational and impractical realm. As with EMDT, I did not tell many people that I was enrolling in another Master's program. It was totally irrational and impractical. I didn't want to hear the negative comments and doubts. I just wanted to freely pursue my passion.


God had blessed me so much. I also live in this sweet spit with my students. I have it bad for seeing my students lives transform before my eyes. I love seeing them grow and develop in confidence and skill set. I love hearing their realizations and reflections, as a result if attending conferences and working in special projects in class. As a result, I really do too much. But I see myself as a door to opportunities. As teachers, we has access to so many opportunities. Often these opportunities require my wiling participation. What if I block a door that one of my students needs to enter, in order to connect with their purpose or a better future?


Certainly, I take no glory for this passion. It is a gift from God. It is part of may calling. It is part of what i was created to do. That is why it is my passion.

From Chapter 10, the concept of "being the board" is very interesting and useful.  I like the instruction on how being the board is not assuming the blame for situations that are out of our control.  It is about seeing situations from a solutions oriented perspective where benefit can be gained from situations that would otherwise be negative. In the final analysis, it's all about not accepting defeat or selling ourselves on the inevitability of defeat. It's all about maintaining a mindset that is open to possibilities that will bring victory, instead of victimization.




Chapter 11 "goes there!"  Goes where?  The authors explain vision.  In the Holy Scriptures, Proverbs 29:18 reads, "Where there is no vision, the people perish."  While the Bible does bring some distinction between vision and dreams, the two are so closely related. Both require the ability to see.  In the beginning of Chapter 11, the author speaks of Dr. Martin Luther Kings, Jr. and the historic "I Have a Dream Speech."  The author made a profound comment regrading Dr. King.  He said, "[Dr. King] demonstrated with body and soul that dreaming can make a difference."  Isn't that powerful?  Undoubtedly, dreamers have vision. They have vast imaginations and abilities to see how "things" have the potential to be.  It is definitely possibility thinkings. Dreamers -and I will add visionaries - have the ability to imagine the world or a place or people reaching their potential.  These images reach beyond limitations and inadequacies to see the very best in people and the very best in situations - in spite of any opposing messages.


One of the communities where I am a citizen is in dire need of leadership.  Managers abound. Their competence is to be applauded.  They should stay in place to help the community move forward.  However, we need a leader at the helm.  We need a visionary who had the ability to communicate a vision for improvement that can be shared by all stakeholders. We need someone who can see and believe and carry the community back to a place of seeing the possibilities.  It has been a dry and thirsty land without a leader. By the way, vision is organic to leadership.  To say we have a leader is to say we have someone with vision.

In conclusion, in Chapter 12, I really like the WE perspective. Because so much faith and is belief is invested in idea of scarcity, many believing there is a shortage of opportunities. In every situation, for someone to win, someone else has to lose. People are conditioned to thinking that there can't be a favorable solution for all parties involves. Someone must lose. It is really powerful for the authors to present this bountiful perspective that provides coaching on how to communicate interest and investment of both or all parties.

MAC - Week 4 Wimba

I read the Power of Positive Thinking about 15 years ago.  At the time, I was fresh out of college, self-employed, and running into a lot of the challenges that new business owners face. The book really helped me to think positively about the issues I was facing.  It gave me a perspective of how to train my thoughts in the right direction.


The Art of Possibility is an interesting book.  My first blog post about the book detailed my thoughts about the essence and true source of the information.


I am not opposed to self help books, I just have to be honest and say that my primary self help book is the Bible. The human mind is an interesting mass.  It is a mass that is capable of complex functions and operations; however, that is not enough for me.  Regardless of intelligence level, the human brain is a finite machine. In the Book of Romans, Chapter 12, the Bible says to be transformed by the renewing of you mind.  Typical self help books are great, but there are limitations.  I prefer to receive God's promise that I have the mind of Christ.  I don't have to work to focus on positive things.  I can educate myself on who I am in Christ and simply receive that nature.  What nature?  The nature that II Corinthians 5:17 promises:   Anyone who is in Christ is a new creature and old things are passed away.  I'm sure this sounds crazy to some.  But, that's how I survive and overcome in life. When challenges or situations seem insurmountable, I realize that my mind needs to be renewed to the truth of who I really am:  more than a conqueror in Christ Jesus.  When I feel defeated, overwhelmed, or experience emotional challenges, the only materials that really help me are those that remind me of who I am because of Christ Jesus.  That is where I find victory and the foundation, vision and perspective to set goals for the future.

Taste and see that the Lord is Good! Psalm 34:8

MAC - Week 4 Discussion - My Dream Workspace

MAC - Week 2 Wimba

Obviously, copyright is as BIG topic!  For my Action Research project, I worked with choral students.  I know how much music motivates students.  Of course, we have iMusic loops, etc. and we can produce our own music. BUT, music that the students already love and recognize have such a greater impact when you want to get their attention.  Really, what is wrong with making a video for my classroom and using a song that the students already know and love to help teach the lesson? 

During Wimba, some were commenting in the chat box on the use of movies as teaching tools.  Movies are such great teaching tools.  It’s one of those situations where I wish that companies could spend one day in a public school classroom.  By no means to I depend on media like that.  In fact, I haven’t used it all that much –comparatively speaking.  I’m just saying:  when there is a concept that I want to teacher and there is a great movie or song or movie clip that demonstrates the principle, what is really wrong with me using it to demonstrate the point?  When movies are written, isn’t the purpose of the work to communicate certain themes, etc.?  Isn’t that part of the art?  So, there’s this great message out there that is communicated by this great song or great movie that hits the nail on the head artistically because it is a near perfect representation of what the artist wanted to communicate, but it can’t be used for instruction. 

Image from Microsoft Clip Gallery

I am an avid believer and supporter of artists getting their share.  I want people to be totally and completely blessed by the work they produce – financially, emotionally, and every other way.  Consumers should do the right thing and purchase music.  I just think a lot is lost when creative expression –that is I assumed was intended to reach people does it’s job and there are such excessive limits placed on it.

During Wimba, Pete commented on how the paradigm is shifting.  He is a lot more familiar with –I will say- the industry than I am.  I look forward seeing what changes are ahead.  I am so excited that there are so many ways for artists to get their work out there.  The technologies that have brought music production to the laptop computer level are doing so much for musicians to get their work out there:  mom and pop shop musicians can bypass corporate conglomerates and have an international audience, be it large or small:  Beautiful!  As I continue to process this, for me, I think the bottom line is that I struggle with the amount of control that is exercised over human expression.  I don’t have an answer.  I don’t know if there is an answer.  From watching Good Copy, Bad Cody; it is obvious that the answers are as diverse as the cultures, customs and people who produce the creativity we consume.

MAC Week 3 - Response to Stacey Kramer's Blog

http://www.kvtechnosnake.blogspot.com/2012/06/mac-wk-3-reading-teaching-students-how.html

Chapter 6-8 in "The Art of Possibility"  all go hand in hand. You have to give up some control if you want to live life to the fullest... and you can't live your life to the fullest without passion, mistakes and being human. I love sharing stories about my life with my students - I believe you have to find a common ground - a bond. This opens the doors and they share back, but most importantly, they see that I am a real person. I am not someone who lives at school, I am not a rock star, or someone who is untouchable - I am a person who cares about their learning, more importantly I care about them as individuals. I love to hear their ideas about lessons, the classroom and life.

I used to be a control freak (still am in certain areas) - then I had kids and realized something had to go. I had to learn how to give up control over. I realized that having all the papers graded in one night or the house spotless before bed, was not as important as hangin with the family. I love learning new things, keeping up with trends, and that is why I started my EMDT journey. But, my strive for perfection kicked in and my school work and family suffered. This master's was a journey and I learned again that control had to be given up in order for all to learn. I didn't want my family to fear me when I was doing EMDT work, I wanted them to see that learning is a lifelong experience to be enjoyed.

My response

Stacey, I’m so glad I read your blog again.  Every time, I get something I need. I really appreciate how openly you shared from your EMDT journey; especially during this time when I feel as if my EMDT journey is full of potholes and congested intersections with the other parts of my life.  I thought completing the regular school year would make it easier; however, I had not fully considered the travel commitments that I have to students and the quantity of reporting due to my school.  I am so overwhelmed, and what I have mentioned is additional to my family life.  Our lives really are very fine balancing acts, aren’t they?  It’s like sweet relief to realize what we need to do to realign priorities and let go of whatever needs to go!  Isn’t it amazing how we can hold ourselves captive to certain expectations?  I appreciate your realization of EMDT as a learning experience for your family.  Your concern for the long-term effect on your family is commendable. Wise parents leave an inheritance for their children.  I honor your sensitivity to the inheritance of a love for lifelong learning that you desire to sow into your children’s lives. You have made a rich deposit, my friend…a very rich deposit!

MAC Week 3 - Response to Tamarah Costen’s Blog

http://www.tamarahcosten.blogspot.com/2012/06/mac-week-3-reading.html

Tamarah's Original Post:

"Leading from any chair"

I really enjoyed this set of chapters, as well as the ones I did before.  Each chapter is so intricately written.  I learn a lot of nuggets throughout! They always confirm various things that are going on in my life!

The 5th chapter mainly attested to me that you have to be comfortable with being a leader in any phase of life.  Even if you are not the conductor or head musician, or maybe even not the administrator of a school, but be equipped and assured that you can lead and take ownership from wherever you are.

My mom always says the quote, "Be Faithful in another man's vision, and God will bless you to lead your own vision!" I strive to live this way as much as I can.

Chapter 6

"Rule Number 6"

Don't take your self too seriously!! That was extremely simple of a concept! I liked the way the author described this concept.  He mentioned how professionals take themselves too seriously.  He also brought up the scenarios of taking your relationships too seriously.  Better communication, better sex, better days in general are all due to being light and not too serious.  A wife shared, she was having issues with her husband, and that she couldn't imagine having better sex with her husband, until she adopted the concept, number 6 rule, not taking yourselves too seriously.

I am usually a humorous in majority of my day to day situations.  I do have to remind myself to not take myself too serious when it comes to business, work, and sometimes relationships.  I truly understand why the author conveyed this message in this chapter.                    

Chapter 7

" The Way Things Are"

This Chapter was very profound! It reminds me of how the, "Secret" was written. Things are already in place and circumstances will happen, but how you perceive it, makes the difference.

The author mentioned a couple going on a vacation in Florida.  When you go to Florida, you expect sun, perfect weather, sun-bathing, beaches, good food, rest, etc.  Well this couple had an entire vacation full of rain.  What kind of vacation is that?  That is our first natural response, but if you change a few words in your thought process or if you change your mindset about your vacation, you will make the best of your vacation.

Chapter 8

"Giving Way to Passion"

This chapter is all about releasing your passion and letting go of barriers that hold you down.  I love the way the author identified with barriers and strongholds.  This reminds me of the whole lesson in the bible that details the concept of Faith. Having Faith without the evidence of seeing what God has in store for you!

I'm passionate about many things, music, art, entertainment, production, church, God, love, relationships, business, comedy, education, family.   I could honestly say that daily, I try to contribute to all of my passions.  I would love to totally be passionate and not let anything hold me back for my dreams!

My Reponse:

Tamarah, it is obvious that you are enjoying the book and getting a lot from the points the authors offer.  I’m sure the reading is beneficial during this strategic and transitional time in your life and career.  When we have spoken, we have not talked specifically about your next moves in your career; however, from your blog, your perspective is exciting! You definitely have a strong concept of purpose and leadership and connection of your vision with others. I’ve found that it is so important for us to be aware of how our lives are connected with the lives of others and what we have to offer each other.  Undoubtedly, through your faith, your perspective or ability to see the benefit in challenging or contrary situations, in addition to the passion you have for your work will land you exactly where you are supposed to be.

MAC Week 3 Reading

For this week’s blog, we will journey through the chapters.  For Chapter 5, which is entitled, Leading from Any Chair, interesting questions were posed:  How can we make a difference in the people we’ll influence each day? How do we listen to those who help us make our dreams become reality?

I believe the biggest difference that we make in people’s lives is to recognize their strengths and to support their weaknesses.  I believe it is the jobs of leaders to be chief observer of those they are responsible for leading.  In my career switcher program, our teacher always told us that teachers have the ability to speak students into existence.  Sometimes people have been so discouraged and degraded that they don’t have confidence in their abilities.  It is empowering for leaders to tell people how valuable their specific skill set is to the organization. I also believe it is the leaders’ responsibility to help their colleagues, employees, etc. become strengthened in areas where they are weak or need improvement. Encouragement, not criticism should be the operational mode.  Instead of constructive criticism, I prefer offering feedback.  I’m not trying to be politically correct, I just know words are powerful. Criticism is so damaging, and I don’t like the idea of people being critical of others. I believe leaders should offer people feedback on how to improve their practice, not tear people down with demeaning words and personal opinions.  I believe in practicing the highest regard for human life and dignity. The human resource is our most valuable Earthly resource. We should do everything in our power to honor and respect people and the unique gifts, talents, and abilities they contribute to the world.

On to the next question:  How do we listen to those who help make our dreams become reality?  I love this question!  We pay attention to them.  We pay attention to what they say.  We process what they say.  We pay attention to their actions.  We pay attention to what they don’t say.  We listen for who they are and look beyond their personal idiosyncrasies to see their heart and their intentions.  As leaders, we help them develop into people whose intentions and actions are aligned.  We listen for their fears and help them see beyond them to believe in themselves and their abilities.  This really ties in with one of my favorite quotes from Chapter 5…

…the true power [of a conductor] derives from his ability to make other people powerful… [Zander] began to ask [himself] questions like “What make a group lively and engaged?” instead of “How good am I?”

Shaka Smart, coach of the Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) basketball team said, “It’s amazing what a team can accomplish when no one cares who gets the credit.” I believe comments like this epitomize the nature of leadership. They are demonstration of a philosophy that obviously focuses on the power of the collective.  Of course, in order for the collective to be strong, each individual member must be strong, but not strong for self.  The strength is in knowing that their individual contribution is necessary for the collective to be successful.  What makes a group lively and engaged?  I believe a group is lively and engaged when they know they are valued and that their individual contributions are significant, necessary and appreciated.  It is each individual member knowing that for their team to be the best, they must aim to be the best in their particular role.

So, on to the gleaning from Chapter 6… It was this: “Don't take yourself so seriously. Life is a journey--enjoy and learn along the way. Live, laugh, and love!!”  Wow!  This week I am at a conference.  I was speaking to one of the students.  He is a colleague to my student who is attending the conference.  He wanted to know which student was my student. When I told him, he said, “I’ve talked with Tyesha. She’s pretty funny. We need some humor during these things.” I love youth!  They will tell you how it is.  Sometimes we just need to relax and laugh and free ourselves to have a good time.  Often, being a responsible adult isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.  Whenever we can take a break from the serious issues of life and just enjoy ourselves like children, I think it reenergizes us toward our purpose and gives us fresh vision to see beyond ourselves. If we begin to take it easy on ourselves, not take ourselves so seriously, then we will not be as afraid to make mistakes.  We will be freer to learn and explore and take risks, instead of playing it safe all the time.  We will reap the freedom to leave our comfort zones and venture out into the land of possibilities!

For Chapter 7, The Way Things Are, there was a thought provoking statement followed by a question:  “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?”  Here’s my answer:  I don’t settle well.  I need to see things around me improve.  I don’t like stagnation. It’s not a good sign. It symbolizes a build-up of harmful bacteria and there is not an atmosphere for growth.  Problem! So, I would say that I come to terms with how things are, so that I can deal with situations from a realistic standpoint, identifying where we are and envisioning and planning for where we need to go.

Finally, we move on to matters regarding 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?” I am extremely passionate about educating students. So, I work very smart and very hard to provide life-changing and skill-developing opportunities and experiences for them. I put a lot of heart and a lot of passion into making sure that students are aware that they gain something real and valuable from my instructional program.

MAC Leadership Role Model Reflection - Week 4

A leader I admire is Bill Hybels, the Founder and Senior Pastor of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois.  

In 2007, I visited Willow Creek for youth ministry leaders conference. The conference was a service of the Willow Creek Association (WCA), the arm of the ministry that exists to support other churches and ministries. I was impressed by the existence of WCA because as a church, Willow Creek was so confident in its role in the development of other ministries.  


WCA was just one part of the entire operation at Willow Creek. It was apparent that Hybels was not the center of attention. He was concerned with growing a church of active leaders who were connected passionately to the vision of the church. It was apparent that the members were empowered to fulfill their individual life visions through their contributions to develop the church as a whole. The approach seemed to be a model for every organization to follow:  this understood symbiotic relationship where a leader uses his abilities to develop others and to provide opportunities for others - who are committed to the success of the leader's visions because the leader's success is derived from the success of the people.


For two years, I led the middle school youth ministry at my church.  I followed Hybels' example and focused on the empowerment of the adult volunteers who served in the ministry. At the end of my term as leader, I was given a lot of positive feedback from the volunteers. Most of them shared how great it was to work with me because their individual gifts and talents were activated and they were able to grow in their various capacities.  I also use this approach in my classroom by allowing the students to select semester projects that incorporate the course curriculum and their individual interests.


I want to continue this leadership style to develop educational, business and ministry ideas that I have.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              

MAC Leadership Post - Week 3

Introduction

Because a defined career development program would enhance the arts program at Hopewell High School, the business and fine arts departments collaborated on a series of career related activities. For data collection and evaluation, student participants answered pre and post questionnaires. While students benefitted from activities involving the use of Web 2.0 Tools, student confidence toward transition to post-secondary education and employment was most impacted by opportunities to engage socially and in practice with business and performing arts practitioners.

This Leadership Project is a presentation of the methodology and findings from the collaborative career development activities by the business and fine arts teachers at Hopewell High School.

I plan to submit a presentation proposal to the Virginia American Choral Directors Association for the 2013 conference and to the American Association for Health Physical Education Recreational and Dance for the 2013 conference.

Links to Leadership Blogs

MAC Week 1 Leadership Blog

MAC Week 2 Leadership Blog

Link to Leadership Document

MAC Leadership Post - Week 2

I plan to submit a presentation proposal to the Virginia American Choral Directors Association for the 2013 conference and to the American Association for Health Physical Education Recreational and Dance for the 2013 conference.

I have chosen these two organizations because I worked with Show Choir students for my Action Research project.  Students in the target audience were interested in singing and dancing, which are the relevant content areas for the organizations. Educators at both conferences could glean from my Action Research to organize career development workshops for their students.

MAC Leadership Post - Week 1

I want to present my project.  I enjoy public speaking and presenting to groups.  I also enjoy meeting people.  If anyone in the audience wants to ask me questions, I will be present to answer, and we can connect on a personal level.  I think personal contact is valuable for this project, especially since one of the findings for my action research project was how much social engagement and networking benefitted the students and impacted their confidence toward post high school plans.

I would like to present to choral and dance instructors.

The Road to Possiblities

MAC Week 2 Reading - Response to Stacey Kramer’s Blog

URL:  http://kvtechnosnake.blogspot.com/2012/06/wk-2-reading-welcome-to-nerd-camp.html

Original Post

I took my daughter to spend the next month at the University of Columbia, Missouri for the Missouri Scholars Academy. It is for the top .5% of 1% of Missouri's sophomores. The head honcho welcomed everyone by saying," Welcome to Nerd Camp" and sang the camp song: Hello Mudda, Hello Fadda, Here I am at Camp Gernerda.... We listened to previous attendees talk about their experiences and one of them said, "Embrace the next month because you are stepping into a world of endless possibilities." This took me back to the chapter I read in Ben Zander's book, "The Art of Possibilities." The speaker told the students they were the nerds of nerds and asked them how many times they had failed at something in the past month. Only a few hands went up. He told them that over the next month, they were going to make them fail more times than they had their entire 10 years of schooling. Groans came from the scholar section, but cheering came from the parents. He wasn't trying to be mean, but pushing these bright, young scholars into areas they don't enter because of fear. We see nerds and assume they are good at everything. This usually isn't the case. They find what they are good at relatively quickly and stick with that sport or hobby because it is safe. The fear of failure keeps many of these students from expanding. They fear that people won't think they are smart if they fail, and they fear judgement. I am excited that they are forcing my daughter to try endless possibilities and look at the world around her in different ways. I can't wait to see what possibilities my daughter experienced. 



Another chapter that fascinated me was the one on giving As.  I taught 6th grade English for 10 years and I rewrote the curriculum when I took the job. I created a "Writer's Workshop" model, and ditched the drill and kill. I wanted my kids to LOVE to write, not just learn how. I kept detailed grades and notes on each student my first year, and I didn't see many flourish like I wanted them too. I wanted students to take risks, try something new, be adventurous. I read lots about grading over that summer and came up with a new solution. I did give everyone an A to begin with. If the students completed their writing tasks for the week, they kept the A. I conference with each student within the week and set up goals with them to work on. If the student showed they worked toward those goals, they kept the A. I received flak from others in my building, even the principal for a short time. Over the remainder of that year, and the 8 that followed, I had students writing 25 page stories, comic strips, songs, poetry and by the end of the year most had written over 200 pages of rough draft material. Most of my students made As. They flourished, took chances, became brave - and in the end... their state communication arts scores went up as well. Now, I am the middle school computer technology teacher and I just wrapped up my first year. I am still in the process of trying to figure out how to Give A, and make them be adventurous with the digital age.

My Comments

Stacey, thanks for sharing your experience with taking your daughter to camp.  I love the story.  In Natasha Beddingfield’s song Unwritten, my favorite line is “I break tradition, sometimes my tries, are outside the lines. We've been conditioned to not make mistakes, but I can't live that way.” It’s very freeing to be released from the pressure of having to be successful, a place where it’s okay to make a mistake.  It’s always interesting to me to hear success stories.  I’m always intrigued by the stories of people who were very average or even low achieving students in school and end up accomplishing great things…the kids who totally mess up the senior superlative “Most Likely to Succeed” predictions.  They surprise everyone.  Perhaps it’s because they learned from not doing well.  Perhaps they learned something their high achieving classmates weren’t afforded the luxury of learning:  how to learn from failure.  I’m glad your daughter has been set-up to fail.  Undoubtedly, it will bring her many successes from a new freedom to explore possibilities.

MAC Week 2 Reading - Response to Tamarah Costen’s Blog

URL:  http://tamarahcosten.blogspot.com/2012/06/mac-week-2-reading.html?showComment=1339577065390#c8277882908511761985 


Original Post

" The Art of Possibilities" What a great read! I really enjoyed the first four chapters of this book. I look forward to reading the rest of this book! What I like about the choice is the wide range of subject matter. It was not a book about EDMT or LMO's or filmmaking techniques. It was a self discovery and a motivational story. I also enjoyed Ted's inspirational video. I'm always informed with his presentations.

Chapter 1 & 2 " Stepping into the possibilities "and " Inventing what was there"

I gained a lot of nuggets from this chapter. This is when the book introduced the metaphor, "out the box". I also liked how the author described then frog and their way of seeing things. This idea brought a lot home to me about perceptions, half pictures , and whole pictures. Everything is created in and for its purpose. How we view things is based off of our culture, upbringing, and perception. If you see a square with dots, do you see a shape, or a lot of dots? Everything and everyone has its own unique purpose. Positive thinking about a job, relationship, assignment, or task can change the entire outcome. If you think you are in a bad circumstance, you are, but if you take that circumstance and create a positive outlook about it. According to the reading, Society plays a huge role in our perceptions as a while. If you feel like life is a struggle, as a society, and its only about making money and paying bills, then struggle, then society will allow that belief to become a reality. I can relate to the author throughout the 4 chapters. If you look at situations and tasks with an attitude of victory, then your results will be victorious, regardless of what appears on the surface.

Chapter 3 "Give an A" This is my favorite chapter so far. I've never heard of the give an A to everyone concept before. This was empowering on so many levels. I loved the stories, the testimonials, the revelations, and the triumphs. This concept was implemented well in the instructor's music class. The class was all given an A, but it was not the point to just give the students an A, just because. The purpose was to allow the students to explore their passion, and not to focus on only the grade or competition. The art was able to be ignited and not compromised. I related to this "A" concept because, I have assignments, tasks, duties that come about, whether during EDMT, work, or social. Sometimes I over think the task and overwhelm myself, rather than explore and have abundance with my imagination. I feel like this can be a handicap to me or anyone who does this. I am at a point of my life, where passion, love, and happiness about my profession and purpose is what I'm striving for. Reading this book is confirmation to me.

Chapter 4 - Contributions I appreciated this chapter as well. I took away gratitude and giving back from this chapter. The smallest thing to the largest thing can be considered a part of contribution. Assisting a friend with moving from their old residence to a newer one is considered a contribution. I like the activity the author mentioned in this chapter. He asked his students. He asked them to write on the board every contribution made during the week. The students were initially thinking music or orchestra related, but the idea was to express anything that they might have contributed to. The reading was very beneficial to me! I took a lot of nuggets from it!

My Comments

Tamarah, I am glad you appreciated the “Give an A” concept.  I agree that is it very empowering.  From the reading, I must say the “Give an A” concept was probably my favorite part.  I think it is a wonderful strategy to help the students focus on learning, instead of focusing on the grade. A couple of weeks ago, I had a very frustrating conversation with a student. He was concerned because of his interim grade. When he came to inquire about his low grade, I explained why his grade was low.  (By the way, I set the grading up, to communicate to the students how important it is to stay on task in a workplace setting. So, I was attempting to make a point.)  As we were speaking, I kept thinking, “These poor students.” This student was a senior in high school. He was days away from graduating and was so blinded by his grade, that he wasn’t even concerned about learning the concept.  I wondered just how many good grades –he had – that weren’t supported by a substantial amount of learning.  "Give an A" really has me thinking about ways to tailor the concept for my practice.