Week 4b Blog 1 - Weekly Reading

Chapter 9 – Lighting a Spark

I liked the idea of enrollment. Sometimes you’ve got to be crazy and find other people that are crazy too. Only crazy people want to change what sane people say is unchangeable. I also liked the idea of the downward spiral thinking. I can see that in my minds eye and how it works. We see and hear so much downward spiral thinking especially in education.

Chapter 10 – Being the board

This chapter is about not loosing control of your life. I think this is the hardest area to control. There are so many things that happen to us that we cannot control. For example, I have students that do not turn work in on time. I could refuse to accept late work, but that doesn’t help them or me. I come away with a feeling of not being a good teacher. They decide that since it won’t count, they don’t have to do it. Then the next time they are late, they don’t have to do that project either. By telling them that their grade will suffer when they are late, but they still have to do the work, I am giving control to both of us.

Chapter 11 – Creating frameworks for Possibility

This chapter sums up the art of possibilities. It tells us to put our beliefs to the test and break the downward spiral. I can’t say if I am up to the challenge. Only time will tell. I firmly believe that the meaning behind this book can change my life and the lives of those I touch. I already have decided to buy three copies of this book, one for me, one for my principal and one for our professional library. Maybe other teachers will enjoy this book as much as I did..

For years I have been contemplating a video I want to make on creativity. But defining creativity is difficult. I think I have my theme now. It is “ Creativity – The Vision of possibility.”

Chapter 12 – Telling the We Story

The author starts this chapter with a story about the Arabs and the Jews as told by his father. The audience, high school students, remark what a wonderful opportunity exists between the two factions. Yet there has been nothing but war between the Israelis and the Palestinians. The “We” is missing. My classes often feel like the “I/You” situation that chapter 12 talks about. Next year, I need to develop a “We” feeling in class. I think it will be worth the effort.

Week 4b Blog 4 - Free Choice

I recently had to make a decision on how I was going to present my action research. I could write an article or present. I looked at the subject of my AR and decided that a presentation is more fitting. My AR is on gaming in education. I know this is a big subject, so I narrowed it to Educational simulation games.

I like presentations better because it is usually live, which promotes questions from the audience. I prefer this over articles with very little feedback. Presentations are easy to change when new discoveries or information is acquired. It encourages my AR to be an on-going project. Now my next big project is to investigate where to present my AR project.

Week 3 Blog 4 Free Choice

I have been in this program at Full Sail for 11 months now. It has been exciting and very tiring. Teaching full time, trying to have a personal life and being what has become a full time student has been difficult. But I have enjoyed it tremendously. One aspect I found interesting is the interaction among the students in the program. I have gotten to know a few. I am also a Face book friend with some. I enjoy the fact that we are constantly trading ideas. I am the only photography and Digital Media teacher in my school. My professional interaction is limited to only a few teachers, so it is great that I find out what other teachers in other parts of the country are doing. I wish I could continue this type of interaction after the program is over. I would also like other teachers in my school to find their own “Family of Educators.” Thank you all for sharing your ideas with me.

Week 3 , blog 2 Response to Tricia Atkinson

I totally agree with you. We don’t know what is going on with the students in our class. My 4^th period was probably the worst class I ever had. I was getting frustrated and hated to see them come in. Then I followed rule 6. Now they may not know as much about photography as some of my other classes, but we do get along. I am also understanding more about them. I won’t go into their problems, but suffice it to say that I am now more sympathetic and they appreciate it. Next year, I am posting Rule 6 in my room. The sign will say, “Don’t Forget Rule #6”. I shall see who will ask what rule 6 is.

Chapter 6, and rule number 6, is extraordinary. That idea has been my motto this school year in order to survive. I have found myself so frustrated with certain students’ behaviors that I want to correct them every single time they say something inappropriate, instead of picking and choosing my battles. When I refrain, I feel resentful towards them. I realize from reading this chapter that I need to remind myself that I am a teacher, not a parent of 162 children. I am not physically or mentally able to project my personal value set in the discipline of my classes. I must remember that position and attention are central to my students, and they do not intentionally mean to offend me with most of their actions. They are surviving in a competitive environment. I must focus on finding my central self rather than the calculating, judgmental, angry, resentful self. I can’t judge rude children without considering the whole person=who knows what is going on in their life or how they were raised.If we don’t follow rule 6, we are bound to fail in the classroom.

Week 3 , blog 2 Response to Anna Dooley

Reply to Anna Dooley

Your response on “Leading from Any Chair” was interesting. It is one thing to lead a section of the orchestra from any chair, but that person doesn’t lead the orchestra without preparation. In your case, you could help within your department or grade, but you couldn’t be expected to lead the school. I also think it is not possible for an interim principal to take over and lead with just a few months left to go in the year. It makes me wonder if the new principal ignores what has been done in the past, or if no one is telling him/her. To make matters worse, the old principal is still close by to watch what is going on. You are facing a very difficult situation. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen very often.

This weeks reading was a little funky, and not as enjoyable as last week but I got the point. Chapter 5 "Leading from Any Chair" hit home more than any other chapter this week. My school is currently in a state of flux right now. The principal that has been there for over 13 years was moved our i late February 2011 to prepare for the next school year where she will be taking over a school with test scores under 20% proficiency. Since her last day at our school, we have had an interim principal that takes no leadership. We teachers have had to step up and lead. For some this was very easy but for others, it was very difficult and uncomfortable. With the principal that just left, instructions were given out like a drill sargent and everyone knew what they were to do from day 1. Now, nobody knows what to do or where to begin closing out the school year. It has been very interesting watching the leaders make way though the crowd of wanderers. The students have also felt the disjointness of the school and have begun asking much more if there is anything they can help with. Though it will be a bumpy road to June 20 when we finish the year, it has been a great experience for the students (who got to see their teacher transform from follower to leader) and for the teachers who found new skills and leadership qualities that I feel have made our school stronger...I wonder who will be hired in July to join the Mineral Springs adventure.

Week 3 Blog 1 - Weekly Reading

Week 3 reading from The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

Leading from any chair

This chapter dealt with giving everyone the power to make a contribution to the team effort. People often loose interest in what they are doing because they feel disenfranchised. But a good leader leads by involving the group. I have tried this with some of my lessons with mixed results. Sometimes, the student appreciates that they can voice their opinion and will even suggest alternative ways of doing things. More often with teenagers, they become suspicious and worry that I am trying to trick them. They are not used to being encouraged to do an assignment their way. They are worried about their grade and want me to take them through each step the way I think it should be done. When this new approach fails, I am not disappointed, since I know that even one success is worth the effort. I am convinced that students want to contribute their ideas. They just need to be encouraged.

Rule 6

I want to write this down before the thought passes. I teach photography to a variety of teenagers. Rule 6 is probably the hardest for them. After all they are still in the childhood stage of the calculating self. Usually I give photo assignments ahead of time. I tell them to take 20 to 30 photos, they edit them to six that they turn in and one of those is picked for a grade. I show them examples from past classes and tell them my grading rubric. What they must do is figure out what will give them the best grade. When the picture is presented to the class, they are required to tell the class what is good, what is bad and how they would improve on the picture.

I want to try a new assignment. Next door to our school is an arboretum of sorts maintained by the senior citizens. What I plan to do is not tell them what the assignment is until we get there. Then I will tell them that they are allowed to take only one picture. They must think of it this way; there is no grade to worry about but only that you take a photo that expresses you at this time, one photo to express your life at this point, in this place. I am hoping that this could be a step from the calculating self to the central self that rule 6 is about.

The Way Things Are

This chapter is not so much accepting things the way they are, but accepting reality and working with it to create a positive experience. All my classes are different. What I have to do is work with them. Some classes go along and get all the work done while other classes disrupt my plans. I just have to work with what I have been given.

Giving Way to Passion

This was an interesting chapter. At first I thought that this is fine, but one could not go through life giving way to passion. It would be too exhausting. Then I kept reading. What I think they really meant was that one must use passion to see the connection between and among the things we do in life. If we let go, then we can connect the dots. I really liked the last paragraph…BTFI.

Wk2 blog 3 – Reply to Jessica Goodenow

I wish I had a dollar (inflation from a penny) for every time I felt I wasn’t making a positive contribution to my class. My children are all grown up, but I still have those days when they come home and I am at school. So I know how you feel. I must tell you that I don’t know how you are handling a new child, teaching, and working on your Master’s all at the same time. You deserve a few less than perfect days.

I don’t know what grade level you teach. I teach high school. I have found that even on my bad days, I have contributed positively to some of my students. It amazes me how much baggage they bring to school. Sometimes, the best thing I can do all day is listen to their problems or tell them; “Just turn it in tomorrow.” I’m sure you do the same for your students.

As for your statement about your parents, I think we had a very similar upbringing. I know now that my parents had worries as I grew up, but all I knew was happiness and security. I tried to give that to my children too. To my thinking, if we can make our children and students feel a little more secure and give them helpful critical feedback about their efforts, we are contributing.

Jessica Goodenow: How will I be a contribution today?

Sometimes I feel like I contribute to the world just by showing up for school every day. I am an educator who molds the minds of the future generations. But when I read this chapter, the way I show up is not always a contribution. I am a new mother and find that I do not get the most restful nights of sleep anymore. That means that the next morning, I show up to work with an air of impatience and tiredness. Did I contribute that day? No. The Art of Possibility has made me examine the attitude I put forth every day. It is not just about showing up. It is about making a difference every moment you have. There are some days that I do not want to make a difference. I want to be at home with my adorable 6 month old. I feel that it is on those days that I can make the most of the time I have with students. The days where I don’t want to be there are the days where I have great learning discovered. That makes it all worth it.

How are your thoughts and actions a reflection of the measurement world?

Another reaction I had to the reading was in the belief of the world. How I feel towards certain events in my life have shaped my belief on the world and what it can give me. My parents worked very hard when I was growing up. We always had food on the table and clothes on our back. It might not have been name brand food or clothing, but we were nourished and clothed. Seeing that model of devotion and sacrifice has lead me to try to do the same for my family and for my students. Sacrificing my personal needs for the needs of my daughter is like second nature. In the classroom, I try my best to teach my students work ethic and responsibility. I know that with my students, it will ultimately come down to their home life instilling the values, but I will try to get the ball rolling!