Week 3 The Art Of Possibility 7-9

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?
While reading this chapter I began to smile, then laugh or as Zander would call it, “Cosmic Laugh” because my laughter filled the room. The reason for my laughter was because I spend almost the entire month of July on vacation and out of 20 days that my wife and I were on vacation 13 of them were blessed with rain. I now say blessed because this chapter thought me about, “presence without resistance,” but at the time of the rain my words were a bit more explicit. Even though I spend so much money to go on this vacation and barely was able enjoy it, I look back and chuckle because if it weren’t for those rainy days, I probably would not have finished my Literature Review on Time. So when asked where am I in this continuum? My answer is I am right where I need to be and doing exactly what I am meant to be doing.

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?
On the first day of all my classes, I ask my students to stand up and reach up as far as they can. I allow then to reach for a few seconds then tell them to put their hands down. After they seem relaxed, I ask them to reach even further than before. They all then start to reach and their efforts, without question, are more intense than before. No matter how high you reach you can always reach a little further. The lesson behind that is very similar to the BTFI point as explained by Zander. Many times people need to reach the point of no return in order to reach their full potential. Although it may seem terrifying and extremely risky, with the proper guidance it can be incredible and a privileged to witness.


Sarah Hodge’s Blog:

These three chapters were very enlightening and inspiring. After reading, I realized my need to focus more on the positive aspects of life. The following are quotes that impacted me in a positive way and my thoughts on them.

“When we dislike a situation, we tend to put all our attention on how things should be rather than how they are” (Zander & Zander, p.104, 2000).
I am very guilty of this! I am a woman with a plan and when things do not go as planned I have a tendency to think back as to what went wrong. I dwell on it when it is completely unnecessary because there is absolutely nothing I can do to change it. After reading this chapter, I realized the need to learn to accept circumstances and situations instead of dwelling on them. And then, move forward and look at the numerous possibilities that lay ahead. I think we are also guilty of this in education. Speaking for myself, I can recall times of me complaining how it should be instead of developing a solution and implementing it in my own classroom. I am going to try to focus more on what things I can do, instead of complaining about the way things are.

“Often, the person in the group who articulates the possible is dismissed as a dreamer or as a Pollyanna persisting in a simplistic “glass half-full” kind of optimism. The naysayers pride themselves on their supposed realism. However, it is actually the people who see the glass as “half-empty” who are the ones wedded to a fiction, for “emptiness” and “lack,” are abstractions of the mind, whereas “half-full” is a measure of the physical reality under discussion. The so-called optimist, then, is the only one attending to real things, the only one describing a substance that is actually in the glass” (Zander & Zander, p.119, 2000).
I absolutely love this perspective on the glass of water. I can recall times in which I looked at the optimist as ignorant and ill experienced. Since then, my eyes have been opened. The optimist is able to see and have a vision of possible things to come. Whereas, the pessimist, or the one who sees the glass half empty, spends their time dwelling on things of no substance. This goes back to the idea of being a problem solver. It is so easy to dwell on the problem and everything wrong with what is going on whether in education or in life in general. However, the person who spends their time implementing and suggesting solutions is open to new possibilities and a new way of life. I would rather move in the direction of my vision than be stuck in the mud of dwelling on things of no existence.

“Downward spiraling is everywhere about us and it is so easy to fall into the habit of thinking that way” (Zander & Zander, p.132, 2000).
This visual brought everything together! It seems everything around us is pointing in the downward spiraling direction. When watching the news, I often feel this way. However, the picture he drew of the circle with arrows pointing in all different directions gave light to my thoughts and a new perspective for my future. In a more personal approach, I have found myself beating myself up in a way. For example, when things went wrong or not as planned in my life, I would dwell on it and convince myself of the many reasons why it went downhill. But with this new vision of the circle, the lines, and the many possibilities, life doesn’t have to be that way! When problems arise, or when unexpected occurrences take place, it just means that there are ten times, if not more, possibilities of new outcomes and new adventures ahead. I have been looking at it wrong this entire time. There is no one arrow in life pointing either up or down. There are multiple arrows and we get to choose our destination. And even then, our life journey continues and more arrows of possibility arise. It is amazing! I guess I used to look at life like the game Candyland, where there was only one road and depending on the card you chose, you would either move forward or backwards. But life is not that way. There are many roads. And depending on the card (or arrow) we choose, it just takes us to a different path, to meet different people, and to have different experiences that minister to our understanding and shape us into the person we are to become.



Comment on Sarah Hodge’s Blog:
One of things I dislike doing is not listening to my elders. As I grew up my parents made it a point to embed this in to my soul. I am the youngest teacher in the building, every teacher surrounding me has been teaching for at least a dozen years. I struggle introducing new things to these veteran educators, especially when they tell me, this too shall pass. I realize now why they call them veteran teachers, is because they all have war stories that validate their ability to teach, but the problem is not teaching, but rather their reluctance to change with the times. Their view of education is a downward spiral.

Joe Huber’s Blog:

BTFI: Beyond the F*&% It.

With the return to school and the inevitable horror of planning week, I had the opportunity to express many FI moments. What I am particularly enjoying about the Zanders' book is how every time I pick it up to read it, it pertains to what is happening in my professional life. I had originally intended to get all of my reading done and finished so that I could focus on the publishing aspect of my final project, but procrastination got in the way. I have a difficult time doing anything when I'm given too much time. In the case of the readings, it worked as I've read each chapter at the most apropos moment.

I am the first to admit that I let planning week get too far under my skin. I do not work well with adults, and find that I'm better suited to conversation with my students than my colleagues. In fact, one of the big sticking points this year is the loss of our block schedule. Personally I don't care whether or not we have traditional or block, and most of the studies on either are told from the adult point of view. Our vote on the topic was last year, and the bitter arguments surrounding that time period still ring fresh in my mind. I had a FI moment, mostly due to my apathy on the subject, and created a BTFI moment when I told my students about the vote and asked them what they preferred. It would directly impact them, so in the absence of a strong feeling on my part, I let them be the deciding factor. I announced this to one of my team members this week, who now is confused as to why the opinion of the students matter so much to me. This is another BTFI moment in the making; it's too early to see how it will play out.

I decided yesterday that I've had my FI moments, now it is time to work towards the BTFI moments. I am going to teach like I'm balancing on one buttock and take those risks again. It seems like every 1st week back with just the staff produces a plethora of FI moments; it's the prospect of BTFI moments that makes me love my job.

Comment on Joe Huber’s Blog:

Planning ahead is definitely not my strong suit. I find myself not being able to work unless it has to get done; I always fine ten other things I would rather do. I think that the BTFI moments that we come across and witness are not appreciated or recognized any more. For instance when watching sports or a musical or acting performance, we no longer acknowledge these moments, it’s almost like we expect them. Students may come across these moments much more often than we think but we are too busy grading and judging them to notice them.