Comments on Classmates' Blog Post Wk 2 - "The Art of Possibility":

Cheryl McGovern
http://cherylmcgovern.blogspot.com/2011/08/week-2-reading.html
"This picture depicts this weeks reading exactly as I interpret it. Life is what we make of it. We choose the direction. There were many things in the reading that I enjoyed. I loved how the author described success and failure as a two sided coin, but if we choose contribution instead, it is a one sided coin and therefore a win-win situation for all. I also loved the wording well heeled and down at the heel. I had never heard that before. It must be the way that other countries describe the highs and lows of life. Something else that would do us all good to remember is to "engage people in your passion for life", and "don't speak to cynicism, but to passion" (Art of Possibility). I try to envision a world where there was no cynicism, only passion for life, and it is definitely a mind blower! The thought of giving all students an A the first day of class was awesome! Can you even begin to imagine the look on a bunch of kids faces the first day you handed out all A's? Talk about a jaw dropping experience! The thought of throwing your arms up in the air and exclaiming "how fascinating" when you make a mistake is also cute. All in all, I think that this weeks reading had the intended effect on me. It got me thinking, and at just the right time. School is beginning and this was a great reminder that life is all a story, and it is all in the way we choose to tell it! Have a great day!"



Cheryl,

Those were really great moments the book, I thought too. The idea of a world where no one spoke to cynicism would be a dream. It baffles my mind to know it could all be so simple with just a change of thought. I guess we can at least hope with others learning to contribute that love that it matters to one “starfish”. ;)

Missy

Comments on Classmates' Blog Post Wk 2 - "The Art of Possibility":

Barbara Rasero:
http://reflexiverasero.blogspot.com/2011/08/week-2-reading-art-of-possibility.html

"The ideas in this book are familiar to me and I have experienced many iterations of living the life of possibility - the EMDT program is the latest in a long line of out of the box decisions I’ve made. The really ‘big one’ was 15 yrs. ago, when I quit my job as a director in an ad agency and went to seminary. There, contrary to what some might believe, I learned more about out of the box thinking. In fact, out of the box is a way of seeing and living a spiritually based life. Zanders book is really about the human spirit and how to recognize, nurture, and materialize the gifts of this life and share them in the world. He shows that we deeply need love and acceptance and are dependent upon each other to realize our gifts.

Living by the rules and the scales of measurement is a necessary part of living in a family of community, but rules become constricting if we do not reinvent them as we grow. Rules help to channel and contain chaos, but the creative process is not that orderly! Ideas need free space to form and shared, and bodies need freedom to move erratically to learn the nuances and elegant moves of a musician, artist, or athlete. As teachers, we need to manage the tensions between chaos and order and understand not just the appropriate balance for a particular age group, but also to be sensitive to the human psyche of each child’s potential and limits. This is a tall order
Starting out with and A, I think, makes the process more fluid and child based. It assumes the wholeness of the student first and allows room for both potential and limits, rules and creativity, and connotes learning as an individual process rather than static corporately established goals. An A, assumes the norm, the acceptable as a given, and as a base form which to depart, allowing the space for vision.

To see ourselves as contributors to a larger good means that we acknowledge our own needs and the needs of others, and how these inter-relate, interact, and integrate. In the classroom, role-playing can lead to greater understanding of one’s gifts and ability to use them in service to others. Contribution is ability to respond to a need or gap. First and foremost, it’s a responsibility to understand and acknowledgment of our own needs for help and growth. Next, is the acknowledgement of our gifts, how and with whom to share them. I was told by a wise professor, that our gifts follow our needs; meaning, these two are inextricably linked and how we find and can offer our authentic selves in community."
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Barbara,

Your thoughts on finding a way to create that balance for are students are very much what I got from that chapter too. I believe that tension can be very hindering to students’ creativity and limiting them from reaching their potential based on the anxiety of living up to expectations or measurements. That responsibility is one we need to be aware of as teachers and the starting of with an A is a perfect example of a positive approach.

I like that quote, “Our gifts follow our need,” a great way to summarize.

Missy

Wk2 Reading: " The Art of Possibility" Chpts 1-4

“I did the best I can, with what I had” – Thurgood Marshall (cited in this book)

In most courses in college it is rare if you ever read your textbook that is associated with a class more than you are required too, let alone ever pick it up again after the class is over. Yet, this book, “Art of Possibility” by Benjamin & Rosamund Zander, has been a refreshing change of the norm.
Beginning the first chapter it comes of as more of a self-help book but is more motivational and enlightening with its practices as you go on in a more biographical manner. The viewpoints from the two authors were an interesting perspective, as if you were just sitting in a room talking to an old married couple about life. They’re very Zen-like in their description of their philosophies, and I enjoyed the calm and playfulness of their tone.

In essence it seems to teach the reader how to utilize certain practices to look at the world with a fresh new outlook. To give people the benefit of the doubt, realizing how someone or the little things people do can contribute to yours and other’s lives positively. In a way nurturing the practice of having an open mind and showing other’s, particularly students, how to do the same. It presents a very optimistic way of thinking and interacting with your environment while trying to keep from letting the world, and it’s expectations of you, stress you out or keep you from what you know deep down you can achieve.
The paradigms have been great so far, from a Picasso conversation – that’s always classic- to student’s “future” letters. I particularly love the quote based on the consequences of an easy life:

“I’m so sorry for you, your life has been so easy. You can’t play great music unless your heart’s been broken” -Casper Cassado (B. Zander’s former teacher)

Personally I feel like that statement it impressively true. These chapters remind me of many of the lessons my own father has taught my siblings and me. Although we have been through a lot he, as his life has demonstrated, shows us that these things are tough but they have made us stronger than the average person, able to deal with things easier, and quicker to bounce back with even more positivity than before. We are not to be bitter of or to others and try our best to trust and love someone even if they have done us wrong. While that can be a challenge at times, it’s less draining than being negative and angry.

Transitioning these practices into teaching, as they describe with their own examples seems effective. I’m pleased this book has been a requirement for reading, I would’ve never picked it up otherwise, yet I plan to continue to pick up especially when the moments of disappointment tries to rear it’s ugly head and I’m in need of reflection.