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In the Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander & Benjamin Zander, as I read chapter 5, I at times switched out conductor with educator. (I think that often times we feel like the conductor to all the various student personalities and learning levels.) As educators, we at times could boast and take too much pride in the success of our students, for example on the year end exams. But in actual reflection we the teacher's couldn't be successful without the hardworking, studious, and intelligent student, right? I love the idea of being more of a facilitator and aiding students in their success. Too many times lately have I experienced/seen students wanting to be spoon fed. And at that point what are we teaching our students by doing that? I enjoyed the scene where Maestro Guido Lobeps Gavillan and his Cuban Philharmonic Orchestra and how what he saw as failure turned into an amazing peer teaching moment. Their reactions were very similar to what I have seen numerous times in the classroom, the environment becomes energized! What a great "aha" moment.
I do feel that my overall mood/demeanor will effect the environment that I am in. If I am depressed, sad or grumpy, in my opinion I am going to bring down those with me. But if I am happy, positive and upbeat my energy is bound to rub off on those around me. I really liked the game that Roz described, "Have the Best ____ Ever." It is a good challenge and in the end will create positive results. I personally am happy 95% of the time, those around me will see me with a smile on my face, and almost always get those around me to smile back. (That is a personal mission that I seek to accomplish everyday, to make people smile!) But one thing that I find helpful is to take any situation and try to find one good thing about it! For example, say my car breaks down on the way home from work. I might say, well good news is, I don't have to cook-pizza delivered it is! You would be surprised how your mood might lighten/lift a bit. Sometimes when you have something that is bringing you down, you must first figure out what exactly it is that is holding you back. Once you have figured this out (prayed about it)
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This book is being read at the perfect time of my life as sometimes I feel like I am spinning my wheels. It's really helped me to think outside the box, and remember what is important and also how to think on the more positive side. Ultimately, for me it comes down to what I value the most, and the fact that I will reach my goals, I just need to see all the possibilities in perspective.
I have to agree that we are like Ben Zander in many ways. We conduct our diverse group of students in tasks that, at first glance, look like a cacophony of unrelated ideas, and blend them into a cohesive unit of material. I have always looked at myself as a facilitator, especially since I went to a project-based learning model. This method gives the students the ability to redraw the borders of their work and the freedom to express themselves more completely. It prepares them for their future in the “real world” beyond academia.
ReplyDeleteYour comment about how your mood affects the class environment is also right on the mark. Years ago, I listened to an audio lecture by renowned educator Harry Wong, who would stand outside his classroom door and greet his students as they arrived every day, always with a smile and a good morning (or afternoon). The response of his and my students to that might just change the mood of a surly or disaffected student, just because of those few pleasant words. It is a lot easier facing a class that is in a positive frame of mind, so helping to get them there works to my advantage. So, having the best ____ ever is a great philosophy to follow.
Thanks for your insight and analysis of this section of The Art of Possibility.
I like your idea of finding the positive in any situation. Something that has helped me this year is to look at situations from the outside and see the humor in them. I know production/show time is always very stressful and completing this Master’s program at the same time made it twice as difficult. There were times when the students were acting crazy and I instead of getting crazy myself, I just looked at it objectively and thought, “This is really hilarious. What would I think if I was watching this from the outside and did not have a personal stake in what is going on? At times it is just chaos and madness.”
ReplyDeleteBritni...you know this is why we get along so well. People think it is a blessing to only see the good, but sometimes when I do get angry it can blowup. I am not used to feeling or acting that way. When my father passed away I held a party with drinks, dances, karaoke, and food. I made a funny slide show and danced the night away. I was so happy he was not suffering anymore.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you, Britni. One's outlook on any given situation can totally change the amount of stress felt by that person. For example, I shared a story with a colleague the other day about one of my students. I had asked, "Which of these is a good estimate for a pencil: 6 inches, 6 feet or 6 yards?" The kids responded, "6 inches." Then one student raised his hand and asked, "but what if we're talking about the world's largest pencil?" I found this very humorous and we discussed this as a class. The colleague who had just heard the story replied, "Ugh! That's so annoying! Doesn't it bother you when kids ask questions like that?" I was kind of shocked by her response. I shared with her that if I let every little instance in my classroom get to me and stress me out, I wouldn't be a happy person or a good teacher. I've got to turn those things into teachable moments. Casting a positive light on any situation can completely alter the feelings one has about it.
ReplyDeleteBritni,
ReplyDeleteI like how you changed conductor for educator. While I can see both titles be adequate descriptions, we are all educators at some level. Just as others, I believe attitude and frame of mind can help deactivate any hostility or frustration in any situation. Change is no different. Eliminating any friction between too parties you can really defuse any problems and get right to the challenge at hand. Change is no different. If all parties are dedicated to finding a way to make it work, with open minds and a defused attitude, I think it does nothing but good tings.
Wow, great observations and comments. In that educators are in the business of working with the next generation, it's amazing how important mood or emotions are as far as getting the job done. When I worked for the phone company in Southern California it was just about doing the job and making the machinery run. I did have a brilliant coworker who knew so much more than I ever thought I could, but if he got the least bit angry or frustrated all of that intelligence went right out the door. And on more than one occasion I came in after he'd been working on a trouble for eight-hours and fix it in a couple minutes because he couldn't see the answer that was right in front of him due to his anger. So, when I've been having a bad day I'd tell my students, or actually warn them that it'd be a good day to be on their best behavior, and that usually worked. They knew that I gave them slack on bad days and they did the same for me. Try measuring that on a standardized test.
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