Week 4 Reading – Art of Possibility 10-12

BE THE BOARD!!!!

Wow, this one is perfect timing if I have ever seen it!

Back story, I am the band director at a high school, I also teach choir, we have not had a musical/play at the school in several years before I was hired. Due to this I signed up as the assistant soccer coach which would normally conflict with a play/musical. My principal, the lovely man that he is, decided 2 months before the end of school to demand that we have a school musical. As I was already fully committed, I was not asked to be part of the production. This week is my end of year band concert, The Wiz performs next week. I need the stage and they need the stage…

Photo by UMTAD

Prior to reading this chapter I have been nicely accommodating, moving equipment and such, only to be treated badly and asked too much of, I am always bending and THEY never have. THEIR students (some of whom I share) leave the auditorium a mess and have moved my equipment without asking, I found some of it (my baton case included) in the tornado that is the costume room, on the floor under piles of clothes. I was mad, I mean LIVID! I know, there is no way they would accommodate me if the roles were reversed, but alas, I read Chapter 10, Be the Board.

Part One: By using a space for my concert that is more or less public, I will always run into the possibility of other needing the space the same time as I.

Part Two: How did it happen that these two large productions need the stage at the same time? How did it happen that I am not available to help with the musical production and be part of enriching our students lives?

Side note, here is where I really want to be mad at my principal and call him names for scheduling this at such an inopportune time, however…..

Part Two Continued: We needed to have the musical, it was approaching the end of the year, we are doing the best we can to provide these opportunities for our kids. Maybe I can change the board for next year and offer to help with the production if it is scheduled earlier int he year with performances in February or March. The kids would get an extra adult full of experience to give them help and knowledge and it wouldn’t conflict with the band concert. Everyone wins!

Week 4 Wimba – The Art of Possibility

Art of Possibility: How is the Art of Possibility different from the Power of Positive Thinking or Oprah’s “The Secret”?

I think that The Art of Possibility is different, it doesn’t require you to ignore obstacles or negative things, but to think a way around them, through them, over them, or under them. Also, it asks you to think about what is possible, not to think positive and trust it will happen for you, you still have to do the work, but it opens up your mind to new ideas or ways of doing things or approaching situations.

Art of Possibility: Which chapters meant the most to you and why?

I have posted before about chapters 3 and 5, Giving an A and Leading From Any Chair. Giving an A was one that was difficult for me to get on board with, and I think I’m still on the fence as to how to incorporate this into my teaching in terms of grades, although I totally get how to apply it to my treatment of people, both in school and in my personal life. Leading From Any Chair reminded my of my freshman trombone player that leads from his last chair seat everyday and lifts myself and other students up on a daily basis. I am reminded again how important it is to have leaders in every chair as I am now starting the process of picking drum majors and section leaders for next years marching band.

Art of Possibility: What things are you going to take from the reading and use in your teaching and your life?

Being the board and leading from any chair. I have control over how I deal with life and it doesn’t matter what type of position I’m in, I can lead from anywhere. Just because I’m not department head or assistant principal doesn’t mean I can’t lead as a peer or colleague. Also, I’d like to try to give more people an A in my personal life, sometimes I get on a very cynical track and I think doing this more often will help those I’m dealing and myself have a better day.

The Art of Month 12!

I am feeling SOOOOOOOOOO much better about next month since Joe walked us through what we could/should expect. I am starting to get antsy and ready for graduation, but that probably also has to do with the fact that my year-end concert is tonight and the end is near for my teaching year as well!

 

Week 4 Classmate Comment #2

My Comment

Rosa,

I agree, it’s so hard to pick just one person, often it’s a specific thing about them you adminre, not necessarily the whole person. I think having a bunch of people to look up to, for different reasons, is not only practical, but very smart. It’s pretty cool that you got to see Milton Glaser in person, that must have been a very memorable experience.

 

Original Post here

 

Week 4: Leadership Role Model Reflection

Who’s your hero?? 

image by PropagandaTimes

Leadership Role Model? Interesting question. I thought about this for a while. I don’t think that I have anyone in particular who I can say is my role model. I feel that the people
I’ve encountered and experienced have great things to offer. Leaders such as Steve Jobs and Milton Glaser display many different characteristics that provide insightful techniques to use.

Now I actually had the chance to see Milton Glaser speak live. He spoke with such enthusiasm and interest. Everyone in the room was in awe with what he was stating. The presentation was very basic but inspiring. In the similar type of presentation, Steve Jobs grabbed the attention of so many with his words. His presentations were inviting, funny and energetic. They pulled you in and kept you engaged. I have found that taking techniques from different people will make me a better presenter but an even better educator. I look at all educators, even the educators around me. Every person has something you can learn from. I know I may sound very generic but it’s the truth. When teaching, I modify the lectures by what I may have learned from others. These modifications help make me a better educator, presenter, and teacher.

Week 4 Classmate Comment #1

My Comment

Cynthia,

Sounds like you were all thrown into this situation with little setup to help you succeed in what is/was needed for this school/community. I agree with, you a vision statement has to be about what could be, not about what is or was. A vision is a look at what could be, regardless of the obstacles in the way of it. It sounds like what you and your staff ended up with was a very limiting list, what happens if there is a solution for your community that isn’t on that list? Is it now now in line with the vision statement so you can’t go down that path? A vision statement needs to be something that can withstand change over time and still be applied, it has to have hope and possibility.

In case you’re looking for some ideas my school’s vision statement is Eagles Prevail, Invest, Empower, Achieve. Simple yet open to many possibilities. Our district vision statement is High Expectations, High Achievement, Everyone, Everyday.

Original Post found here

Week Four: Vision

Creating Frameworks for Possibility

 

While the last chapters of this month’s reading were all valuable, the one that resonated with me was the eleventh practice.  The school that I teach at was completely overhauled with an entirely new staff, students, and grade levels this past school year.  This whole year has been a work in progress, as the staff was hired only 2 weeks before school started (and in fact is not entirely complete now, and I came at the end of October), the administration was only assigned then as well, and our contract language is changed entirely for this building in the district alone.   Teachers had never worked together before, and none had worked in this neighborhood or had any connections to the families in our school.

 

I say this because while we have been hired as “the best lead teachers in the city”, we have been operating without a clear vision.  We have been thrown together with the task of “turning this failing school around”.  A gargantuan task with no support from central administration to do so.  At our last staff meeting, we discussed the need for a vision statement.  I was a bit dismayed when we all contributed ideas and ended up with a vision the length of an essay with points encompassing all things we want to accomplish:  lifelong learners, safe environment, parental education, engaged students, fostering curiosity, attending to health needs, community support, giving opportunities, 21^st century technology, ending the cycle of poverty… the list went on and on.  I felt that we were missing the mark on our vision statement. Of course we want all of these things for our students, but our vision could encompass all of these ideals without being an essay.   It was simply a list of all the things that overwhelm us everyday and frankly, it was depressing to me to read it all and see all we have to accomplish.

 

According to The Art of Possibility, a vision articulates a possibility.  It fulfills a desire fundamental to humankind.  It is free-standing ~ it points to neither a rosier future, nor to a past in need of improvement.  It is a long line of possibility radiating outward.   I think that our vision for my school started during that staff meeting by looking at all that is wrong with our students’ lives, and what we want to do to fix it.  That may be the worst way we can look at our vision.  Why not the same vision as HP – “Robinson Elementary School For the World”?  Not “Robinson Elementary School where we hope to erase poverty, drugs, gangs, parents who don’t know how to help their kids, kids who have no love of learning, atrocious behavior problems, pathetic attendance, government dependent citizens, violence….”  Instead of looking at what we want to get rid of, we should be looking at where we strive to be.

 

Do we approach our vision by looking in the rear view mirror and addressing things that need to be changed?  Or do we look forward at where we want to be as a school community?  I will be sharing this chapter at our next staff meeting when we meet again to hammer out our vision statement.  

 

Photo by geekphilosopher.com

Week 4 Leadership – Role Models

This month has gotten me thinking a lot about my future and where I want to go, both in my personal and professional life. There has been a lot going on for me, the possibility of my school district closing, looking to purchase a house with my Fiance, our wedding next winter, and finishing my degree at Full Sail. The reading we’ve been doing in The Art of Possibility has really got me thinking about how I view the world in all areas of my life. It’s easy with my school district facing difficulties and the prospect of no job to think negatively, like there is no possibility. However, if you think about it, it opens up a whole world of opportunities for me. I could get a job teaching music in a different district or try to get a technology teaching position or even make a transition to the corporate world.

My Family, Christmas 2010
pictured from left to right
Mom, Alyson (me), Sydney (dog), Mallory, Baxter Bigglesworth (orange cat), Dad, Mr. Milo Quibbles (gray/black cat)

With all these options and new experiences open to me I need to start thinking about what path I want, what will make me happy. I think I’d like to try my hand in the corporate world. I have past experience as an administrative assistant working in the tax, IT, billing and HR departments. I would have the resume needed to be part of or lead new product training for a company. My role model for this possible transition would be my mom. She took her work experiences and went from a pharmacy clerk to a pharmaceutical software company tester to a project manager, to the Director of an IT department at a gas company. She wasn’t afraid of becoming part of a new industry, and proved that her experiences, though not from that industry, could help her be a great asset to every company she worked for. She was even willing to move to a new state for her current job, leaving every part of her comfort zone to do it. What makes me most proud of my mom is that she has done all of this without a college degree. If she can do this without a degree I (with my 2 degrees) better be willing to take a leap towards my dreams without letting fear stop me.

Week 3 Wimba – Leadership Doc Sharing

Whew! What a project. I have been sweating this one for a while now and did my fair share of procrastination before creating my leadership document. I was not able to attend the Tuesday or Wednesday Wimba sessions due to a soccer game (I’m the coach) and an awards ceremony at my school in which I was presenting. So here I am with some reflection about the feedback I got from my critical friends, a fellow music teacher (James) and a family member (my Mom) who is a pro at writing.

Both my readers picked up a lot of little mistakes (spelling, grammar, punctuation) that I had missed just due to the sheer size of this document (and my procrastination!). In addition to this they had some overall comments about my organization and other included media.

One of the biggest things I took away from them was in the organization of my document. I had originally tried to incorporate all the parts, lit review, methodology, and results together into more of a timeline as things actually happened. This was confusing for my readers and they suggested I try to organize it more how it was recommended in FSO (I had shown them the requirements before they read my doc). I have made this change and you can now see it in my leadership doc.

They liked how I used a conversational style, which was requested by the journal I plan to submit to and how I included the graphs to illustrate my data for cycle 1. The one thing I think I need to add-on this point is a link or embed my Be Cool, Don’t Act A Fool In School video for more media to enrich my overall document.

Week 3 Classmate Comment #2

My Comment

Duwaine,

Your post reminds me of the fact that as teachers we cannot possibly be the masters of every single bit of content or tool used to teach that content. As a teacher I find it my duty to help teach the students to be self sufficient learners. This could mean, instead of being embarrassed I don’t know the answer to their question and making it up, telling them to look it up and report back to the class tomorrow. It could also mean have a student show the class how to use a new web 2.0 tool they are more comfortable with than I am. It’s all about giving power back to the students, it’s amazing what they will do with it, we need not be afraid!

-Alyson

Original post can be found here

WK 3-Art of Possibility Reading

In reading this week, one phrase stood out. The conductor doesn’t make a sound. He uses the strengths of his orchestra to produce it. The first story that made me think about my classroom was with the Cuban and American Youth Orchestras. Due to unseen circumstances one piece of music was not given to one group. This almost ruined the concert until one conductor came up with an idea. Let the youth teach each other. This pressure caused them to think outside of the box for a moment. I want to say for a moment because when they saw a solution that worked they almost resort back to business as usual. How many times do teachers find that ah-hah moment and then resort back to the routine? In the next scenario, one viola blanks out during a crucial time in the performance. The violinist sitting next to him seamlessly plays the part on his instrument that is not tuned at the same pitch. The piece went off flawlessly. Wouldn’t it be great to be in a class and not be noticed? Not because you are ineffective, but because your students are collaborating so well that they embrace the assignment and make it their own.

Week 3 Classmate Comment #1 – The Way Things Are

My Comment

Golda,

I am sorry to hear about Moishe, I am a cat owner myself and I know how difficult it can be when one falls ill. I am glad to hear that you were able to use this weeks reading to help you deal with your situation. It was in Moishe’s best interest for you to do what you did and get him to the vet so soon. I find too that sometimes you have to shut down the flight or fight response in order to deal with certain situations in a way that can achieve the best outcome.

I am currently coaching HS girls varsity soccer and we had an incident at our game last Monday where one of my players was knocked unconscious for several minutes. She was then unresponsive for an additional 3-5 minutes once she came to. It was a situation where I had to spring into action, holding her neck steady to prevent further injury, getting her to focus on me and not go back to unconsciousness, while phoning 9-1-1 and our athletic trainer to get to the field. I had to stay between resignation about what had happened and panic about it in order to do the right thing. She was sent in an ambulance to The University Of Michigan Hospital and was sent home the next day with a fractured upper arm. Luckily her head injury was not as serious as we had originally thought, she will have to sit out the rest of the season, but will be ok to play next year in college for her basketball scholarship.

-Alyson

Original Post can be found here

wk3 This is the way things are – Golda Lawson-Cohen

This is the way things are

My cat, Moishe, recently took ill. We did not realize that it was him that was defecating around the house until he got lethargic yesterday as we have a total of four cats. He just wasn’t himself as he didn’t want his favorite treats or food.  This is the way things are at the moment. I could have thought that I did something wrong but instead realized that Moishe was feeling badly and taking him to the Vet was the only thing that we could do. Once at the Vet’s office, we were told that it could be a bladder problem because when she touched him get got vocal with a yelp. He was in pain. My spouse and I had to put our feelings aside for the situation and let the Vet do her job, which meant leaving him there overnight. Not a good feeling but when incorporating this is the way things are, we able to accept leaving Moishe at the Vets office. A few hours had gone by and the Vet called us with a progress report. We were so happy to hear that Moishe was doing better but would have to stay the night. My spouse and I were able to accept this because of this is the way things are. If not paralysis would probably set in.

Week 3 Reading – The Art of Possibility 5-9

WOW! What a powerful set of chapters from The Art of Possibility. Though all of the ideas and stories touched me and were relatable to my experiences. I was more moved and reflective about one in particular.

Photo by mitch.surprenant

Chapter 5, Leading from Any Chair reminds me of a young student I have the distinct pleasure of working with right now. He is a freshman trombone player, who, due to scheduling issues, could only be placed in our top band. I was very worried about him in September, would he be able to keep up with the other students? Would he get frustrated with the level of difficulty in the music and quit? How would the other students treat him since he did not audition for this group and was placed here on a technicality?

We are now 4 weeks front he end of the school year and he plays 3rd trombone (out of 3) and leads us all from his chair. He is fully engaged at all times, often catching things I missed and making suggestions to help the music shine. He supports his peers and me by his sheer joy for playing music and making it the best experience possible for everyone in the room. If he has difficulties he tackles them with a determination and grit I have rarely seen out of adults, much less a 14-year-old, and a trombone player no less! The brightness that shines in his eyes for music and life is infectious, it reminds me why I started down the path as a teacher. Devon is truly a special student who in his own way is leading us to greatness and I have no doubt will lead from any chair he ever sits in within any organization.

 

 

Week 2 Classmate Comments #2

My Comment

Tricia,

I agree, most teachers would laugh at me in the face if I talked to them about giving every student an A when they walked into the room. They would be most concerned about them giving up because they already had an A. But the truth of the matter is, a lot of them have given up already with our current system because they see themselves as a B or C or D or even E. Perhaps, there’s a possibility that by giving them the A at the start they will be an A at the end? Something to think about.

Original Post

Wk2 Reading post – From Zombie to Rekindled

 What an amazing read!  I want to share this book with the world! The following quote captured my attention, “that inside every block of stone of marble dwells a beautiful statue; one need only remove the excess material to reveal the work of art within.” Up until this quote I was in the zombie zone where I was reading the words but they were just not making an impression, then I read this quote.  I easily could see how this quote could apply to students.  As educators we really do need to look at our students as individuals each one a beautiful statue.  These words are beautiful and contain a wonderful sentiment but then you walk into the classroom and all those beautiful statues are covered in pigeon poo and you realize you are tired, burned out and there are to many demands made on you to chisel down to those beautiful statues.  I brought this quote up to a room full of teachers and the comments I received were; give me one to one student ratio and I can definitely appreciate their inner beauty, Yeah right who has time to differentiate that much, If there were more hours in the day etc. you get the drift.

So next I brought up my other favorite quote of the reading, “The practice ofgiving the A allows the teacher to line up with her students in their efforts to produce the outcome, rather than lining up with the standards against these students.” The response I received from my teacher friends regarding this quote was, standards we have to meet standards!  We can’t just give students an A!  Therein lies the problem with this book and what it is saying.  I am all about the Art of Possibility, I see myself as the person that would go to Africa and see all the barefoot citizens and think, wow what a great market (actually I would probably go back to the U.S. raise money and donate shoes) but I could see how it could be a great market.  Unfortunately in our education system we have too many people who would say, forget it, they are not wearing shoes at all there is not a market here.  That is why it would take a HUGE paradigm shift for teachers to give all students an A when they walk into the classroom.  They can’t they have to line up with the standards against the students and the market is leaning more and more toward standards so how can there be an Art of Possibility?