I have always hated assigned reading. Pretty crazy, especially since I taught 5-8th Language Arts, which is essentially appreciating written language. I looked at this particular reading assignment with the same disdain I had shown many an assignment throughout my life. The requirement of four chapters was almost unbearable. To my surprise, I was not ordered a book and had to wait several days to dive into it. I was very lost at why this class would even need a book. I will pause here and say that the gift of reading is indeed a blessing. I have not read something this profound and timely in a long time. With the current state of my life, what I learned in these four chapters, (or what I knew but ignored for years) has brought me a real sense of peace. This book made you question your life and decide what you were going to do next. There were many good points, thoughts, arguments throughout, but to discuss them all in this blog would be impossible. (It would turn into a crucial diary entry) Detailed below are several quotes or paraphrases that stuck out in this week’s reading. The numbers at the beginning of the italicized words represent the chapter that the idea was taken from.
1. “Every problem, every dilemma, every dead end we find ourselves facing in life, only appears unsolvable inside a particular frame or point of view. Enlarge the box, or create another frame around the data, and problems vanish, and new opportunities appear.” (p.14)
I LIVE by measurements. I think of possibilities, but still within the constraints of measurements. If I were to just stop and look beyond current circumstance, I would have shed fewer tears in regards to reflecting on the course my life has taken. I have been dissatisfied with much, and recognize that it is only my fault. No one was stopping me but me. I let the measurements rule me, and the fear of falling short kept me from trying.
Some would argue that status does keep people in boxes. It does-to an extent. My "play" father has four brothers, so a total of five boys are in his family. Our family strongly believes in Christian education, so private college was the only option. His father knew he did not have the means to send his boys to college. He decided to go to the wealthiest man in Buffalo who owned a bank and ask him to send his kids through college. Long story short, the man agreed after meeting all five boys. Had "grandpa" just accepted that he had nothing, his boys would not have been able to go. His crazy thought enlarged the realm of opportunities available to his sons.
2. “The assumption is that life is about staying alive and making it through-surviving in a world of scarcity and peril. This assumption is like the invisible box around the nine dots, it keeps the universe of possibility out of view.”(p.18)
This is especially true for people who have only known the terms “low socio-economic”, “poverty”, “lower class”, and “handouts” or “hand me downs” to name a few. The goal is to get out of your current state and make it to a place where society can look at you and see you as a success story. There is a goal that you must reach, a measurement that has been formed and rehearsed, that is the marker for life among these people who have little. While this measurement has perks, such as being able to provide for one's self, it causes tunnel vision in some. There are many who do not look beyond the society’s measurement. There true potential is overshadowed by the desire to just reach this mark. Survival is the trophy desired.
2. “In the measurement world, you set a goal and strive for it. In the universe of possibility you set the context and let life unfold.” (p.21)
This statement is almost fairy tale-ish. It holds some truth. However, I recognize that this is just a foundational thought process, and nothing more than that. It will not change your circumstance in the moment. However, paradigm shifts can change ones life. I saw this as saying, stop trying to just reach for the set markers. Think outside the box!
3.Assigned grades reflect performance at a certain time-it does not reflect mastery of the materials. (p.25)
As a teacher, this hit home. I have been involved in many an argument surrounding the importance of assigning grades. Some people believe that they should be done away with. I believe people just need to recognize what the grades really mean, and maybe we should come up with a system that shows how they performed within given constraints, and then one that reveals their level of mastery without the given criteria. (did they get it/understand or did they not) People need deadlines and other criteria to keep them motivated and moving forward. However, some times the fact that we are looking for mastery is forgotten in the process.
3. The focus of education should be to chip away at the extras that are “preventing” the student from reaching maximum potential and mastery. (p.26)
This may just get put in my collection of teacher quotes. I was always scared of getting up front and performing. When I did perform it was only a little piece of me because I was scared to put me on a stage and be critiqued. I have noticed the same fears within my classes, so much so that I am convinced that we must get to a place where kids (people) feel comfortable being them. Progress depends upon it. We need to give them confidence, create an atmosphere of love and encouragement, and watch as they blossom.
4. See yourself as a contribution. (pg. 59)
This can be seen as a cocky statement, and for a good handful of people it is. However, if one would just see one's self as a person that has something to give and this is a part of my purpose in this life, the world would indeed be a better place. Self-esteem would not be as hot of a topic amongst teenagers and women. Many people do not view themselves as life changers, someone who has the power to make a difference. Difference can occur by doing small things. There is a misconception that it has to be done on a grand scale before it will affect people. This is false. Use your current means, gifts, beliefs, and character to be the difference in your immediate sphere of influence: your home, school, church, job, and community. Watch other people be changed and watch the change in you.
Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. The Art of Possibility. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press, 2000.
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