Wk 4: Response to Vivianne Jimenez's Blog Post

Vivianne's Original Post:

After reading Art of Possibilities I feel enlightened beyond words. I took so much from these chapters. “Certain things in life are better done in person.” My mentor always reminds me of this thought. She would run the office in the same manner. Once a week we were not allowed to send emails to each other. Instead we would have to get up from our office and relay the message in person. Her reason for this was because she felt we could gain so much more from interacting with one another. This is why Ben went in person to meet with the world’s greatest cellist instead of making a call. He gained so much more.

“Being the Board” is the graduate course I must master. Circumstances at work continue to bring stress and worry at times but reading this chapter helped me in mapping out a plan to actually turn my situation around and transform my world. I want to rid myself from the world of measurements and begin to live a life of tranquility and bliss. I must invent my framework so the new Vivianne can emerge and change the world; well at least begin with mine. 

“Leadership is a relationship that brings this possibility to others and to the world, from any chair, in any role.” - Zander

My Response:

Hey Viv,

I'm so glad that you were able to read "The Art of Possibility" at this time of your life. I too liked the story of Ben Zander flying to meet his cellist friend to ask him to perform an original piece of music (composed by another mutual friend) as well.  It is so important that in this ever-increasingly digital age we live in, that we maintain face-to-face human interactions as they are becoming an ever-more precious, and persuasive, commodity.  

It's really great that this book has helped you deal with the stress of your everyday work situation; however, I disagree that you have to re-invent your framework "so the new Vivianne can emerge and change the world."  Current Vivianne has been changing her world and the world of those around her for at least the year I have known her, and I suspect for long before we ever became acquainted.  Viv, you are already the person you wish to be.  You just need to remove the obstacles that prevent you from seeing that. I'm glad I met you in this program.

Steve L.

Wk 4: Response to Bryan Davis' Blog Post

Bryan Davis' Original Post:

As I continued reading through chapters 9 to 12 of The Art of Possibility, I find myself continually impressed with the style of Zander’s writing. It challenges the reader the really think about everyday times where one can be instinctively negative about a situation and reframes it to raise the question of where did I learn to think of this situation, thatway? Not to turn this into a review of the book, to save time, I liked it; I’m going to dissect my favorite parts from these chapters. I especially found inspiration in Chapter 9 where Zander took a hard no about holding a concert in a venue to a massive opportunity where the odds were stacked against him, conducting an orchestra for a school in a vastly underprivileged area where many assumed that culture was a lost cause. Not only did Zander and his orchestra rise to the challenge of performing for these children, they exceeded expectations and were a rousing success. It was during this chapter that I started to think about the influence music has had on my life, and some of the many times that music has really raised my spirit to overcome obstacles. Then I thought about Chapter 9 again and thought why wouldn’t live music in this school be successful? To assume a taste in music based on socioeconomic status and race is pointless, I’ve heard the arguments on this, but at the end of the argument music is still music and has the capacity and power to touch anyone whose ears it hits.

I also really enjoyed the idea of “being the board” as chapter 10 suggests, because it does provide a more favorable way of presenting situations. While I can’t say that some of the examples Zander used would find much solace in “being the board” it is a healthier way to frame a bad situation. This chapter had a great example in Zander writing the letter to his student about learning to not lash out about situations out of his control, and I’m sure anyone who has been in charge of a monumental task where many things can go wrong, can sympathize with Zander’s position in this story. I have to admit that I’ve not only been in the position Zander was in, I’ve taken the same path he did by lashing out and becoming a burden to the supportive people around me. While I can’t say that “being the board” is a philosophy I could see myself subscribing to in order to solve a tough situation, I can see the value in taking a few minutes to cast that light on a negative situation before acting in regrettable manner.

It was at this point where I found myself reading my second favorite chapter of The Art of Possibility, Chapter 11. The part where Zander describes having his students write comparisons of playing music to the work that the engineers do at NASA. I immediately enjoyed the notion of musicians writing to NASA to speak to the inspiration and imagination that both these fields require to work well. It was especially rewarding to read how touched these engineers at NASA were by these letters, and the fact that they sent them into space to inspire the astronauts and remind them why they do the work they do. In fact, my second favorite quote from this book fell in chapter 11, “I am here today to cross the swamp, not to fight all the alligators.” As an educator, particularly the math teacher in me, that particular line resonated with me. Sometimes just having a positive attitude about the situation can win the battle. I think to that end, this is probably what Zander’s greatest message was throughout the book, that one can lose sight of how great the things in front of them truly are if they choose to frame everything in a negative light. I would contend that this was the most uplifting chapter of the book; because of the way it framed a situation that hadn’t changed or been disrupted at all, but found a new more positive way to look at it. I think as an educator it gets easy to forget the world of possibility seated in front of us each day when we get bogged down with all the white noise of collecting data, and performance evaluations, and so on.

As I came to chapter 12 I was actually excited to see how Zander wrapped this book up, and I have to admit I haven’t gotten that into a book in quite some time. To be honest, I was expecting a massively grandiose message and felt a little disappointed when I finished chapter 12. Not to say that Zander’s message of looking at situations in the “we” instead of the “I/You” wasn’t good, I think we (and all of our personal relationships) could certainly benefit from doing so from time to time. I just built up this idea of a huge overarching message that I assumed had to be coming, but in reality that wasn’t Zander’s message in the first place. In fact, in the coda following chapter 12, he even states himself that this book wasn’t written to “cure” your problems; but, after reading this and allowing Zander to do a little mind expansion, I can certainly see how this line of thinking could make a lot of things in life easier and eliminate a lot of unnecessary stress.

My Response:

Curiosity - NASA's Newest Mars Rover
courtesy of www.NASA.gov

Hey Bryan,

I'm glad to see that you got so much out of the Zander's book.  I too loved Chapter 11, especially reading all the letters that Zander's students wrote to NASA and the response of NASA's astronauts and other employees back to the children.  How cool of NASA to send the letters up to the International Space Station!  Incidentally, I know that you wrote that the letters were sent to the space station "to inspire the astronauts and remind them why they do the work they do" which is undoubtedly true, but NASA also sent those kids' letters into space to inspire the kids to take more interest in math and science as well.  In fact, nearly every NASA space launch these days carries the names and thoughts of students from around the world.  I know this because I am an official NASA Explorer Program educator.  I have had my own children place their names and thoughts on several NASA missions including the most recent Mars Rover that landed earlier this month.  Since you teach Math, you can be part of the Explorer program too.  Here is the link.  Check it out!

http://www.nasa.gov/offices/education/programs/national/nes2/home/index.html

Steve L.

Wk 4: Leadership Blog Post

Ghandi Monument - Lisbon, Spain
- photo by Rei-artur at www.commons.wikipedia.org

There are many individuals that I consider to be role models, but Ghandi is certainly at the top of my hero list.  Ghandi proved through his actions that non-violent political resistance can bring down a corrupt empire.  Ghandi spoke Truth to power; and through great sacrifice, Ghandi freed India from the tyranny of Great Britian's rule.  Ghandi and other great pacifist leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King have proven that common individuals, against all odds, can fight the tyranny of a great power and change the consciousness of an entire world.

In all honesty, I do not have the spiritual strength to be a martyr like Ghandi, but I can try to do my best to have a positive impact on our world, and "fight the good fight."  In my life, I have taken great risks on many occasions to stand against injustice, and I have been politically active since my High School days.  I chose to teach because it is a job that enables me to touch many lives in a way that promotes a better world.  I may not be in a position of power where I can effect the fate of whole nations, but at my school, I teach the future leaders of our world - and I mean that literally.  This year alone, I had the grandsons of Henry Kissinger and Robert F. Kennedy in the same class.  The fact that I have had some influence (as minor as that influence may be) on the upbringing of future leaders makes me proud to teach.

Well I may not ever be the spiritual and moral leader Ghandi became, but at least I have one important quality in common with him.  We have the same birthday, October 2nd (and Sting as well!).  How cool is that!

Wk 4 - The Art of Possibility - Ch. 9-12

The Game of Life
- From Freedigitalphotos.net

Reading Chapter 10,  "Being the Board" of the Zander's book made me think about Milton-Bradley's board game called "The Game of Life." In the board game, your lot in life was a matter of chance - a roll of the dice.  In contrast, "The Art of Possibility" implies that your lot in life is a matter of choice.  Although there are obviously external factors in this Universe of which we have no control, how we act and react in our individual lives are certainly our own responsibility.   That is what the Zander's meant by "being the board." Playing the 'blame game" solves nothing.  We need to see our role in the events of our life and accept responsibility.  On page 142, the Zander's ask us to tell ourselves "I am the framework for everything that happens in my life."

Chapter 9, "Lighting a Spark," speaks of "enrollment" - the art and practice of generating a spark of possibilities in others.  This practice fits in with the idea of giving back.  The Zanders speak of "the Life Force," and how important it is for us to not only find our own spark of possibilities, but to help others find theirs as well.

I loved Chapter 11 of the book, "Creating Frameworks for Possibility" because it talked about "creating the vision."  The grander the vision, the greater the positive effect on our world.  Dr. Martin Luther King and Ghandi are discussed in this chapter.  What I like about this chapter is that it reminds me of why all of us are in this EMDTMS program. We are all trying to create a grander vision of how to educate our students - of how to pass on knowledge and hopefully create a better generation of leaders for our future. A vision to create a better, more enlightened, world.

"Telling the We Story," Chapter 12, is all about inclusion.  The Zander's explain that the I/You dichotomy leads to conflict, and that the best way to resolve such conflict is to replace "I/You" with "We." We need to find the common bond that unites us all to acheive the best of all worlds in a world of possibilities.

Wk 3: Leadership Blog Post

 - image courtesy of www.iste.org

My leadership project is titled "Professional Development: Incorporating an Organic Approach to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) Teacher Training."  It is based on my Action Research Project where I trained 14 faculty members how to use Prezi.  The research verified that incorporating an "organic approach" to ICT faculty development does lead to successful faculty development.

I plan on submitting this project for publication to ISTE's Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education (JDLTE).

The links to my two previous leadership blog posts are:

Wk 1 Leadership Blog Post

Wk 2 Leadership Blog Post

Here is the link to my leadership document.  I couldn't figure out how to convert Google.Docs to APA format, however, the original document is formatted properly:

Steve's Leadership Project

Wk 3 Response to Mavy Torres' Blog post

Mavy's Original Post:

After reading the chapters for this week, I found Rule # 6 to be an interesting topic for discussion. I found it interesting because of the way it resonates about me, and how I take myself very seriously, to the point I have caused some disappointment in my outcomes. As time has gone by, I have slowly applied Rule # 6, and not taken myself so seriously, although I feel a ways away from really perfecting it. I don’t give myself room to accept making errors like on school assignments and work. I do give myself more tolerance to grow and explore with my family, reviewing my goals, working with art and doing community service.

It is important to provide oneself room for improvement throughout the various challenges we face in our lives. As we experience them, we will learn to not get mad over spilled milk; all it takes is to truly accept that errors do happen, not just understand it, and to be willing to learn from them. By permitting errors to occur, understanding becomes a vital part of growth, and we better learn and improve for the next time opportunity.

Furthermore, what I thought inspiring was Chapter five’s: Leading from any chair. I was impressed with the conductor giving the reins to others in order to make the orchestra successful. Delegating power to others is a scary concept because we naturally tend to maintain control. When we give others opportunities for leadership, they can share their vision and truly contribute to improving the music of life. I know from experience that delegating is a great way to give the opportunity for someone to learn to become leader. At times, it can be scary because the result will not necessarily be the way you wanted to go, however, it can be exciting to learn how they envision something new that you would not have thought about. This leads to my point, being careful not to micromanage people. The reason that people micromanage is because they want things only one certain way, their way, and will not give an individual any opportunity to take a different path for the similar or better result. We cannot be afraid to give opportunities of leadership, otherwise we limit the potential of those we are meant to serve.

Steve's Response:

Great comment Mavy. I agree that you have been too hard on yourself at some points in the past year, but you have always sought the advice of your peers, and you have always faced your fears and insecurities and triumphed over them. You are right to say that we all need to "be willing to learn" from our errors. I always tell my students that the point of doing homework is to learn, not what you know already, but what you don't know, so you can ask for more help before the next assessment. In other words, the point of homework is to learn from your mistakes.

Mavy, don't underestimate yourself. You have been a leader to the rest of us just as we have been leaders to you. You have led from your chair on many occasions, and you have done well because you were willing to listen, and you have always respected others as equals.

Most people do not know how jewelers can tell real diamonds from the best synthesized fake diamonds. Think about this. The best man-made diamonds are actually 100% flawless. Completely perfect in all respects. Real diamonds, even when considered to be "flawless," always have slight flaws in their crystal structure. The slight flaws cause the light to be reflected slightly askew which creates a brilliant array of bright colors that a "perfect" man-made diamond cannot imitate. Each truly perfect nature-made diamond has unique flaws that bring about the unique characteristics of the natural gem's brilliance. Aren't humans really like diamonds?

Wk 3 Response to Angelo Pardo's Blog Post

Angelo's Original Post:

One of the biggest takeaways from reading this particular book is that I have never seen myself so enthusiastic about diving in. Let me reiterate that the “Art of Possibility” by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander is one of those books that you cannot put down; it is a brilliantly refreshing account of the lessons and stories about enjoying life to the fullest. I really like the format of the writing so far because when I read I don’t see words, rather I see an ocean of pictures before me–every chapter is filled with paintings of concepts that I truly understand and appreciate, because the lessons are so applicable in my own life.

Allow me to give a brief summary of each chapter (5-8). Chapter 5 is about stepping down and letting others lead. I have heard it said a lot from teachers that it a humbling and genuine experience when the students teach the teachers. Chapter 6 teaches us to lighten up using Rule Number 6 (hilarious. Chapter 7 is about being present to the way things are so that we can have clarity on the next step we should take. Chapter 8 is about giving way to passion, that is to let go of restraint and participate fully. Benjamin Zander, in one of his anecdotes, referred to this as going “Beyond the F*ck It”. I also learned from these chapters the difference between the calculating vs. central self. I am now striving to be more in contact with the latter because I can see how much good it does for me and for everyone else around me.

Image courtesy of FreeDigitalPhotos.net

My Response:

Angelo, I am so glad that you are finding "The Art of Possibility" to be such an inspirational book.  I know that this year has been filled with a great deal of trials and tribulations in your life; and there have been times when you hit a spiritual low.  Seeing how your spirit has been lifted by this month's readings is really nice.  In fact, your life this year (and probably everyone's lives now that I think about it) could be turned into stories within the Zander's book.  Remember how stressed you were at times, and how there were points along this EMDT journey where you almost left the program. We all had such thoughts and feelings at some point(s) in the past year.  Now compare those down times with the exuberance you feel when reading the pages of this book.  You (we) are living proof of the truth the Zander's have laid down on paper for anyone to read and explore.

Stay happy my friend.  It's all an illusion anyways.

Steve L.