Wk 2 Blog Comment 2: Art of Possibility

From Klytia Burcham’s blog:

What is possible?  What our mind can comprehend and make into a narrative story is what we believe is reality and from that we determine what is possible. What if we are limiting ourselves, by limiting what we view?  What if we are writing a narrative that limits our possibilities?  This is precisely what the authors of the Art of Possibility are saying.  These two wonderful authors go on to give rules or guidelines to help us re-write our narrative or roadmap so that the world and our possibilities open up.

Within the first couple of pages I immediately had a connection with this book.  Since being laid off last year, I find myself without a teaching position for the first time in fifteen years.  This is significant because I defined myself as a teacher; specifically a kindergarten teacher.  I could not go into a store or on vacation without keeping an eye out for something that would be useful in my classroom.  After being laid off I felt like I was “out of the boat” and I didn’t know which way was up and where I was going.  My narrative was shaken and I had to write a new one. I had to find a new track.  I decided that I would substitute teach and I decided to open myself up to any grade in the district.  I landed a long-term job at the high school in Special Education.  I loved it!  By opening myself up to other possibilities, I discovered that I enjoyed teaching an age group I previously wouldn’t have believed I would enjoy.  I have spent most of the year subbing at the high school in a variety of classes.  In the process I have gotten to know many students.

I love the chapter on Giving Yourself an A.  As a kindergarten teacher I believe this is my narrative or story.  I believed every student could learn to read.  All I have to do is give them experiences with literacy and find out what they need to make sense of it next.  I had to chip away the un-needed clay to find the inner student inside.  By treating them as readers and calling them authors from the first day of school, students knew that they could do it.  I could see when they started to believe it themselves.  When they would turn to their neighbor and say, “Look at the story I wrote!  You know I am an author like David Shannon.”  I let them know every day in every lesson that they had important information to contribute to the class.  That each of them are valuable and capable learners. Each of them has something valuable to contribute to our learning.

Ironically, this is what I believe high school students respond to as well.  I treat them like valuable people who have something wonderful to contribute to society. In return they become the person I see them to be.  Even the students who other teachers refer to as rough, like coming into a class I am subbing.  They know that I believe in them and in return they believe in me.  In this relationship the world’s narrative becomes a better one.

Klytia...

screenshot taken in Second Life by Mike Colletti

I can appreciate the connection you made with this book, as many of us have.  There is so much there that is a common sense approach to teaching that we, as teachers, can latch on to.  Thirteen years ago, I left the comfort zone of my previous school, where I had been a Communications Arts and Television Production instructor for 23 years, and took a chance teaching English at another school.  It revitalized my career.  While your path is different as you had no choice in leaving your last full-time job, you also left the comfort zone of the primary school age group and took on the other end of the spectrum, high school.  What a leap, as you truly opened yourself up to other possibilities.

There is no irony to the way high school aged students respond to challenges when they are given a chance to own their work with little threat of a poor grade.  I always liked and will always use project-based learning exercises which encourage my kids to push the limits and think outside the box.  The rewards are far greater because of the risks they take.  The mutual respect you talk of is key to this approach and key to their development into young adults as they move on to the next level of their lives.