MAC_Week4_Reading(Art, 9-12)

Cosmic Kisses by Lance Shields

I enjoyed Zander’s remarks about lighting a fire in others.  I feel like I was born with the ability to do this and see it as a big responsibility to my students as well as my family and friends. The way he described enrollment as the ability to give yourself as a possibility to others and to be ready to catch their spark really hit home with me. He has so many inspiring lines in this book that I want to remember. I felt a strong reaction to his discussion of taking “no” less personally and myself less seriously and in doing that being able to see the opportunity for enrollment.

I also really felt a connection with Zander’s idea of being the board in your life, not reacting to the other players, but taking control in your life and transforming your entire circumstance. Making room for all the moves, as Zander puts it. What a revelation for most of us to stop seeing life as a blame game. When you look back, it’s so interesting to see how measurement in it’s many forms completely rules our existence. We have been trained to think that way.

Reading the steps in chapter 11 about vision and being a leader of possibility inspired me to write them down and carry them with me. Lately I feel as though I am always trying to overcome the downward spiral so it’s going to be a key part of my outlook to get into the practice of focusing on what is possible. Whether it’s because of a certain student or faculty member that I’m having an issue with or if I’m just plain tired that particular day, the goal is to stay focused on realigning myself. If I keep the concept of the framework in my mind, hopefully it will more easily allow me to bounce back when I get pulled down.

As I begin to head back to school this coming week after spring break, I feel that I have a renewed sense of purpose in what I do. Part of it, yes, is simply taking some time off, but the other part is finishing the last few chapters of this book.  For me, the WE story truly communicates why I work at a community college and sets the framework for me as a teacher and as the interim coordinator for the center for teaching and learning. I have learned many valuable lessons and want to plaster some of Zander’s quotes on the walls of the school. It also makes me think about my role as a mom and wife and how I can set the framework for all the relationships in my life.

My Comment to Dena:

Dena:

I also felt a connection with Zander's idea about being the board in your life. He really made me understand that not all the situations we have is about other people, we constantly think or believe is the persons around you that make things happen because we as humans have the instinct to blame others when in reality we are the ones that most of the times make the issues bigger or negative. This board exercise guides us to be responsible about the circumstances that happens around us instead of charging others for them. This book has been a treasure for me to keep and put in practice! I am glad we had the opportunity to reflect and put meaning to these chapters!

Photo by Sabrina Giroux

My week 2 post discussed my initial thoughts about the Publishing Leadership Project. In that post I wasn't feeling very confident about my research or my ability to put together a very good paper. Fortunately, I had been reading The Art of Possibilityand by week 3 I was feeling a lot more competent. I had decided to submit to the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, and my paper was well under way. I realized that using Facebook as a form of communication with parents was a positive experience, and that I shouldn't get bogged down in my thinking just because I had a small number of parents participate. Now, at the end of week 4 the Publishing Leadership Project is complete and ready to submit. I have survived month 11 and am looking forward to month 12 and beyond with a great anticipation.

Steve Jobs commencement speech at Stanford is one of my favorite speeches. I have watched it several times and always sit in wonder at how his life unfolded. He  said, "You can't connect the dots looking forward you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future...believing that the dots connect down the road will give you the confidence to follow your heart even when it leads you off the well worn path and that will make all the difference." One year ago I made a decision to attend Full Sail not knowing where that would lead. It was only a feeling in my heart that this was something I was supposed to do. I still don't have all the dots ready to connect, but I am so confident that I am on the right path. I know Full Sail will have made all the difference.

Photo by Sabrina Giroux

My Comment to Sabrina:

Sabrina:
I know exactly how you feel, I also felt the same way about Full Sail, month 11 and the publishing leadership project. I actually felt relieved when I read your thoughts regarding all this process, it makes me feel like it is something completely normal and that my fear is not only about english not being my first language. I know I've struggle to get to this point but it has been a rewarding and satisfactory experience. The book "The Art of Possibility has also change the way I see things, I feel more positive and confident. The way Steve Jobs describes connecting the dots looking backwards it makes sense because we don't know what we will face in the future. I'm glad we are moving forward!! Congrats!