Week 2 Reading: Reflecting on "The Art of Possibility"

Photo by Johan Roed http://www.flickr.com/photos/johanroed/3163039837/in/pool-809956@N25/

The first chapter of The Art of Possibility drew me right in, because imagining possibilities and thinking outside the box is how I live my life. I have always been a firm believer that people invent their own lives and attitude is what you choose to have.  One of the books that has most influenced me in the past was about Mary Kay Ash. I don’t recall the title of the book, but I was deeply impressed by the way that Mary Kay respected every person that she came in contact with and her philosophy of making every person feel special.  I was reminded of this philosophy again as I read The Monk’s Story (p52). It only takes a small effort to make people feel important and good about themselves, but that small effort has a profound effect.

One of the most disturbing things I have come across in my school is the way I see some of the teachers treat their students. Before I started teaching in public school I taught in a small Christian school that was so full of love that you could physically feel it when you walked through the doors. Teachers were coaches that drew out the best in their students, and even discipline was handled with love.  After a few months in public school I was ready to call it quits. I could understand why some of those teachers were so angry and I was having a hard time handling the students. I was running my classroom the same way I had in my former school, and it wasn’t working at all.  I had to make a lot of adjustments that year. One of them was the commitment to not let my attitude become one of anger and despair, but to keep my joy. I sought out the advice of a more experienced coach, and she taught me how to manage my students more effectively. At that time I made the decision to be a “contribution”. I wasn’t going to get sucked in by the other teachers’ attitudes around me. I have been much happier since, and those results are also evident in the relationships I have with my students.  I have also decided to focus my attention on the teachers with this same attitude and to stay far away from those without it.

My Comment to Sabrina Giroux

Sabrina, I understand what your are describing about teachers and the way they treat their students. Some teachers don't have the tools to manage students behavior and they tend to yell at them all the time. I really identify myself with this topic because I have always been an elementary school teacher and 7 months ago I was assigned as a technology high school teacher in a catholic school. I have to admit that at first I was a little scared because of the fact that managing behavior with elementary is not the same with bigger kids and they could be intimidating. When I started at that school, the same day during lunch time, I could hear some teachers talking about what this student said and what another student did and I told myself I'm wasn't going to listen to them and I swore myself I would never talk about a student in the faculty room with other teachers. It seem to me very unethical to do this and it also made me think about finding strategies to avoid situations with students. I believe a lot of teachers, when they come to this point, either they are way too traditional or they simply don't have passion for what they do. Today, 7 months later, I can tell you that I love my students and I know they appreciate me because I treat them like human beings and I respect them. I always try to understand them and find a solution to their actions but I also treat them like adults and make them responsible for their actions. To this date they have never disrespected me and I am really satisfied with what I have accomplish with them. I give myself an A and also as you, be a contribution for education.