MAC Week Three: The Way Things Are, and don't forget Rule No. 6!
~Amanda Rhymer
As I read the next four chapters in The Art of Possibility this week, I couldn't help but reflect upon the discussion board topic that we were also give for this week. I'm pretty sure Dr. Joe knew what he was doing this week. Our discussion this week had to do with the barriers to integrating technology in the classroom. We were supposed to discuss, from our experience, what it is that keeps teachers from embracing new technology. Our answers varied from time commitment to fear of failure, lack of PD to lack of support from Admin. Since most of us are classroom teachers, we hit probably the top ten roadblocks, easily. But after the reading this week, my eyes are open to some new possibilities!
In the chapter, The Way Things Are, the authors discuss our tendency to see the negative in a bad situation, instead of seeing it for what it really is...just another situation. They also discuss the tendency to express problems as a downward spiral, I hear this all the time in the Teacher's Lounge!! The same teachers who balk at integrating new technology are typically the same people who express their frustration with "these" students, who are always the worst students ever, and Oh! Just wait! The class coming up is the worst EVER!! It's so frustrating, and disheartening, if you buy into all that talk. Why would anyone ever want to dedicate their lives to teaching? It's much more encouraging to think of these kids as being different from previous generations, not better or worse, and to think of ways to reach them that weren't available in previous generations.
Where are you speaking from:
And finally, lest we all forget, remember Rule No. 6!!
{Not to give it away if you haven't read the book, but Rule No. 6 simply states: Don't take yourself so goddamn seriously!}
{PS: There are NO other rules!}
In the chapter, The Way Things Are, the authors discuss our tendency to see the negative in a bad situation, instead of seeing it for what it really is...just another situation. They also discuss the tendency to express problems as a downward spiral, I hear this all the time in the Teacher's Lounge!! The same teachers who balk at integrating new technology are typically the same people who express their frustration with "these" students, who are always the worst students ever, and Oh! Just wait! The class coming up is the worst EVER!! It's so frustrating, and disheartening, if you buy into all that talk. Why would anyone ever want to dedicate their lives to teaching? It's much more encouraging to think of these kids as being different from previous generations, not better or worse, and to think of ways to reach them that weren't available in previous generations.
Where are you speaking from:
And finally, lest we all forget, remember Rule No. 6!!
{Not to give it away if you haven't read the book, but Rule No. 6 simply states: Don't take yourself so goddamn seriously!}
{PS: There are NO other rules!}
Hello Amanda!
I love this blog post. I had
intended on taking the same diagram that you added here to put in a place for a
reminder, as I can be more goal driven instead of inspiration driven. Thank you for doing this for me. I enjoy reading your stories and benefiting
from your experience. I had to laugh
when I read about your naysayer teachers.
I work with the opposite of this situation. Every year I hear her telling someone how
lucky she is to have such a truly great class.
She has been teaching for quite a long time, so I think she forgets that
she says this every year. One year I
heard her and I chuckled, and then of course she asked me why I chuckled. I could only answer her with the truth, to
which she responded, “but I do have a truly great class, this year, truly!”
MAC Wk 3 Reading Art of Possibility Chapters 5-8
~by David Mouri
Making a difference in a persons life is a responsibility, and as an educator I take that seriously. Teaching students in special education who have cognitive disabilities makes "making a difference" in their lives the focal point of what I do. Knowing that one day these high school students will become young adults, and will be faced with a world of possibilities, but they will just have to be prepared to work harder to enjoy them.Some parents would love for us to "fix" their child, but we know that is not possible. I try to teach basic functional life skills to my students to allow them more independence at home, and where ever they may be in their future. They can learn this skills now and practice them at home with the supervision of their parents. There are times when parents have to be persuaded to allow their student to practice these life skills at home. I have a parent that feels that there is too many dials on the washer for her child to handle. I believe there are some steps that could be taken home to make it easier for her student to set the washer.
Seems like life could be very short, and do I take my self seriously? I do to a point but most of the time I am the person who is laid back, and goes with the flow. Do I avoid conflict? Yes I try to at times, who doesn't. To keep myself grounded I make sure that I do some things that I enjoy and am passionate about. If you looked at the title of this blog then you would know that music is a HUGE in my life. I usually am singing in a choir at church, the 2nd City Barbershop Chorus and my quartet 2nd Opinion. that represents 3 rehearsals a week and seven to eight hours of singing a week. What does that mean to me? It means work, it means patience, fellowship, and most of all FUN.
Barbershop music is a journey, because the music is acapella that means the learning process can be long at times. We do use the piano to learn notes, and have learning tapes with parts available, there are recordings of songs too. The bottom line is when you are singing the chorus we rely on each other to sing the notes right, so the music will sound great. In a quartet singing the right notes is magnified by 100 because there is not one to lean on for your part. You have to sing each note correctly and in tune if you want your quartet to sound good. The magic happens when you can ring a chord and hear that unique sound. The four of us in 2nd Opinion love to hear that sound and we work hard to make that happen. Is it work? Is it hard at times? YES to both, but it is our passion that carries us on.
Hello David,
I am touched and inspired by your words. You truly seem to put your heart in everything that you do. Sometimes you have to offer students a skill, and sometimes you offer them a positive human experience. Passion is the key ingredient in success I think. I find that passion is harder for me to sustain as I add to my roles in life, where you just seem to gain momentum!
Faith-O
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