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The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, opens with the notion that all is invented, so why not invent your own possibilities. This notion invites the reader into perpetual state of creation and is relevant to relationships, organizations, and art. I appreciate that the focus here is not on making that perception a reality, but instead asks as to use the invented perspective to examine what new choices and possibilities have arisen.
As a teacher, Ben Zander proposed that at the start of his classes he gives every student an "A." The result was more passionate students, ones that, on their own, were able to achieve more than Zander could have hoped. His premise is that if your teacher, manager, significant other, gives you an "A" at the start, you may be surprised at the extraordinary things that you will accomplish. As an educator I see true value in this practice. However, I wish he would have advised us on what happens when a student writes a beautiful letter, and then fails to show up for class the next 9 weeks. This of course illustrates my own inner cynic.
The Zanders have an art for illustrating their message with incredible simplicity. I certainly appreciate the approach as I begin to apply the practices to my own life, but it also left me very frustrated at points throughout the reading.
@Elijah,
ReplyDeleteIt gives me a sense of hope to view the focus as creating our own possibilities and examining what new choices and possibilities are available. The illustration of giving his students an A at the beginning of class struck me as well. Many of the students at our school don’t receive positive reinforcement and validation in their lives. The positive impact sometimes is what I have bestowed upon them. When a child is empowered with the belief that someone cares it enables them to conquer the rough experiences they have to endure each day.
Tracy Bockler
Interesting observations and great question when a student fails to live up to their own words. My thoughts are that we as classroom teachers know what would work best for our own students. What I mean is that it's unreasonable to expect elementary students to have a strong enough concept of time to make nine month commitments. Depending on the ages group it might be more appropriate for them to say/write what it was that week to get their A or even that day. The other thing is that the Zander end each chapter talking about "practices" and I take this to mean that this is a goal that will take time to adapt to and quite possibly will end in multiple failures. Hang in there. I appreciate your honesty and efforts.
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