Week 2 Comment on Justin Baker's Post

Wk 2: Reading “The Art of Possibility” Ch. 1-4


Wow! I am thoroughly impressed by these two authors – and especially of Ben, surely being helped by his talk about classical music on the TED asset. I believe I especially am connected to this writing because I am a music teacher, and a musician. To speak in the terms of music, its rehearsal, its pains, its passions and trials are right up my alley, and help me to connect in a major way. Of the four practices discussed thus far – Giving an A, and Contribution have spoken to me the most. While reading, I found myself raising an eyebrow or two just about every other page – and for me this means someone has “called me out” or challenged my way of thinking. How true is it that we have those students who don’t fit our way of doing things, or our rules and methods and we are quick to label them as lazy or unreachable? I am reminded at what kind of student I was, especially in my undergraduate college years. I was – and still am to this day, a rebel to form. I always questioned what was being taught; its authenticity, meaning and driving purpose. This is why, now as an educator myself, I often let the students tell me what it is they are learning, or why they are doing something. This book challenged me further, however, to venture into the lives of these students, where education is not something that happens in a building, but in their homes, their communities and their lives – and starts within. In these recent weeks, I have been trudging through my professional life. Every task seemed to drag me down further and further, every initiative seemed to bring me back to the rebel that is constantly there. I was beginning to be a “second string fiddle” to teaching. This book came just at the right time, right when I was loosing steam, thinking every event that “happened” to me was this awful step to my doom. Perhaps now I can look at things differently this week.

Comments:

Justin, I was struck most by your comment about venturing into your students lives and the notion that it starts within. Some days that is my mantra, my prayer. Hoping that I can get a glimpse of that intrinsic motivation to learn. I know it is there. We are told over and over that one of the brains primary "desires" is to learn. My students up until this year have been extremely poor to the point were education served no real outlet from this poverty (in their minds view at least.) Now my students here in UAE are so wealthy that they see no real benefit to education, because they will live the lives their parents ore living regardless. So interesting, that two extremes yield the same result. I keep asking myself as I read, "What could be my version of giving an A for 8 year olds?" How do I scaffold students to be able to even write such a letter from a truly intrinsic place?