Week 4 / Blog 4 - Response to Paula Sanchez's Blog

My Reply to Paula Sanchez:

Paula, nicely put! "A Mission statement vs. a VISION Statement". The difference between the two makes a huge difference in garnering support and compliance from faculty and staff. If the philosophy of an institution is not constructed with grassroots involvement, then it will feel like we are helping achieve THEIR goal, not ours.

And wow! Your story about how your former student pursued a degree in Molecular Biology is so inspiring! It is stories like those that make it easier for me to wake up Monday morning, commute into the City, and listen to how students forgot their flash drive, lost their work, or didn't do their assignment at all. Because I know that somewhere in that classroom, there is going to be ONE student who will 'spark' :)

Paula Sanchez's Original Post:

The Art of Possibility – Chapters 9 – 12

Chapter 9 – Lighting a Spark

This chapter really sends a wonderful message – that we as educators, parents, mentors, and humans – have the ability to light the spark of interest, of enthusiasm, of change in other people.  I’m certain we all have those opportunities on a nearly daily basis – the magic lies in how often we choose to put forth the effort to make it happen.  Sometimes, we pass the spark and see immediate results.  Other times, it takes a while. 

I had a student five years ago, as an eighth grader.  He was struggling with his family, with school, with friends, with his sexuality, with nearly everything.  He sent a clear message to me that he hated science, did the bare minimum to pass my class, and was just pretty disagreeable in general.  On to high school he went, and I did not see him until just a few weeks ago. 

I was doing some shopping in the Target close to my school, when from behind me, I heard a low, booming voice say, “Hey, Mrs. Sanchez!  Are you going to be polite and say good morning?” (This was something I’d said to him, oh, probably 500 times when he was in middle school.)  When I turned around, I was enveloped in a hug by a nearly grown man with crazy long dreadlocks, flip flops, and the biggest, warmest smile I could imagine coming from the kid who had surely despised me!

We visited for the next twenty minutes.  He wanted to know what was going on at the middle school, how it had changed, who the new troublemakers were, if all of his old teachers were there.  He told me all about his four years of high school – the classes he’d taken (any and all of the honors science courses offered) and what he was planning to do after graduation in a few weeks.  He again gave me the smile, put his arm around me, and told me that he had been accepted to university, and would be pursuing a Biology degree, as he wanted to become a Molecular Biologist!  (Imagine my surprise!)  Unprompted, he added, “It was your class that really got me interested in science.  Remember the labs we used to do, like extracting DNA from strawberries?  You thought I wasn’t paying attention, but I was really interested in that stuff.” 

I guess he’d been carrying the spark around in his little tin box, just waiting for the right opportunity to light the fire. 

Chapter 10 – Being the Board

Being the board – although I understand the premise of this chapter, it was kind of a struggle to read.  Basically, what I’m understanding, is that we have to own our own “stuff”, not put blame on other people, and not put up obstacles to impede the forward movement of others.  Seems simple enough, right?  I think it would be simple for me if I could only remember to keep Rule #6 in my head and heart.  Sometimes, in my interactions with students, family, friends, and even strangers, it is difficult to not internalize and not “own” other people’s stuff.  In the heat of discussion or argument, it is equally difficult to step back, figure out why this moment of time is on your board, and figure out what to do or what to say without antagonizing others. 

Chapter 11 – Creating Frameworks for Possibilities

“A vision is an open invitation and an inspiration for people to create ideas and events that correlate with its definitional framework.”

From this chapter, I chose the above referenced statement because it is so clear, so concise, and so meaningful to me.  As I think about the school where I teach, I realize that part of the unhappiness, part of the unprofessionalism; part of the lack of cohesiveness may be due to our lack of vision.  We have a mission statement, developed by our principal and the site leadership council, made up of her, a group of parents, and possibly a couple of teachers.  Unfortunately, it is a mission, not a vision statement.  If it were a vision statement, and if staff felt motivated and inspired to create ideas and events to match it, I think we would have a much more satisfied staff.  Nobody likes to be forced to buy into something they didn’t help create, or that they aren’t asked to contribute to.  It is difficult to support!  I would love to share this chapter (and the entire book, for that matter) with my administrator.

Chapter 12 - Telling the We Story

I can work with this notion of “We” instead of “you” or “I”.  When I think about it, particularly in the classroom setting, where I typically have 36 faces looking to me for direction after face #37 has said or done something inappropriate, I have the responsibility to direct everyone in the room to understand the power of “We”.  I think the power of making something “our problem” instead of “your problem” is amazing…maybe it’s just the age of the students I have.  Eighth graders love to get involved in conversation about something they deem as “wrong” or “unfair”.  Making a problem the responsibility of “We” can lead to resolution everyone can live with, and remember longer than if I had awarded a consequence.