Week 2 - Response to Patricia Ort's Blog on the Zander book

My response to Pat Ort’s blog:

Pat Wrote:
The Art of Possibility, written by Rosamund Stone Zander and her husband, Benjamin Zander, is turning out to be better than I first thought. Initially, the title intrigued me. However, it took me until page 12 to really start to connect with what the author's were saying. By the end of the fourth chapter, I liked what I was reading so well that I ordered two more copies of the book to share with the two other teachers in my alternative high school program.
I especially liked giving people an A (including yourself). I think perception is really important. I could relate this idea with our approach to our alternative ed high school students. What if we did this with them? How would it transform our relationship with our students if we did that? The authors address the image of the teen, sitting in a resigned posture - as our alternative ed kids often do - and speculate how that would change if the students were treated like A students from the start. If we treat them like A students, and they treat themselves like A students, what would happen? I think I'd like to find out.
I appreciated the author's thoughts on our "world of measurement." This was especially thought provoking for me because I have been deeply frustrated by my work situation. I actually have been doing a lot of surviving, especially over the past four years. I found the ideas in this book rather liberating. Now, if I can just maintain that mindset! I am imagining my future just one year from now. What would I write if I were writing one of those A letters?
I liked the idea that "...resources are likely to come to you in greater abundance when you are generous and inclusive and engage people in your passion for life." I think this is true. It actually goes well with my own conviction that you make your own luck. True, there are random circumstances and people I can't control, but I choose how I respond to them, and if I am positive and keep pressing forward, I will be ready when opportunity presents its self.
I have to say, I also enjoyed the Ted video of Benjamin Zander. My 19 year-old son is a college music major and wishes to be a composer. I shared the video with him, certain he would especially like it because he has a particular knowledge of music. I was right.

I am looking forward to reading the next part of the book. Reading it has also prompted me to do a lot of reflection. If all goes well, I should be getting my EMDT masters at the end of June. If I leave the survival mindset behind and change my way of thinking, what will my attitude be as I complete my degree? What new opportunities will present themselves? I look forward to the next year with anticipation.

Zander, R. & Zander, B. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Ch. 1-4. Penguin Books. New York, NY.

My response:

Pat, I remember you mentioning to me in a chat that it took you until about page 12 to start connecting with this book. I didn’t get the same ‘vibe’ as you, because it hit me right away what the Zander’s message was. I think it is great that you ordered two more copies of the book for your co-workers, that is SO incredibly thoughtful, and very much you are being a contributor as Ben Zander discusses in the book. Your co-workers are really fortunate to have someone as interested in their progress as you apparently are. I’m interested to see if you do try out the ‘giving an A’ to your alternative ed students. They could possibly be a group that would be receptive to this type of positive, unconventional type of grading by the mere fact that their education is unconventional as well. I think it is worth a try, what the heck, you could try it out for a semester or a year and see if it works. It is something to think about looking into. On also giving yourself an “A”…I have issues with that because I tend to be my own worst enemy and not really feel I ‘deserve’ that. I probably need to work on myself a bit more before I can truly give myself an A, but thanks for bringing that into the discussion so we can remind ourselves to also practice what we preach! I loved those “A letters” and I can tell you did as well. I also thought about what type of “A letter” I would write if I was in a course that was run the same way as Ben Zander’s orchestra class. I also thought the ‘world of measurement’ discussion was really interesting because he made us think of things in a different way than we are normally used to. I think Ben Zander has a tendency to do a lot of ‘critical thinking’ in his writing as well, which is really a different approach to read in a book like this one. I’m glad Philip liked the video!