MAC_Week3_Comment2

Blog post from Mike Padilla:
The Art of Possibility continues to inspire me. The book has so many positive messages in all of its chapters and I’m glad that it was chosen as the book that we focus on this month.
In the 5th chapter, Any Chair, the book focuses on how we should not just command and tell people what to do, however, we must sometimes trust people to shine on their own and to do their part. As a teacher, I am in charge of 95 students throughout the year, and while I’m so used to just telling my students what to do for their projects, I am reminded that I need to give them freedom to do their work to the best of their abilities, without me dictating each step. Especially in a creative class like mine, the students need to be given room to shine on their own.

I also like how the chapter said that everyone makes mistakes, including those in charge, and when we mess up, it’s better to apologize instead of blaming others or making excuses.

Chapter 6 focuses on the “Rule Number 6”, which basically tells us that we shouldn’t take ourselves so seriously. This one change in attitude can completely change the climate in which we work with others. Overall, this chapter focused on lightening up, getting over ourselves, and using humor to bring people together – all things that I completely agree with!

I really liked the message of the 7th chapter, The Way. It started off great with a quote from Babe, “The only way to find happiness is to accept that the way things are is the way things are” and then went on to counter that point throughout the chapter. Just as the book stated, when we aren’t happy with how a situation is, we tend to focus all of our energy on how things SHOULD be, rather than how things really are, and then in turn, “we lose our power to act effectdively.” I like the way the message implies that while one thing may seem bad to us, it may have other hidden, good meanings (rain being bad for a FL vacation, but being good for the amazing FL oranges!)

The 8th chapter, Giving Way To Passion focuses on letting go of what holds us back, breaking through barriers, and letting our passion surge through. We shouldn’t let anything hold us back from our passion.
This reminds me of another quote from The Alchemist, “Tell your heart that the fear of suffering is worse than the suffering itself. And that no heart has ever suffered when it goes in search of its dreams, because every second of the search is a second's encounter with God and with eternity." - Paul Coelho, The Alchemist

My response to Mike:
Mike, I am always inspired by your thoughts and love reading the deeper meanings you find in our text. This book by Zander and Stone is the epitome of those ideas. I remember you saying that one of your favorite books is The Alchemist and I have heard that from so many people, yet I've never read it. I think when this master's program is over, reading The Alchemist is first on my list.

I could completely empathize with you when you said about always being in control of your classes and having to assign projects to your kids, even though your class is creative. I have been feeling the same way lately and I think I try to control the class more than I really should. It's such a fine line between creative freedom and too little boundaries sometimes. Some kids really take advantage of the free time and improve their skills and some kids just "take advantage". I really enjoy reading your blog and hope you still post once the program is over. Take care!