Wk4 Reading: Art of Possibility Chapters 9 – 12

Chapter 9. The Spark


The author wrote: "Enrollment is the art and practice of generating spark of possibility for others to share." As teachers this is what we try to do on a daily basis.  Sometimes we look for latent talent that is buried deep inside a student and then connect that student what is already inside them.  This is the spark. This is the magic. Helping students see possibility and become invested or enrolled in what they are doing.  Sometimes it's hard for people to see beyond the reality that they have constructed, but we can choose to reject any reality and substitute our own (Just like on MythBusters).



Chapter 10.  - Being the Board

I have to be honest, after reading chapter 10, I really didn't understand what the author was trying to communicate.  The closest I can come to understanding the message is "accept things as they are and do not judge or blame."  It seemed like a really long road to get to that message. For teaching this concept, I prefer the Zen story of the two monks... It goes like this:

A senior monk and a junior monk were traveling together. At one point, they came to a river with a strong current. As the monks were preparing to cross the river, they saw a very young and beautiful woman also attempting to cross. The young woman asked if they could help her. 

The senior monk carried this woman on his shoulder, forded the river and let her down on the other bank. The junior monk was very upset, but said nothing. 

They both were walking and senior monk noticed that his junior was suddenly silent and inquired “Is something the matter, you seem very upset?”

The junior monk replied, “As monks, we are not permitted a woman, how could you then carry that woman on your shoulders?”

The senior monk replied, “I put the woman down long ago, why are you still carrying her?”

The senior monk was able to free his mind and see all the possibilities on "the board".

Chapter 11.- Frameworks


This chapter opens with Martin Luther's famous "I have a dream speech" to support the claim that dreaming can make a difference.  The author frames this speech as if it was prepared in advance and created to stir the human spirit.  This was not the cae.  Martin Luther departed from his speech after reading paragraph one of his written speech and decided to speak extemporaneously at the urging of Mahalia Jackson.  Mahalia was Dr. King's favorite gospel singer and in the middle of his speech she shouted: 'Tell them about the dream Martin! Tell them about the dream!" at which point history was made.

To me, this is the true framework of possibility.  Departing from the prepared remarks and talking passionately about your dream.  People will respond and resonate at a much deeper level as we saw in the case of Dr. King. As the author pointed out, "a personal vision can become the framework for a life of possbility."



Chapter 12.  - The We Story

Henry Truman said... "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit." and this is how I tend to operate.  Our egos often get in the way of us helping or supporting others because we selfishly want credit, but does it really matter?  We are trained to be individual performers, rugged individualists who can pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps.  The reality is that we all need a helping hand and a friend to go on the journey with us. I see teachers as fellow sojourners on the educational path and we need to help and support our students to help them achieve all that is possible.


Coda: Now what do we do?

Accept things as they are, ignite sparks and develop frameworks for possibility.