Reading Week 1 Boxed In
Friday, May 7, 2010
While reading “The Art of Possibilities”, I have come to realize how we construct boundaries and limitations on ourselves because we are alway trying to live up to our or someone else’s expectations. When we fair to meet those expectations, we become boxed in. Our survival instincts kick in. I can safely say, that I am in that survival mode right now. I have set the bar of expectation so high for myself, that failure is not an option. So needless to say, I am totally freaking out about all the work I need to do before graduation. One thing I have learned from my reading is how to look beyond my situation and think outside of the box because that situation does not define who I am. I have also learned that there are a universe of possibilities out there, we just have to look at our lives in a different way. I have vowed to ask myself each day, “Are you looking at the glass as if it is half empty or are you looking at it as if it is half full”.
I plan to look at it as if it is half full!
Also, in chapter 3, I had this profound ah-ha moment. There was a letter that was written by one of Mr. Zander’s A students. It was so profound to me because my daughter came to me and wondered what she could do to become famous (she sings really well). She was listening to one of her favorite artists when she said, “Why can’t I sing runs like that?” She is constantly comparing herself to others and gets upset when she does not measure up. After reading this particular letter, I have already written down what I am going to say to her to encourage her to give herself and A so that she can open herself up to a world of possibilities.
As a society, I think we’ve watered down possibilities. I think people are too content living through people, rather than pursuing those lives themselves. Parents, teachers, communities don’t hold students accountable enough for their actions or lack of motivation. You mentioned looking outside the box, beyond the situation. I think that is what’s lacking today – the ability for people to look beyond their problems. It’s easier to deal with them than correct them, ignore them, rather than face them. Too many students see the glass half empty.
The glass is half empty because the way the education system portrays the glass makes it look that way. There is too great an emphasis on college, when it’s not practical that every student will attend. Until the education system realizes the job of teachers is to prepare students for the next step, not college, things won’t change. There are so many possibilities out there that are not given enough credit that it creates an all-or-nothing scenario. When students know they won’t be going to college, they give up and they can’t see beyond their perceived failure.
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