About Me
- Sue Parler
- New Jersey, United States
- I'm currently in my 32nd year teaching at DePaul Catholic HS in Wayne, NJ. I teach Game Design, Cryptology, and Spanish -- yes, it's an odd mix -- even I admit it. I am the IT Coordinator at DePaul Catholic as well, which means I manage the network, the student information system, the website, and the 900+ computers in the building. Yep, keeps me busy.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
MAC Week 3: "Art of Possibility" Reading
As a softball coach, I often use the orchestra conductor metaphor to create an image that I can explain to others. I realize that my team is a collection of highly talented athletes (metaphorically, musicians); and my job is to make them play in perfect harmony – each feeling comfortable enough with her own contribution to be able to praise the skills of another. In so doing, I can see tangible evidence of engagement; through which we can achieve tangible evidence of progress in terms of better play. Wins and losses are never a barometer of our greatness – simply ask the question, “Are we a better team after the game, than we were when we started?” If so – we win, regardless of the score.
Because of their comfort in contributions to the team, I often have players step up and lead. Rarely is it the same player twice in a row. They lead by example and by words. Rarely is it the best player – it is simply one who perceives a need and steps in to fill it. They do not usurp my position as coach – they empower it.
That being said, the fifth principle, “Lead from any Chair” presents a conundrum. The book is written from the perspective of the leader. What if I’m in some other chair? Other than presenting him with the gift of this book, how do I get my leader to shed his/her calculating self? How do I draw him from his competitive measurement world and allow others to lead? Hmmm… ‘tis a puzzlement.
I gave him the book.
With regard to the seventh principle, “Be present to the way things are”, since I started at Full Sail last June, I have made this a practical goal. I have much to do and much in my head. But I owe it to those in front of me at that precise moment to be present to and with them. The glass half full metaphor crystalized this even more for me; as the full portion of the glass is the only thing tangible – real. Do not waste energy on the imagined – too much energy is already required in the real world, so be present to it.
I adore nature. If I had to narrow it down to a single passion, I would say that the outdoors tops the list. I invest every Sunday morning in reconnecting with nature. I have often said that if I had my life to live over again, I’d be a Landscape Architect.
I walked around those gardens, jumping puddles, for two hours. Then we stopped at a little rustic deli for a good country lunch and headed home. It was a glorious Sunday.
Then I revisited my “If I had my life to live over” thought. Why live it over? I am who I am today by virtue of every experience I’ve had up to this point. I’m still here living. And I can pinpoint my passion. So I made a choice. Once I have finished the program at Full Sail, I’ll be returning to school once more – for Landscape Design. I’ve put in inquiries to several local schools and several online schools. I’m excited to see what develops.
Then I sat down on Sunday afternoon and read chapters 5 and 6 of the “Art of Possibility”. Imagine my surprise Monday night when I reached Chapter 8 – Give Way to Passion.
Serendipitous, wouldn’t you say?
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
4 comments:
Sue,
I find it completely funny that after I had just finished responding to Anne Alsup about how I relate teaching music and performing as an ensemble to that of sports teams, I immediately clicked on your post to see your metaphor of what you do coaching softball to that of an orchestra! Of course as I see it, this makes perfect sense and in no way serendipitous. Life has many correlations and connections. The more connections we make the deeper an understanding of life we will develop. But what is important is for our students to see these connections as well and to teach them to make these connections.
I also really appreciated your foray into nature and it’s connection with the book. I too saw this in the chapters we read. In fact it reminds me so much of the great transcendentalist writers, Emerson and Thoreau, who often wrote about elevating ones self by being fully immersed with nature. Taking the time to soak in its beauty and acknowledging nature for what it is. Doing this will Give way to Passion.
I love your thirst for knowledge and passion to continually improve yourself. Through this program I think I have developed the passion to learn and may flirt with more education in the years to come. Right now I think my pocketbook may not share this same passion!
Sue,
As usual, you inspire me. You are truly a different breed of cat. Full Sail has also reopened a whole set of dormant ideas and possibilities in me as well. The whole breaking out of the normal routine of life can have that effect. That's why I spend as much time as possible in nature, and why I take my yearly 'big adventure' wilderness trips. These things have a way of reconnecting me to myself, rewiring important parts of me that become short-circuited or blown by the grind of the normal.
I am traditionally a glass half empty personality. I would have to say since entering my 40's I became a lot less so, but I still sense the occasional need to beat down my negative impulses. But it was not until I read the quote in the book, "A cynic is a passionate person who does not want to be disappointed again" that a few things cleared up in my head. I am actually an optimist. I still believe that around the next bend, over the next rise, or on the other side of the next ridge, greatness will be found. I think this way about people and situations. But I have been burned so many times, that I found it easier to take the cynic's view (glass half empty) than rely on my natural optimism. Full Sail has made me want to take all kinds of risks again. What can be more positive, more affirming, than risk?
Very glad to hear you are pursuing a passion. I wish you great joy and fulfillment in it.
So many wonderful images you have woven with your words. Thank you for sharing, Sue. If I may, our softball coach is a good friend of mine and I’d like to share your thoughts with her. We have talk softball several times and she is very disappointed in me that I’m not coaching with her. Maybe someday I’ll coach again. But for now getting through to my middle school students has been a major drive for 4 years now. I have one more year to accomplish this and then I too am moving on. I hope that I don’t have to go back to school as you are looking forward to (best wishes by the way ☺ ), rather hope to find something where I can teach, research and enjoy my job everyday with the free time to spend and explore new places with my son. I hope that chance will also fall on me.
@Sue
You pose a great question with regards to the “lead from any chair” chapter. What do you do if you aren’t the leader, but someone sitting in one of the chairs? I sat there thinking for several minutes about this question, and in a great many cases, it boils down to one of two things, 1) you could accept things for “the way they are” (see chapter 7 of the book for more on this), or 2) your solution. I think solution 2 is probably the better of the two, if the person actually reads it. I feel as though I am in much the same situation at the moment, however “Remember Rule #6” and “The way things are” are the chapters most applicable in my situation. I have bought the book for that person, but at this point, they want to read it, or are not open to reading it. The person is caught in a persistent thunderstorm of life and is not willing to alter their perceptions and perspective and accept the things that they can’t change in their life. Instead the sit there in the rain drowning is self-pity over their situation. I have offered the proverbial umbrella, yet there the sit getting soaked to the bone. We can’t force them to take or to use the umbrella, but we can continue to offer it, in hopes that they might someday decide to use it.
Post a Comment