MAC wk 2 Reading - Art of Possibilities

After a long week of contractions (baby is coming soon), I finally finished reading the first four chapters of “ The Art of Possibility” by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander. I really didn't know what to expect when I began this endeavor, however this read caught my interest from the first page in the first chapter - It's all invented. The way these two marketing colleagues think is the way many of us think in our daily lives; either with a glass half empty or a glass half full. Perspective of the situation can make or break the success of whatever we are trying to create or accomplish. 


Many fail to realize that other's perceptions of life vary drastically based on their particular upbringing. One cannot assume that another person sees things or perceives information the same way they do. Although I have been in America pretty much my whole life, am for the most part americanized and think mostly like an american, I still have my deeply ingrained teachings from my family and culture which is very different that the culture in America. Because of this my perceptions of how things work or should work have been challenged by my many American friends. Until this day I still ask questions and am perplexed by how certain things work, or contemplate the many nuances of phrases that are used in the English language. Although I should know and be able to discern the information I am receiving as Picasso and The Me'en people of Ethiopia received information that seems logical to me, my brain does not process it the way many it appears to for many others around me. I am still baffled by this to this day. 


Reading “ The Art of Possibility” made me realize that if a school with a diverse student population and a relatively non-diverse faculty is to be successful on both ends of the spectrum that faculty as well as students need to understand how different we all think and process information. Not fully understanding this concept leads to the many breakdowns our schools face. The high school I previously taught at fell in this category, and they are still struggling to maintain a positive balance within the school, primarily because admin refuses to acknowledge that there are other possibilities that can and probably should be explored. The administration team segregated themselves from everyone else, and only a select few that believed or perceived things their way were allowed in. This caused an unbalanced way in which new information could be introduced.  So every single year, when one person on the admin team (which was very small) would decide that this new way was the way to do things (without taking the environment or others perspectives into consideration) that's they way everyone would have to adapt and now perform (with very little training or understanding of why things were changing). 


The actual measurement of success can be attributed to the environment in which one is placed in; and that certain responses are more suitable to certain environments, we need to be adaptable and understand that our responses can be adjusted if you believe in the Art of Possibility.