MAC Wk 2 -  Art of Possibility Reading Blog

Living in the world of measurement sums up my 7th grade classroom. I have been so caught up in the last two years of my teaching career on how my students were going to do on the state tests and how they don't measure up to the standards I believe they should be meeting that I may not have given them the best chance at success. I have struggled immensely with the skills set that many of my students bring in, banging my head against the wall trying to figure out how they made it this far with so little mathematical skill. It has been a frustrating couple of years, but with some of the insight from the Art of Possibility, I am changing my viewpoint to create a more positive approach to learning and teaching. By switching my classroom to a world of possibility, I will now look at my students as opportunities to fill with mathematical knowledge and not empty broken vessels that should have been fixed before they got to me.

I also found the chapter on being a contribution enlightening as it left me with the feeling that everything I do is important. My contributions as a father, husband, minister, teacher, frater, and friend all impact people in different ways and each of those ways, no matter how "minuscule" they may seem, are significant. I vow to use this approach the rest of my life and I can already see a new "Joe" emerging from the ashes of "the world is doing fine without me". Look out world, here I come!