Week 3 Activity - AR Abstract

My AR project addresses time management and organization skills as behavior modification to improve dynamics in a single-parent family. Methodology includes identifying problem areas in organization at home, negative behaviors in school and home, listing daily and weekly time uses for parent and children, identifying areas where time management can be improved and creating modification techniques. Both parent and children used modification techniques to improve time management, organization and behaviors. Surveys taken by children and critical friends garner both internal and external opinion of family dynamics. Research identifies characteristics of happy families, strategies to acquire time management and organization skills, and benefits of effective time management and organization skills. Cycle results show further consistency needed by parent, as foundations must be reestablished.

Week 3 Comment 2 - Melissa Caruso

I think the whole idea of “things are the way we are” very closely resembles the “things happen for a reason” phrase I use often. As the text states, nature doesn’t identify good and evil as humans do. So humans need to instead look at situations more of cause and effect, what possibilities has this cause brought me? What new doors have opened that weren’t there before?....and what event would not have happened if that did not require me to change my thoughts or plans?

My comment:

I firmly agree with you that we should stop looking at what is bad or good and start to weighing cause and effect. We need to also see that even what we consider to be a 'bad' situation can bring us to a different conclusion that is better than even our imaginings.

In my life, I am going through some struggles that would test even the strongest of people. I can look at the glass as half empty and allow these 'bad' things to knock me down where I will have a horrible time rising up. These include losing my job, losing my apartment, leaving my beloved Florida, and traveling to family and friends that have shown themselves to be enemies undercover. Yet, these 'bad' situations haven't knocked me down. I have instead seen that I have been freed to recover my heart's desire that I lost 15 years prior. I have been a vagabond these months yet he has been there for me, inspiring me, lighting my spark to find a better tomorrow. He has shown me that I can do anything and supports me in all things. I have seen that had those 'bad' things not happened, I wouldn't have grown to appreciate when things were right for me...while he and I were together...and I wouldn't have grown to see that he is who I should have stayed with. Now I have been happier than I have ever been in my life and can only continue to go up from here. Things definitely happen for a reason and the way we perceive those things can change where we proceed to next.

Week 3 Comment 1 - Vandy

My Full Sail classmates…I have grown very fond of my fellow sojourners. We have iChatted, Skyped, e-mailed, texted, and talked on the phone; our relationships have grown stronger. A diploma on graduation day is nice but meeting these guys face to face will be the real reward.

My comment:

I, too, went through some of those feelings. Hesitation was the result of fear that in some ways is still with me. Excitement is mixed in there somewhere. I also look forward to graduation for the same reasons you mentioned. I have to meet those voices, texts, videos, that helped me get through those fears, anxieties, confused moments. These classmates that became friends and family. People made our education more than reading of a page, studying those words, or even lecture after lecture. People make the difference.

It's been a long road but we earned it. For each other and because of each other.

Week 3 Activity on Lighting A Spark

How many of us as parents and educators say "It's not about us. It's about them." and actually mean it? Too few unfortunately. We want to believe that we let our children come first, however, that isn't always the case. It's not that we don't want that to be, it's more that it isn't always feasible. As parents, there many obstacles and realities that come into play such as work, financials obligations, and relationships that often take full attention from children and what they wish were a reality in their lives. As educators, there are the administrative constructs that dictate what a child should learn, when they should learn it, how they should learn it, and sadly, even how the instructor should teach it to meet the previous three criteria. There is not enough trust from the administrators in that the teacher can go about meeting the criteria without thier influence.

To light a spark, we must return back to the mentality that it isn't about us and that it is about them. We must inspire confidence in our children; in our students. They must believe that they are masters of their own destinies so that they can rise to fulfill this destiny. Such as Chapter 5 in the Art of Possibility by Rosamund and Ben Zander taught us, we must consider how much greatness we are willing to grant our children/students. Will we be able to transfer some of our own desires to be great in order to provide an opportunity for our students/children to reach a level of greatness? It is not easy to do yet it is something that is possible. At home, I often let my children cook dinner because as someone that is culinarily trained, my children often want to show me that they, too, can cook a nice meal. This effort allows me to see their drive to be great in my eyes. How I choose to critique and appreciate their meal determines how great they will feel and how much more they are willing to do to maintain this feeling of greatness.

This idea is the beginning of what I have done at home to light the spark in my children. I have also maintained an academic spark in them by continuing my education and by showing them that I love to learn and exceed my limitations. They are watching me be a role model for the lessons that I try to teach them. This tends to light the fire for them to meet and exceed both their own limitations as well as meet and exceed my expectations for them.

How I plan to light the spark in my students once I begin teacher is to let them have more of an upfront role in the classroom. One thing I have always seen in education until this point at Full Sail, is that students don't have the opportunity to lead their own education. Sure, there must be someone in charge, yet we have a tendency to assume that students cannot dictate their own education. This is what sets Full Sail apart and also what made it the best school I have attended. There is a premise to how we learn. There are guidelines, dictates, and the like to keep us following the required lessons, lectures, and curriculum yet, ultimately, the student leads his or her own learning by following the deadlines, seeking additional resources and providing these that are found to their fellow classmates. Full Sail epitomizes the 'Each one, teach one' principle. This lights a spark in me and that spark and that ideal is what I will use in my classroom. Students will learn the concepts that I must teach, and then they will help each other to ensure that all learn and understand. This gives them a sense of fulfillment because they have helped someone else while learning themselves.

For some, this method will simply allow them to pass and move on to the next grade while for others, this will inspire a lifelong learning and the desire to teach others to be just as they are. This method works. I know because this is what my teacher did for me in 2nd grade and she is the reason I continue to learn and why I want to educate others; both personally and professionally. Thank you, Mrs. Cooper.

Week 2 Free Choice Entry

This week's free choice entry will be one of a somewhat personal nature. I want to express how education has gotten me through the toughest times of my life.

I had a difficult coming of age. I had a difficult childhood due to the deaths of my two sisters as many of you know. However, what I did not reveal was how my parents separated and divorced within the same year and how my mom struggled to raise four surviving children on her own while struggling with her own grief. I didn't write about how my older sister began to display classic signs of schizophrenia or how my younger sister displayed emotional disturbance and bipolar disorder. How about my brother's apparent indifference having been the oldest child and only son? That didn't exactly leave a good place for me. I was a middle child...5th, in birth order. What was my niche?

Education became my thing. I had to excel in order to secure my spot in the family. I had to bring home those great grades to receive the appropriate amount of credit or attention in the household. Sure my mom didn't say this but I felt the pressure to be 'normal' and to rise above these things that held my siblings down. So I put my nose in the books and learned as much as I could. My 2nd grade teacher made me promise to keep learning more and more and triumph so I did. My mom wanted me to learn as much as I could, too so she bombarded me with vocabulary books and reading material fit for high school and college since I hit 4th grade. I was smarter than my siblings, "Almost a genius" is all she told me over and over. I learned, learned, and learned.

Today, I realize that education was my solace. It was my escape from my home environment that in the best of times was difficult. My mother wasn't abusive, she just had a lot to cope with and I understood it. I couldn't add to her stress so I buried myself out of sight the only way I knew how...in a book...where I could go anywhere I wanted and be anyone I needed to be to get me through. I still do that from time to time when my life takes a difficult twist. I remove myself from my current situation by reading or studying and then I feel refreshed and that I can handle whatever is ahead of me.

Do I regret making my education my solace and my niche? Not at all. Sure, I can lament my reasons for doing so yet I don't because they helped to make me the strong woman and mother I am today and I wouldn't change that for the world. I strive to be the kind of educator that can help children like me, who seek solace in education. Since I've been there, I know what to look for and exactly how to help.

Week 2 Comment - Lora Cervone

I love the story about the woman throwing the starfish back into the sea and the man telling her it is pointless because there are so many of them. This story can be applied towards teaching. Realistically, a teacher isn't going to be able to touch or change every single student. But even just changing one, or helping one student, is better than none at all.

My comment:

Just today, I was speaking about 'each one, teach one'. If everyone one taught just one person, we would be a greater world. As you said, if we touch one person then that person will forever be affected in a way that will cause them to teach someone else and pass on the message. A teacher is only as successful as the student who teaches someone else. Not only has the message penetrated, but the student was so affected, he or she decided to impact the life of another. That is the meaning of true education. I know that it seems that statistics are high for the students not reached; however, we must hold to the belief that the statistics are higher for students that have been reached.

Week 2 Comment - Amanda Beery

Lighten up...this one has been hard for me. I work a lot, I am busy all of the time. I like to know whats happening well in advance, I am not a fan of surprises. My boyfriend has been very good for me. He is very laid back and knows when to take a break. By not working on grading papers all weekend I am more refreshed come Monday morning. I am able to get more done after taking a break and spending time on myself. I cannot control everything in my world, and I shouldn't have to.

My comment:

For me, you hit the nail on the head with this statement: "They are more willing to listen to what I know when they know that I will admit to them what I don’t." That is something that transcends from education all the way to parenthood through to any interaction between people. Know-it-alls are easily dismissed yet when we are willing to admit our ignorance we become humanized to those we are trying to reach. We place ourselves on their same wavelength and diminish their perception of inferiority. Once this precept has been removed, the mind is open and receptive to our advice or lesson.

Week 2 Activity - On Being a Contribution

What does it mean to be a contribution? I always used to get thrown off by this question because I always thought that it meant I should look at myself and figure out what I would bring to the world that had never been brought before. The pressure of that was sometimes too much to bear and I often came up flabbergasted and this puzzlement showed on my face. It was kind of like the "What can you bring to this establishment?" and "Tell me about yourself" inquisitions one must go through during interviews for unemployment.

And then, I read the Art of Possibility by Benjamin and Rosamund Zander and this thinking changed. Now being a contribution has taken on a whole new meaning. Contributing is not financial or something to dread being asked about. It is not a question meant to stump or undermine. I realize that being contribution means any action taken to improve the quality of life for someone else. The book also tells of how one can contribute to even the memory of someone by looking back and seeing that person's actions in a brand new light. By choosing to look back and change one's thinking, our perception of past experiences change.

How am I a contribution? I feel that I have been and will continue to be a contribution by inspiring people of all ages and walks of life to continue their education. By being supportive and providing advice towards returning to school, I am giving the person the message that I BELIEVE IN THEM. One has no idea just how important that is to someone. Too many students drop out of school at all levels because they feel that no one believes in them and that no one cares. By pushing education, I am saying "You can do it" and by being a continuing student, I am proving that I believe in the message I am sending.

I know that I have contributed to the lives of others greatly in this capacity and that is why I am headed towards the teaching career. I want to reach students at a young age to inspire them in ways that cannot be undone when they get older...just as was done for me.

Week 1 Free Choice Entry

Today is July 4th and most of the nation is celebrating what we perceive to be our independence from British Royalty and when our forefathers decided enough is enough. Yet, I sit and ponder why we should still be celebrating this independence when we have become prisoners of our own making by choosing to limit ourselves to the technology we currently have in our educational system, and choosing to let our children fall by the wayside. This week I am in my hometown of New York City visiting friends and family and celebrating this 'holiday'. To my amazement, I have met a large number of teenagers aged 14-21 that have chosen to drop out of school for idiotic reasons while their parents sit by and allow them to do so. When did it become the child's choice not to go to school? These same kids are in front of me drinking, smoking, and choosing to engage in adult behaviors without the benefit of adult self-control and discipline. Who are they kidding? Heck, who are we kidding?

The damage that these parents have inflicted on their own children is immeasurable considering the far reaching effects that these decisions will have on future generations. These dropouts are the parents of our tomorrow. We teach them that we do not care when we allow them to drop out and smoke and engage in negative activities. These kids are the ones who will care for us when we are seniors yet do we not see that these kids are being limited not by their own decisions but by those of the parents that do not parent. These are the parents that are friends to their children instead of a role model or authority figure.

As a teacher in the making, I try to do my part and talk to these teens before me. They listen with half an ear because they believe they have all the time in the world. I feel as if they have been failed and I hope they have more time than the time that is before them. This is why I chose to be a human service professional. To try to save some of them. You can't save them all but all it really takes is the first ones and the rest will follow.

Week 1 Comment 2 - William Boswell

I found this reading to be very akin to many other books I have read on the topics of positive thinking or result-minded thinking. The primary difference present that truly struck a chord with my manner of analytical thinking was the simple question, “How?” How is my approach to the problem in front of me affecting my finding the solution I need? The practice steps at the end of the chapter provide suitable guidance for focusing the analysis of the situation; assess and reassess. By slowing down and examining how I am approaching a problem, I have a much better chance to find a flaw in my thoughts that may be limiting results.

My comment:

Your viewpoint is quite interesting in that you have a real 'this is what it is' approach. I like the idea of 'out of the boat' thinking except that my take would be more of 'now that you're out of the boat, how will you adapt to the next step'...

This book did remind me of a motivational speaker type and I also look forward to reading more of it. I believe that when we cannot find our way, we need only sit down, reflect, and our way will come to us.

Week 1 Comment 1 - Tom Kowalewski

A teacher doesn’t take the test. My name is on the classroom door but it is the students who make up the class.

The teacher depends for his/her power on his/her ability to make students powerful.

My comment:

My favorite part of what you wrote is this statement: "A teacher’s job is to awaken the possibilities in others" because too many teachers seem to forget their purpose. In this new era where tests like the FCAT rule, too many focus on the child passing the test and not enough focus on having the child be ready to take on the world and teach someone else. Students today just want to pass with whatever grade is passing instead of desiring to learn as much as possible so they can teach another.

As a teacher, we should want to awaken the love of learning and the drive so that others can want to teach as well.

MAC_Week 1 Activity 1

I absolutely love and agree with Chapter 1 because I am a firm believer that we are what our minds contrive us to be. Through the limits of our own minds, we can be or not be anything we want. Our perception is what keeps us bound to or frees us from the constraints of society and regulations. We can either struggle against the shackles of our limitations or adapt to our possibilities.

As we ourselves know from our Masters program, we can create new medium to bring to children that will one day open the possibilities of their own existences but it begins with us. I have done the 9 dot puzzle before and this brought back memories. Sadly, I was one of the people who didn't realize at first that it was okay to go away from the line and to 'think outside of the box' however, I did easily adapt once that became a possibility. I believe this book is one that will help us to look for ways to adapt the regulations to benefit us and what we attempt to do for children.

I also believe that Full Sail is right on time to provide us with a motivational book instead of a text that will create less of an impact on us. This text allows to examine our own thinking critically along with our own preconceptions, assumptions, and biases. To do so only frees us from that which holds us back from what we want to do and need to do for our students and children. Critical thinking teaches us to reach beyond our regularities and makes us acknowledge and embrace our possibilities.