Educational Discourse

Well, for those of you who have been waiting for some inspiration to get moving with the A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink, it is here. The book club is up and running with a few of the senses having chapter leaders and some discussion posts already going. I’ve been over at Classroom2.0 to see what is happening. I’m going to do some more looking and thinking before I make my first post. I am going to start a discussion there and send people to the wiki and mention that people who want to join the conversation can look there to see how things are going.

A Whole New Mind

This book really has me thinking about many different things, not just the 6 senses that Pink describes. As I was reflecting on the book, I realized that someone at a different point in their life/career/education might see things differently than me which had me thinking that these topics would be great to discuss with my classes which then led me to think about how I might work them into my class for discussion. By this time I had way too many things running around in my head so I began to make notes about what I was doing. I then remembered that Dave Truss had posted a mindmap on the wiki so off I went to look at it. This mindmap helped me as it creates a visual representation of the book’s main parts, allowing me to think about how I might be able to use this as a teacher/principal.

For me, the section of the book that really “touched” me was the final section on “Meaning”. I’m not at the point where I can put into words why or how but it spoke to me about how we all are looking for meaning and that school needs to help students with this.

So, if you’re interested in joining the discussion, wander on over to the wiki and join us in the discussions. If you’re so inclined, volunteer to be a chapter leader or just begin a discussion. Let’s see where things will go.

John Pederson tagged me with this “what are your secrets to a successful life” meme. Now, I’d like to dedicate this meme to my grandmother. I’m home visiting my family and my grandmother, who is 92, is just a wonderful person. The day that she found out we were coming home to visit, she went up town and made sure she had Easter gifts for all 7 of my children. She makes sure to buy each of them a treat for the drive home and just loves to have them visit. (Me, on the other hand she can take or leave!) She knits each of them a new pair of slippers each year. To pass her time, she makes tiny touque/mitt pin-on sets which she sells and then donates all the money to local charities. She’s a great lady!

#1 – Live one day at a time – many people look forward to “tomorrow” without paying attention to the day they are in. Planning is a good thing and spending time looking forward is necessary but we need to remember to be in the present, day by day.

#2 – Be in the room – I don’t know where I heard this but it is something that I remind myself about all the time. When you are doing something or with someone, focus on the activity or the person not something else. Give the person your attention and be open to them.

#3 – Take time to get off the road – my grandmother reminds me of this regularly. Life is the accumulations of our experiences and encounters. We need to take time to slow down and enjoy our experiences with other people, especially those who are close to us. One of the worst statements is “Not now, we’ll do that ……..” because it may not happen that time will come again. Our commitments need to be met and kept but we don’t need to fill each moment. Leave time to enjoy our experiences and encounters.

#4 – Meaning – find what gives your life meaning and follow it. “Money isn’t everything.” is completely true. Being fulfilled and happy will bring greater joy than money.

#5 – Learn to laugh and do it often. Laugh with friends and family. Be able to laugh at yourself!

#6 – Hug those you love – human contact does something to us. It brightens our day and makes feel wanted and connected.  In our fast paced world, we sometimes don’t take the time to be with the one’s we love and care about.

#7 – Be willing to try something new. Learn a new skill, read a new author, meet new people. Life has so many options for us but we often get caught in a rut because it is comfortable and the rut becomes so deep we don’t know how to get out.

#8 – Be willing to make mistakes. That is how we learn. In being willing to make a mistake, we are not worried about always being “correct” which frees us to try new things. Mistakes help us to learn what we did wrong and change – they deepen our understanding.

#9 – Be humble – we all can do things well but often our ego gets in the way and we close ourselves off to others’ ideas and knowledge. Let others know that you appreciate their efforts and assistance.

#10 – connect with the spiritual – not necessarily a religion but that which is larger than you. My faith has given me the strength to try new things and go new places knowing that there is a larger plan to life than just mine. It sustains me during times of difficulty and helps me to be humble when things are going well.

These are things that I believe help me to have “success” in life.

Tagging – missprofe

misscofino

Susan Ens

Brian Saxton

David Truss