I found myself laughing out loud from the very beginning. Ben and Roz’s little stories to illustrate a point are wonderful. In addition, their examples are very colorful. One of my favorite examples of perception was how animals physically see due to their needs and environment. I can see myself wanting to use a silly analogy using the sunset to a frog with my students when they are trying to get me off track again. But then I would have to explain it and we’d be off track anyway. Oh well, I’ll save that for storytime while their working on the assignment. The example of the 9 dot puzzle however, that will be tomorrow’s question of the day!
As I read the Universe of Possibility, I started thinking about how intolerant I am of narrow-minded people. You know who they are. The ones who have tunnel vision. The ones who will do whatever it takes to look after number one with total disregard for others thoughts, ideas, feelings, or situations? They are truly unhappy people. If I step into the Universe of Possibility, I can see that I may not be able to make them happy, but I can keep them from spoiling my attitude.
I loved the idea of having the students write a letter to themselves, in order for them to see the potential within. I think the idea would work with some of my middle school students. I realistically say “some”, for there is a big difference between a middle school art student and serious musician at the university level. Maybe I need to write a letter to myself and pay more attention to the grades that I am handing out.
Lastly, there were so many things that I have done in my life that I can smile about and say “yes” I am, I was and I will be a contributor. However, apparently I have a few more possibilities to consider. And maybe one of my earlier statements of “not being able to make others happy” needs some attention from an inside point of view.
Leah the Middle School Language Arts teacher that I have worked with over the past three years (I am a 7th grade intervention "inclusion" special education teacher) had an activity of the students writing a letter expressing what they were going to be doing as they graduate from High School, who their friends would be, what teachers they would remember, or something similar to that type of... “what are you doing in the future thing.” She also would take the letters, have the students place them into envelopes, and mark the outside with their name and address. She then keeps the letters 4-5 years and delivers them to their high school language arts classes to be read 4-5 years later. The students generally find it difficult to be able to reflect on who they might become but she has always received positive remarks and disbelief from students when they come to the part of opening their letters in High School.
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