MAC Week 4 Reading

“Certain things in life are better done in person.” That is a quote that both of my parents stress on a daily basis. My mother cannot stand technology and would do away with everything that came after a typewriter if she could. Growing up with that mindset, I try not to revert back to an e-mail or a phone call. Things mean so much more when they are done in person. You can learn so much from body language, so there is only one way to see someone’s’ full reaction. E-mails and text messages easily get misinterpreted because you cannot hear the tone of the person’s voice that is sending the message. Enrollment I pair with the phrase ‘planting the seed’ that I use quite often. You tend to drop a hint or a ‘seed’ and wait to see if it catches and grows into something bigger or takes off. I personally like the idea of ‘stand ready to participate, willing to be moved and inspired.’ It has such a positive and proactive meaning to it. In my own personal life, I am finished with one part of my life and starting a new book. I finally landed the job of my dreams (teaching) this coming September and I will be moving out of my parent’s house. This is the time that I want to start over and take on a more positive outlook. That phrase is perfect for what I am looking for with my newfound look at life. When I think of persuasion, I think of my old retail job and how we would have to almost convince the customers that they needed the protection plan. Persuade them that they needed the extra accessories with their purchase. We were persuading them all the time to purchase things when really it was not for their true benefit at all.  The musical story was quite inspirational for me. The school that I will be teaching at is called VOICE Charter School and their main focus is on music. Fortunately I do not need to have a musical background to work there. It was just nice to read the story and see how you can totally think negatively about something and it can turn out to be one of the best things. Downward Spiral thinking is not for me anymore.

The chapters talking about possibility were definitely eye-openers for me. While working in retail, I was always responsible for my employee’s ‘accountability’. Whether it was not selling enough products or the store being too messy, accountability was always the buzzword going around. It is so true that we can only take responsibility for ourselves. Especially when it comes to mistakes, we cannot do anything about someone else’s mistakes. This again is another great chapter to read since I am ‘turning over a new leaf’ so to speak. Just like in the orchestra mishap, we usually tend to place the blame on people for their mistakes. We want everyone to know who messed up and certainly who did not. In the game of life, we are subject to others actions and decisions and responses. It is how we react to them that make the difference in our lives. Keeping in mind what is ‘on the track’ and what is ‘off the track’ is helpful when thinking about framing possibility. I hope that I would be as brave as the teacher that shaved her hair off and do that for one of my students as well. To be honest, I thought mission statement and vision could be used interchangeably as well. A vision is seen more as a possibility.

Especially when talking about foreign countries, there rarely are ‘we’ stories. It is truly a shame how the world is the way it is right now. We, us, and our are three words that are not reiterated enough. Just looking at the news for a few moments will visually express that.  I hope that throughout my years of teaching, I can teach my students the importance of WE and that I can show them how important it is in our lives. It is important to be mindful of others and to not close ourselves out from others because of differences or misunderstandings.