In reading the final chapters of The Art of Possibility by R.S. and B. Zander, I was able to find lasting lessons on how to make my experience as a teacher better. The concept behind Chapter 10 on “Being the Board” in itself has potential to make a major impact on own’s life and perspective. Even more, when this concept is applied to teaching, there is a potentially revolutionary change that could come from allowing oneself as a teacher to be the board. Therein lies the question that I have been asking myself, what would happen if I saw myself as the “board” in the game of successes and failures in my classes?
To answer this question, I had to really think about my current practices. If a student were struggling with grades in my class or having a hard time learning a particular concept, I would usually try really hard to help them, then resign to the idea that maybe that student just wasn’t capable of doing any better. But if I were to make myself the board, maybe there would be a potential for that student to be better. For example, what if I thought about my approach to the learning environment and how I have related to each student as an individual? Although I wouldn’t blame myself for a student’s struggles because I could honestly attest to the fact that I had the desire to see the student succeed, maybe there were some things completely in my control that needed to change.
As it says in the book “present no obstacles to others.” Maybe student A is not able to understand the grammar concepts because I need to reorganize the way I structure my review sheets. Maybe student B would benefit from a video or a game to teach the concepts at hand. Maybe all of the students would benefit if I were consistent in praise, more organized, set different learning goals, or even found peace in my personal life that would make me more prepared to be a positive light to my students. Being the board can help us as teachers to “clear the path for accomplishment” for our students. How exciting!
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