The idea of accepting the
random nature of the universe was initially hard to separate from the
meaning of this chapter. When I read the examples I get a much better
idea. The notion that there is a causal relation between actions and
their inevitable consequences is difficult to swallow at first, since
the first thing most people attempt to do is place blame and ownership
of successes and failures at someone's feet. Taking blame out of the
equation completely changes the view of the actions of self an others.
I have often been heard saying to my students and even my own children,
that I don'tbelieve that there is such a thing as an accident, but that
carelesasness can be attributed to many mishaps. By this I try to
impart that in the future it is important to work against bad choices,
even if that choice is inaction in the face of a dangerous situation.
Owning
action and reaction mean that we can see the reason in the chain of
events, and because we have free will, act differtently in the future to
avoid them.
While happy "accidents" do befall folks, for the most partwe can
continue to live happy, healthy, and productive lives by considering
the ramifications of actions. This is a huge challenge but one which
offers anyone the chance to fail, and take the lesson to heart. By being
the objective board and seeing the interconnection of actions,we can
take better control of our lives and the way we impact others for better
or worse. All teachers should employ this before even talking to a
student or parent about grades and progress. This would help the teacher
identify the needs and causes of problems in the learning process
without making the discussion about the students actions at all, but
about the best way to influene the student positively.
Owning
action and reaction mean that we can see the reason in the chain of
events, and because we have free will, act differtently in the future to
avoid them.
While happy "accidents" do befall folks, for the most partwe can
continue to live happy, healthy, and productive lives by considering
the ramifications of actions. This is a huge challenge but one which
offers anyone the chance to fail, and take the lesson to heart. By being
the objective board and seeing the interconnection of actions,we can
take better control of our lives and the way we impact others for better
or worse. All teachers should employ this before even talking to a
student or parent about grades and progress. This would help the teacher
identify the needs and causes of problems in the learning process
without making the discussion about the students actions at all, but
about the best way to influene the student positively.
Smitty,
Taking the blame out of the equation completely changes the view of the actions of self and others is a great statement. I feel that we all to often want to lay blame before we know all the information in a given situation. There have been times that a situation has occurred. I think we need to look at the whole picture and try to make judgments based on all information and not what is just visible.
by being an objective board will allow us to make more sound decisions. Parent conferences are a great place to start. Many times if we examine what is really going on with students it will help us help them better. I had a student recently that tried to commit suicide. I had noticed his grades starting to slip and continually tried to find out what was going on and he kept saying nothing. A couple of days before he attempted he talked to me a little more about some problems he was having at home. I felt horrible about what happened and thought I should have done more. His mom came in to talk to me Thursday before her son comes back to school on Monday. She said if it weren't for his teachers talking to him it could have been a different outcome. We never know what our students are going through and when we take an interest and discuss it with our peers. We can positively impact our students and the possibilities are endless.
Taking the blame out of the equation completely changes the view of the actions of self and others is a great statement. I feel that we all to often want to lay blame before we know all the information in a given situation. There have been times that a situation has occurred. I think we need to look at the whole picture and try to make judgments based on all information and not what is just visible.
by being an objective board will allow us to make more sound decisions. Parent conferences are a great place to start. Many times if we examine what is really going on with students it will help us help them better. I had a student recently that tried to commit suicide. I had noticed his grades starting to slip and continually tried to find out what was going on and he kept saying nothing. A couple of days before he attempted he talked to me a little more about some problems he was having at home. I felt horrible about what happened and thought I should have done more. His mom came in to talk to me Thursday before her son comes back to school on Monday. She said if it weren't for his teachers talking to him it could have been a different outcome. We never know what our students are going through and when we take an interest and discuss it with our peers. We can positively impact our students and the possibilities are endless.
View comments