Are You the Obstacle or the Answer?
Music was a required course where I went to middle school. Those who could sing joined the choir and the rest of us were drafted into the band. Since I was tall for my age, it was decided that I would learn to play the most popular instrument in all of rural Minnesota: the tuba. For eight long years I “oom-pahed” under the tutelage of our band director, Mr. Gordon Petersen. “Gordy”, as we liked to call him behind his back, was no ordinary, small-town Henry Higgins; he sent our tiny marching band to college bowl games on a regular basis. A impassioned task master, he demanded everyone’s best and his simple theory for achieving collective excellence was emphasized on a daily basis: “You are either part of the solution or part of the problem.”
While I haven’t touched a tuba in more than 20 years, I thought of Gordy yesterday while attending a workshop on campus given by Julie Lindsay and Vicki Davis. As they shared their insight into flattening classrooms, they made a candid point regarding the importance of school administration. Simply put, when it comes to progress, “administrators can either be the obstacle or remove the obstacle”. It was an interesting assertion to say the least….
I am not an administrator, but I do encounter my fair share of obstacles in my position. For better or worse, however, I typically focus on getting around obstacles, and in that I am not alone. When websites are blocked, are students more likely to ask the school to consider opening them and state their rationale or simply use the Tor network to bypass the filter? When an application doesn’t work properly and a lesson fails, are teachers more likely to pursue an after-the-fact solution with the IT department or simply forgo using that program again and opt for the low-tech “Plan B”? When updated equipment is required to provide an optimal learning environment but the budget request is declined, does the technology staff demonstrate the undeniable need or prepare to make do with what is available?
Regardless of our roles and responsibilities, we have obstacles in our path, and how we choose to approach them is no small matter. Some are truly impossible to remove, and to progress we must circumvent. The majority of barriers, however, can be eliminated though the forces of intellect and conversation. For my part, I don’t want to be an obstacle and I have no desire to continue going around what shouldn’t be there in the first place. I may have lost all my musical inclinations, but thanks to Julie and Vicki, I was reminded that being part of the solution is the only viable option.
Let the band play on.
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July 8th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
This post is so amazingly on the mark! I’m featuring this post on my blog tomorrow morning. This is excellent!
“Being part of the solution is the only viable option.” wow, if more people would see it that way.
Some bide their time, but the idealistic, adrenaline junkies like us do so much more — we are addicted to reaching the unreachable. To doing more. To teaching better. To reaching that exciting learning plateau where learning is just plain fun!
July 8th, 2008 at 5:47 pm
Your thoughts are wise. I feel the same in regards to blocked sites and restrictions incurred from above.
However, I am impressed with your positive approach. Let’s hope its contagious.
We all know colleagues who are part of the solution and unfortunately the ones who are part of the problem!
One of my current barriers is trying to use a community based website to allow children to use online social networks in their learning. Every site I visit is blocked by my education department.
So I am taking it on myself, (trying to be part of the solution). Asking questions, exploring options and getting prepared (at least I think).
I have decided to use Joomlapolis, a series of components installed into joomla that allows for community log ins, profiles, blogs, forums and connections. I have no real idea of how to use it yet but it should be fun.
Thanks for the analogy.
Bob
Change is the only constant
July 8th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
[...] “Are you an obstacle, or the answer,” my administrator friends? [...]
July 8th, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Powerful observation, Pat. It truly is important for us all to be aware of how we approach obstacles, and I’m glad to have the reminder that I need to be part of the solution. I am sure Gordy would be proud! And the picture is perfect.
July 9th, 2008 at 4:47 am
Great post and a wonderful reminder of how to be part of a solution. Obstacles continually enter our path and it serves us well to understand and see the reasons in order to work to be the solution. Love your style!
July 9th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
[...] die Hindernis oder die Lösung?”, wie Patrick Woessner in seinem Blog-Beitrag “Are You the Obstacle or the Answer?” fragt. Er nennt zwei Lösungswege um Hindernisse zu beseitigen: Verstand und [...]
July 9th, 2008 at 4:39 pm
Thanks to Vicki and Julie for the excellent workshop, and to all for the great comments. It’s amazing (1) how small and flat the world and be and (2) how basic principles resonate with all of us. I appreciate your collective insight and encouragement
July 10th, 2008 at 9:14 pm
I just finished reading A Complaint-Free World by Will Bowen. There is a lot to be said for looking to be the answer rather than the obstacle. I’ve had great success at my school over the last six years. It’s not what I imagined when I first started there, but one day at a time we move forward.
My high school band director was a similarly powerful figure in my life. My first year there he chose the song If You Believe from The Wiz as one of our songs. He instill in each one of us that regardless of the band’s performance in previous year and our size, we could be amazing. By the time I graduated, we had played were winning competitions in our division consistently and traveling to Virginia and Florida.
Your attitude and post is very refreshing.
Ann