What does it mean to contribute?
Ben and Rosamund Zander’s book, The Art of Possibility changed the way I had thought about a lot of my teaching (and living). In The Art of Possibility, they discuss a variety of powerful and positive practice to lead a more effective and positive life.
In this blog series, Balance 365, I’ll reference this book quite often (as well as others), because of how profound an effect it had on my daily teaching and practice. Today’s positive thought comes from their recommended practice of “Being a contribution.”
They challenge you to think about the ways in which, in your daily normal mundane life, you contribute to others. This got me thinking, naturally, about how I contribute to my students. We are profound contributors often set with seemingly impossible tasks, but yet somehow, we persevere.
Thinking about how I was a contribution to my students got me thinking about how they are a contribution to me. With this new perspective, I realized that this concept of Being a Contribution could have a very profound effect in my classroom (and it has).
I began by challenging my students to think about their contributions and how we contribute to each other. I have even now included Being a Contribution into my classroom rules (which we go through great lengths to understand what that means to a middle school student). I’ve also gone from using a daily participation grade (a common practice for band directors) to using a Daily Contribution Grade. Essentially, the two are the same on paper, but the idea of participation vs. contribution really changes the perspective in which the students are an essential contribution to the classroom environment.
Today, I challenge you to think about your contributions, may it be to your students, colleagues, family or significant other. Are you able to see your contributions as a positive aspect of your daily teaching?
How could being a contribution change your students’ mindset? Share your thought in the comments!
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