“The only grace you can have is the grace you can imagine. An A radiates possibility through a family, a workplace, and a community, gaining strength, bringing joy and expression and a flowering of talent and productivity. Who knows how far it will travel” (Zander & Zander, 2000)? What a delightful way to view life and to live.
I have always been an optimist, but this is revolutionary to me. I delight in giving gifts and feel this is the best gift I can give my students, as artists, to set them free. What would you do if you knew you couldn’t fail? I have asked this question often, in many situations, trying to get more thought, more productivity, or more innovation from an artist and from myself. But give an A to the drivers on the road, the members of my family, and my colleagues? Yes, it is a delightfully revolutionary concept I am eager to try.
As a New Tech High School Digital Design Instructor, I will soon find out if I can use this philosophy when I team teach in project-based learning. It is exciting to imagine what students would attempt with this philosophy firmly entrenched in a new school model for the 21st century. Grading has always been my nemesis, and this might be a real solution to the problem of how to change the culture to the "I can do it" philosophy I have been striving for.
Zander, B. & Zander, R. (2000). The Art of Possibility. Boston, MA.: Harvard Business School Press.
:-) Many artistic educators chaff with the concept of reducing a student's work to a number or symbol. BTW, i'm giving you an "A" for this effort/work. :-)
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