Week 1 Post 4 - Free Write - Reading Chapter 3

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I read the chapters of the book, a few days back and to be honest I usually remember the material that is assigned for a short amount of time. That did not happen with the material from this week. Like an annoying bug flying near your ear it keeps popping into mind and causing me to reflect on the message. The chapter that keeps coming into my head over and over is Chapter Three, Giving Yourself an A.
The Zandars’ begin the chapter by talking about how they figured a way to give the students in a class a guaranteed A in exchange for taking risks and writing a letter at the end. The idea being that if students are encouraged to give up the pursuit of measurement thinking, as discussed in the previous chapter, then they are more inclined to take risks in their education. I have done something similar for years. It tell my students that they start with an A everyday, and by doing these simple things, they will keep it. I also compliment them whenever possible and pick my fights very carefully. In doing so I “put money in the bank.” This is similar to giving them an A concept in that the students know that I will not come down on them, give them a bad grade or be against them unless they really mess up and they deserve it; at which point I make a withdrawal from the bank.
This is not the point that keeps haunting me though. It is the idea of giving myself an A. I am very willing to students, friends and loved ones an A everyday, but I rarely give myself one. I am usually caught up in measurement thinking and redouble my efforts and make that extra phone call, and write a little later than planed. All of this is an effort to think I have earned the A. The truth is that I have a good life; I have wonderful friends (especially in this program), I am good at my job and am respected by my students and colleagues and I am writing this on my patio where it is sunny and warm. Sorry east coast friends, I am not trying to rub it in. I am just asking myself the essential question of why won’t I give myself an A. I will keep asking until I do.

Zander, R. S., & Zander, B. (2000). The art of possibility (2nd ed.). Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.