an issue came up last night with some students.
they had come to a conclusion about the direction a project was going to take. upon diving in - they came across some snaggles. a few started grumbling and soon - at least the loud ones - had decided that they should change the direction of the project. a debate ensued. the loud ones (at least) were divided. more debate- this time however with more listening. finally - a conclusion. and things forged on.
findings:
1) listening to each other is huge to working together
2) letting each voice be heard is different than pleasing each voice
3) a voice needs to speak up - BEFORE - the decision is made, most voices after are a distraction/wasted energy
4) once the decision is made - don't let dips make you doubt your decision. keep testing for sure - but don't change your mind because things get difficult
5) even if you didn't vote for the final decision - creating one voice through your actions is vital to success - so jump in for the good of the cause (if the cause doesn't seem worthy - you're probably in the wrong place)
how often to we let dips rule us (take us places we don't really care to go) rather than letting dips define us (is our character, insight, strength, etc..., enough to get us through dips with no whining.)
we found that dips and whining/debating often stood in the way of action. and often resulted in wasted energy and weary people.
made me think of teacher's meetings and professional development. how much time we spend debating things - rather than doing things. we should take note of the consequences of labeling weakness and whining as listening. listening is hard. we have to listen to what is NOT being said as well. and we have to listen with discernment. not just nodding to please every response. we have to challenge each other to rise above roadblocks. and realize that many of the roadblocks we face are simply - us.
encounter a dilemma.
listen to solutions.
create/determine a solution.
act it out.
filter weak thinking. keep the focus strong.
i love how simple learning can be when you listen.
especially to kids.
