Jenna sent what is below. It’s about the need for a person to be fully committed to a concept to make it work. A recent (last two years) leitmotif in these pages has indeed been the need to commit and not just dabble in the research about CI.
From Jenna:
I was introduced to this quote in a staff meeting and it resonated with me:
“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents, meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets:
“…whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!…”
W.H. Murray
Jenna comments on the concept:
When I have had some real CI successes, usually it’s when there is more flow and less force in the classroom. When I show up as my whole self and not as who I think I should be as a teacher. The other day a class of third graders and I were creating a story about a wolf sitting on their teacher’s chair. I did the Alisa thing and drew it without them seeing it until the very end. There is so much power to the anticipation! The next class we met to add to his story and the students asked me how to draw a wolf. So, I went to the chalkboard and we drew a wolf, wolves with hats, wolves in suits, sitting in chairs. It was unplanned, un-star-ish but every student was engaged. Every student showed up and now this wolf is ours. I find that in the elementary setting, students have to sit with characters longer, they have to dream of them, and they have to play with them. They love to draw them.
Jenna