Transformation

   This week’s discussion left me thinking a lot about the negative aspects of a community.  It might actually be more accurate to label these particular aspects as ones that seem to suppress a community’s growth rather than aid in its advancement.  Negative might be too strong of a term to use when discussing certain community characteristics because it doesn’t lend a helping hand to the idea of change or transformation.  Through the readings and our discussion, however, I have come to the conclusion that transformation is exactly what is needed.

            When I say that transformation is the key, I don’t mean it in the sense that all communities must undergo a complete change from their current state.  I view the expression as a way of defining the ability to take what is already in existence and allow it to evolve into something that is progressive and beneficial. 

            I agree with Block when he states that a “community is fundamentally an interdependent human system given form by the conversation it holds with itself” (pg 30).  I like the phrase “interdependent human system” because it emphasizes the necessity for individuals to come together and work as a unit.  Rather than having one leader to follow, each person within the community holds a sense of accountability.  Last week, I wrote a lot about the need for social capital and the idea that it is the connective tissue that holds a community together. While I still believe this to be the case, it now needs to be expanded upon.  If we were to say that social capital already exists in a particular community and each person agrees that they are accountable for its happenings, then the next step is to begin a conversation.  This conversation is what can undergo transformation before any action is put into motion.  Block states, “The shift in conversation is from one of problems, fears, and retribution to one of possibility, generosity, and restoration” (pg 31).

            I do agree that society at large is one that likes to seek change by fixing problems rather than focusing on the positive or building upon potential.  People become involved only when they are angry about something or when they are directly affected in a negative way.  Rather than focus on the symptoms, we need to transform our way of thinking and focus on the actual infection, not its side effects.  In doing so, we allow for an alternative future to be possible.  Simply putting a band-aid over a wound does not heal it nor does it stop the wound from coming back again.  If we shift the conversation from one of problems to possibilities, the core of what is needed within a community can be exposed.

            While it is important to transform the conversation into one that can be viewed in a positive light, it is crucial that we realize who is conversing in the first place.  We live in a world where our leaders are held in high esteem and we look to them to dictate what occurs within the community.  We are happy with this leader until he/she does us wrong.  Then, individuals typically become angry and blame their anger on the leader’s poor choices.  This “gives us someone to blame and thereby declares our innocence” (pg 41).  Having leaders can be a great thing, especially if it is one entrusted by the people, but communities must transform their way of thinking and realize that they, too, hold power.  A leader takes a way the sense of accountability and gives all the power to one person.   One person can never have more insight into what a community needs than the individuals that live in it every day.  Collective effort will allow for the greatest amount of change and advancement.

            After reading “The Conductor as Transformational Leader,” by Susan Armstrong and Scott Armstrong, it opened my eyes to the connection between community and the classroom.  The article discusses the characteristics of a music conductor that allow for the greatest amount of transformation amongst its students.  Armstrong and Armstrong both discuss the need for a conductor to be enthusiastic, able to share his/her vision, be a behavioral model, empowering, and encouraging. They specifically use the word “enabler” as opposed to a “dictator.”  I found this very interesting because although Block’s book discusses community and the article discusses teaching, the characteristics of both are extremely similar.  This only helped to solidify my idea that the classroom is its own community and that as an educator, it is important to apply certain community elements in the classroom.  The application of particular ideas can create transformation within the community and classroom alike.