Week 4 Comment #2

Emily Overstreet
Wow. I have taken many computer science classes and never thought about the fact that NASA had less than me to begin with. It really puts everything into perspective. It makes you realize that with goals and a vision, life is achievable.



Original Post by Dan Kuchera(I had to reformat it)
Wk4 Reading: Art of Possibility, Ch 11
Art of Possibility chapter 11

I often relate a story to students when I teach
Computer Science in high school.   Students.  There is more computing power in one computer that sits in front of you than all that NASA had for the Apollo program some forty years ago.  As this computer science course begins, think about where you want to be by the end of the class. Will yours be the vision that takes the technology you have in front of you far beyond the moon?

Historically, I’m old enough to have lived when John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. did.  They each managed to lead change by adopting unique perspectives that people could rally around.  In Kennedy’s case, the Soviet Union of the 1950’s was far ahead of the U.S. in developing working intercontinental ballistic missiles.  So it was quite shocking at the time when Kennedy called from the Rice University microphone to, “commit to putting a man on the moon within the decade”. But by choosing a space-related goal that the U.S.S.R. had not been pursuing, Kennedy reframed the issue causing the Russian to lose the advantage of their technological ‘head-start’.  In much the same way, King reframed the dialog directing it away from, “What is best for Black OR White?” to “What is best for People?”

Week 4 Comment #1

em said...

" I just did my thing and tried to avoid disasters as much as possible. " This phrase sounds pretty familiar. That was my goal in high school too. It is very interesting how we can "people watch" on facebook now. At the same time, it is weird for me because I had a few concussions from sports and I don't really remember high school so I don't know the bad or the good from back then, I just have a view of people for who they are now. As much as most peoples first reaction is "that's horrible", it actually has a positive spin. I can't judge people for their past mistakes that I may have known about. It like cleared the slate for everyone.

Week 4 - Free Choice - Time Flies

Tigers, photo by Diane Frymire ©2009

Last summer, I went home to visit and stopped by my old high school. Not a lot had changed.  Even the door pictured above had the same sign along with the same ancient graduation photos that were there when I was in school. A feeling of entering a time warp touched me as I walked down the hall ways. Was it really that long ago?

Just a few days ago, there was a high school reunion back in Illinois. I was unable to attend. When I looked at the pictures, I thought about how everyone had changed. It wasn't appearances or getting older. I have several high school classmates as friends on Facebook now. They are funny, kind, wonderful people, but I really didn't know them back when we were teenagers.

High school for me was full of band, choir, and swing choir activities. I was not popular, but I got pretty good grades. Most of the time, I just did my thing and tried to avoid disasters as much as possible. How much has changed since then? I wonder.

Zander's book, The Art of Possibility, talks about vision. Vision is powerful and so is lack of it. My vision in high school was to live a life that would bless others. I wish I could say I've achieved it. Perhaps in some small ways, I have. One of my favorite songs then and now said that its the small things that spread wings and fly on up to the throne. Small is better than nothing. The journey is accomplished step-by-step.

Week 4 Reading-Chapter 11: The Frame

Most people like to live life comfortably. When they see a problem, they encourage someone else to do something about it, especially if it is out of this persons comfort zone. That is okay, however we should push our limits. In this chapter, they write about a second grade teacher who shaved her head so a child in her class that had leukemia would not be an outcast. A great example of this is in the movie "Billy Madison". Adam Sandler plays the character of a spoiled brat that is living off his dads fortune and has to go back to school K-12. In one scene of the movie, he is in 2nd or 3rd grade and they are on a class field trip. A fellow student accidentally pees in his pants. Being the good friend he is, Billy, puts water on his pants because all the kids look up to him, so he has now made the other kid fit in. Yes, that is a little out of the norm as far as real life situations go, but you get the idea. He stepped out of his comfort zone to help someone. He saw the possibility to make a difference and he did. We should be more like that. Hopefully, we won't pee our pants but if the need calls, I guess we could.

Week 4 Reading-Chapter 10 : Notice the World Around You

So the title may make you think I am going to say you are the center of the universe, I am not. Instead, take yourself out of the situation. The practice of "being the board" means that you are watching like a fly on the wall. Pretend like you have no personal stake in what is going on. Things happen. When something happens, try to avoid emotional connection, just think about what needs to happen to make the situation right again. We have to work on not getting caught up in the drama and just getting the job done, whatever it is. This seems to be common among high schoolers. When they have to work on group projects, there is always a few groups that start off well and then it turns into a he said, she said event. If they would take a step back and remember their goal of getting an A on their project, it would work out a lot better. I think I just went off on a tangent. Anyways, it isn't about blame. There are situations where blame can be given. However, if you place blame on yourself or someone else, then you are not focusing on the solution to the problem. You have to get past the idea of having someone (including yourself) to blame for everything that happens. Somethings just happen. Part of dealing with it efficiently is understanding life happens and moving on in a positive manner.

Publishing Leadership Project Part 3 of 3

I pretty much already wrote this in my last post but I am going to present to Jefferson County Public School  system and/or Oldham County Schools. I am trying to get a job with Oldham County, so I may end up doing it as part of teacher development. The two jobs I am applying for with them are tech based. One is the webmaster and the other is tech integration in an elementary school. I feel completely qualified for the webmaster job because I have a lot of experience in that field and the tech integration is all from Full Sail. I would have had a good idea without going to Full Sail, but because of the classes I have taken over the past year, I am ready to go for it and see what kind of difference I can make. 

Week 3 Reading-Chapter 9: Detour

Chapter 9: Lighting a Spark

This chapter goes well with the AR presentations we will do. The purpose of doing a presentation is to show people not only your knowledge about the subject but also your excitement about it. You shouldn’t have to put a lot of effort into “convincing” someone to like your product or service. If you are passionate about it and they can see your fire, it should naturally spread. This often happens at conferences and retreats. However, when presenting or meeting someone in person, you must leave a lasting impression. If not, then the person will walk away on fire, but the fire will dwindle as life goes back to normal.

Another important idea mentioned in this chapter is the word “no”. Often, if we present an idea or solution and someone says “no” we become defeated. The better way to handle the word “no” is to think of it as a detour. It isn’t that we can’t do what we were planning on, it is that we have to find another way to do it. For instance, I moved back to Louisville last year. I went down to the soccer club to see if I could sign up as an individual since I don’t have a team up here anymore. They said “no, only teams can sign up.” I was a little defeated. Ok, so maybe it was more than just a little defeated, I was a lot defeated. I asked the guy behind the counter if he knew of any teams that needed players. He kind of blew me off and went on with his job. Luckily, one of the people sitting behind me overheard our conversation. They volunteered that there was a “Free Agent” list. This little list was a list of players who were willing to play or sub for a team. It still wasn’t as good as being on a team and knowing when I would get to start playing but for the moment it was good enough. I signed up on that list and amazingly 2 weeks later, someone called me and told me they needed a girl for the next session. That meant my soccer career was going to begin again! 

Publishing Leadership Project Part 2 of 3

Since I have already been through this class once (AR issues), I have already thought a lot about where I want to present. I'm pretty set on the Jefferson County Public School (JCPS) system and possible the Oldham County School (OCS) system, both in Kentucky. JCPS is a rather large system because it is all of Louisville, Ky so if I face resistance I will try OCS. I just moved here ... it is right next to Louisville, but the school system consists of 10-15 schools total so I may have better opportunity. If neither will let me present, which I think I have a good chance with both, I will try Whitefield Academy in Louisville. I went to school there K-12 and even though it is a small, private school, the students and teachers will benefit from classroom blogging.

Publishing Leadership Project Part 1 of 3

I'm thinking I would like to do a presentation. Well, lets settle this real quick. I really would rather write an article than present because I do not enjoy talking to groups of people, much less people I don't know. However, I am a much better presenter than writer, so I will go with the lesser of two evils and choose the presentation option. I am not a teacher, so I would like to present my idea to the Jefferson County School System. I am not sure if I will be allowed to since I am not involved in the school system at all. Hopefully, if I can present, it will give me an in to the school system. It is a rather large school system, so maybe I will start small and present to the board and then do smaller presentations among different districts. It is not that I don't want to present to the whole group, but I feel it will have a bigger impact if I do more presentations to smaller groups of people. 

Another option for a presentation would include presenting at Kentucky Society for Technology in Education training conference in the fall of 2010. With both of these ideas, I need to search for the right contact to email about presenting. This is nerve wracking as I have never done this before at all. Ahhh. 

Week 3 Reading- Chapter 8: Get Over Yourself

The title may sound a wee bit harsh, but sometimes I need to hear it. To me, this chapter says "Follow your dreams and stop thinking about other peoples opinions." I struggle with this a lot. Often, I am hesitant to give my opinion or idea in a group because subconsciously I am always analyzing what people think of me. This happened just yesterday on the soccer field. I was taking a free kick and my original idea was to chip it to a forward who was standing in front of the goalie and everyone could crash the goal. However, being on a new team, no one knows my strengths and weaknesses, so they were all telling me to pass it to the guy 10 ft. away from me. Not wanting to seem cocky or anything, I passed it to him. That was a big waste. If I had not cared as much what they thought of me and went with my instincts, we could have scored and won/tied the game. Instead, I didn't and we lost by 1. Yes, that sentence included a should/could, but I realized it and learned from it and pretty soon I will let it go. 

Week 3 Comment #2

em said...

My AR has been a struggle too. Even though our projects might not be the best, we have still learned from them. I thought about this a lot while reading the "should" chapter. It really set in with me that I just have to move on and learn from my AR issues and general life mistakes. It isn't about what I could have done differently, but how I will do it better in the future.

June 20, 2010 8:24 PM 

Wk 3 reading - Learning from Our Mistakes

Mistakes can be like ice.  If we resist them, we may keep on slipping into a posture of defeat.  If we include mistakes in our definition of performance, we are likely to glide through them and appreciate the beauty of the longer run.

--Rosamund Zander, The Art of Possibility

My husband watches Mythbusters.  A lot.  One night this past week, I left my computer and came into the living room to watch TV with him, and Mythbusters' top 20 best episodes was on.  A recurring theme that all the cast members spoke of was mistakes, how they learned from those mistakes, and how they adjusted their experiments as a result.

Much of my Action Research Project has been a study of mistakes, specifically how many mistakes I made that my data and results turned out so badly.  I don't think that my AR project has turned out that well, especially compared to some of my classmates' projects, and I keep wishing that I could go back and redo some things so my project will be as good as others'.

The questions that go through my mind:
Did I not choose a topic soon enough?  Did I start my cycles too late?  Should I have chosen a different topic?  Should I have tried one more time to get permission to send out that email with the link to my survey?  Should I have tried harder to get those interviews?  Would the interviews have added relevant information to my data? 

Unfortunately, the past year hasn't been an experiment, and I can't go back in time, but if I had it all over to do again, I would fix some of the mistakes I made and hope for a better AR project.  All I can do now is use the data that I do have and create the best possible project.

Week 3 Comment #1

em said...

I am sure you will do great with the job, if you keep God's hand in it. It really can be a test of faith to begin new things but I am sure it is for the better. As far as learning something just a few weeks before your students, I have heard many success stories if you keep a positive attitude. My uncle owns a music store but his daughter didn't learn how to play piano until she was 21. That is when she needed a job and he told her she could teach a piano class for him. As long as you stay a week ahead of the students, you are fine. Also, you will understand their pain and frustration for it because you are learning with them.

THURSDAY, JUNE 17, 2010

Wk 3 Reading _Passion

Week 3 reading

What are you doing these days to express your passion?

I have always lived life with passion, and when I felt my passion for the activity I did for a living wane, I changed careers…4 times in 56 years. Now I am about to enter number 5, since I will be moving from the Visual Art Teacher of elementary and middle school students, into High School Digital Design Instructor. This is my first leap into the unknown, without a parachute. Literally, I got a job doing something I barely do. Let me rephrase that… I got a job teaching something I barely know!! Now those of us in education know that is really a leap of faith.
To make that leap I have begun two additional courses while still completing this Master’s with Full Sail. I am also taking (auditing) Photoshop and Illustrator courses! Love the community college for having what you need when you need it. My passion is to remain an educator who is working at the cutting edge of technology, and learning CS5 just before I begin to teach it only seems crazy to other people. I have learned to trust my ability to do what needs to be done, with God’s help, when I am in His will. I would not have presumed to try to teach something I don’t know without clearly seeing His hand in it. And as our state motto says, With God, all things are possible! So really, I suppose my passion is truly for God, and I just do what comes my way, as I try to walk in His will. His passion for me is something I feel, and that passion lights my life in service to others. Our urban students will benefit tremendously from the light I can bring them via this new tech program, and the Adobe programs I have been fighting to get into our tech arts programs for a couple years. I am blessed to be the beneficiary of the vision of others and the potential to change lives is a daily reality because of these blessings.
How could I be anything less than passionate with such a great calling?

Week 3 Reading-Chapter 7 ... It Is Life

It is great to have goals and dreams. Sometimes, that is how we get places or find new destinations in life. However, in life, we can't focus of what have been done. Instead, we need to focus on where we can go from here. One major event in recent news is the BP Oil spill in the gulf. It was a couple of weeks ago now, but there were several different people doing interviews and they had interesting takes on the oil spill. One person being interviewed was stuck on the phrase "What the government should have done is ...." and "What they should be doing ...". Another person interviewed was over what the government should or should not do. That individual went on to discuss how he gets up every morning and does what he can to clean up the beach, because it is his beach, figuratively. It is amazing the difference in those two interviews. One person is completely focused on what should be done and the other is focused on doing it. Whether you whine and complain about how things should be done or not, it still needs to get done and it will get done a lot quicker if you just do it.

This book is very intriguing to me because it describes a lot of my personality and my brother questions me about my personality all the time. In general, I don't worry over much and I handle everything pretty calm (at least on the outside.) Last week, I was babysitting my 4 month old cousin. I had just changed her diaper and when I picked her up off the changing table, she spit up ALL over me. I put her back on the changing table and went ahead and changed her clothes. I called my mom and left her a voicemail asking her to bring me clothes.When my mom brought me clothes, she explained that everyone at her work, thought the voicemail was priceless because I didn't have any emotion other than a little bit of laughter. It was just plain and simple. They were all amazed at how I handled it. I didn't see why or how I should have reacted according to any one else. I mean, there wasn't anything I could do to change the situation. She spit up and I needed clean clothes. Complaining about it while I was waiting for my clothes wasn't going to change the fact that I was still in dirty clothes. It wasn't a preventable situation. All I could do about it was laugh and provide a few people a good dose of laughter for their day. 

Week 2 Reading-Chapter 6:The Rules

Chapter 6: Rule 6

Don't take life seriously. The best part of it is this is rule number 6. There aren't any other rules. That bothers me, probably because I like order and it proves I'm taking this too seriously. Basically, don't sweat the small things. They will blow over. You can only do so much and if it is out of your control, just breathe. There isn't a point in fretting over something that you can't change. I should use this technique more often.

Obviously, Pig believes in Rule #6

Week 2 Reading- Chapter 5: Stop Judging

Chapter 5: Lead From Any Chair

Just a thought. This book often throws me off because I lack any bit of a musical background. This chapter kept mentioning "chairs" and their order. I just wasn't getting it so finally I had to ask my friend who was in band forever and now it all makes sense.

Anyways, the idea is that very often we discount people because they are in a lower position than us. On the flip side, we often won't lead, if it is not in our job description. Ok, I'm using "we" a lot but really I am talking about myself. I know I am one of those people that is a natural follower. I have ideas but I am shy so I only give my idea, if people deem me the leader or it is really necessary, both of which freak me out. This chapter speaks to me. Often, I am guilty of taking people for their label. For some reason though, I don't do it with sports. I tend to trust people on the field, just not in real life. It shouldn't matter what your label is. If you are the CEO of a company, good job, but you still need to listen to your employees and take their ideas seriously. If you are the lowest employee and you have a great thought, tell someone. Don't hold back because you really don't count on the list of employees.

Even pig and duck give their opinion and they are just guides 

Week 2 Reading- Chapter 4:Do Something

Chapter 4: Be A Contribution

This chapter is all about being apart of something. It isn't about how much you achieved but the fact that you did it. It is like learning from the experience, not the grade. If you get an A, but you did not learn anything, then it doesn't matter. When my brother and I were little, my dad told us ALL the time, "If you aren't part of the solution, you are part of the problem." This quote ties into the story at the beginning of the chapter very well. If the man would have done anything, he would have been part of the solution. However, standing there and saying how pointless it is just adds to the problem. Just having a positive outlook is being a contribution because your attitude rubs off, whether positive or negative.

Photo credit: Heather Coblentz

Week 2 Action Research- The Uphill Climb

I'm not really sure what to say about ARP. I finished my research by October or November and have written my Lit. Review about 15 times now. It really is a blessing it is all done on the computer because we would be running out of oxygen for the amount of trees I would have turned into paper. I really need to work on relaxing about my writing ability. It is 5 days passed the day our paper was due. I am at the final stage of checking to make sure my citations are correct and reading through it one last time. I know, a paper really should not be this big of an extravaganza in my life. For some reason it is. Joe has already reassured us that the paper and website is going to bounce back and forth between us and the professors for revision, so they aren't going to let me fail. They will help me, but for some reason the idea of actually turning in my paper freaks me out. I have a little issue with turning in major assignments and such, but with papers it has always been extremely hard for me to do. On the other hand, my website is doing okay. I am a little bit of a design perfectionist and would like to spend weeks/months/years designing it perfectly, but I am over that idea.

Sidenote: Don't worry about me. I am not really going crazy. I am just capable of making fun of my stupid ability to be over anxious.

Week 2 Comment #2

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Wk 2 - AR Status

I am a procrastinator.

I haven't always been this way.  When I was in the 5th grade, I made the jump from a student who turned in everything on time to a student who didn't.  I really used to be one of those kids who would turn in signed permission slip forms the day after the teacher gave them back.  One day, though, I wondered to myself why I did that, why I turned in my permission slips the very next day.  Even the teacher's daughter didn't turn in her permission slip the very next day.  Thus, I became a procrastinator.

When I was in college, my procrastination was really, really bad because I often wouldn't write my essays until the night before.  My research would be done days ahead of schedule, but the actual paper wouldn't be done until the night before.  One semester, I had five papers due the week of finals, so I had no choice but to procrastinate and it felt wonderful to have an excuse!

So...my Action Research Project...not a good thing to procrastinate on...but I did.  The bulk of my Action Research had been done for months.  I just chose not to do the writing because I'm not a writer, despite the fact that I am an English major.  So the week before the AR Status was due, I freaked out because I didn't think I was going to get finished in time.  The Sunday before the assignment was due, I locked myself inside my office, my husband dropped off our daughter at my parents house, and I essentially was left to my own devices for the next three days.

I began with my Literature Review.  I rewrote it.  By hand.  And it took me hours...but I got it done.

I moved to Cycle 1.  I wrote it out by hand as well and I finished it Sunday night.  The only thing I had left to do was Cycle 2 and I saved it for Monday.

On Monday, I finished up Cycle 2 and turned in my AR Status...I FINISHED A DAY EARLY!! 

This from a procrastinator...

Week 2 Comment#1

I am not sure how or why but I really struggled to get this to copy correctly. Below is my comment on Danielle Brayer's blog.

EMILY OVERSTREET

I understand your struggle with trying to live up to everyone's expectations (or what I assume to be their expectations). It seems like life can be compared to a sport. I am a soccer player. I was doing goalie practice with someone and I was shooting on them, from everywhere. I wasn't really putting any effort into it, but I was hitting perfect shots every time. It wasn't because I am a great player or anything. It is because I wasn't worried about what I was doing. I was relaxed and let my instincts play for me. If we could live without worry of not being perfect, we would probably be capable of more.

Week 1 Reading- Chapter 3: Eh? Ay? ... A

Chapter 3: Giving an A

It seems so easy, but it truly is one of the hardest things to do. "Giving an A" is about encouraging and supporting yourself and others. This chapter made me think of my brother. Since we were tiny kids, he has always had crazy business ideas. My whole family and many of his friends have always talked him out of following through with any of these ideas because we are scared of failure. I wonder what would have happened if we would have encouraged him to follow through with any of his ideas? This theory of "giving an A" applies to ourselves also. I caught myself doubting my ability to play soccer today because it was my second game with a new team and I am way more out of shape than any human should ever be. Then I realized that I was already talking myself out of wanting to play. Of course, if I went in there with the idea that I didn't have any place there and I was just wasting time, I would do horrible. Luckily, since I had already read most of this book, I picked myself up, reminded myself that I could do it, and it would go well. That is exactly what happened. It went well.

Week 1 Reading-Chapter 2:Put Away the Measuring Stick

Chapter 2: Stepping Into a Universe of Possibility
Measurement is the keyword of this chapter. We are constantly comparing ourselves to others, whether it is known to us or not. Our life goal should not be success but happiness. Instead of trying to be a doctor because we will make a lot of money, we should be a doctor because we enjoy it. Try thinking about it in this way: If money was not an object, what would you be doing for a career? That just deals with the aspect of money, but in life we deal with everything to compare. We have to have positive thoughts about ourselves to get anywhere in life. Yes, I do realize that the last sentence is even a measurement, which proves that comparing occurs constantly in our minds. Basically, believe in yourself, your surroundings, and all that you encounter.

Week 1 Reading-Chapter 1:What Do You See?

Chapter 1: It's All Invented

This chapter is all about how you perceive everything. As living things, we automatically put rules for survival on every situation we encounter. Even though we are made that way so we can function safely, it hinders our ability to think outside of the box. We live so structured that sometimes we forget to just go with the flow. Without realizing it, we assume extra rules are in place. To prove this point, the authors use the example of the famous 3X3 dot puzzle with the ONLY instructions being "join all nine dots with 4 lines, without taking pen from paper." Most people struggle with this because we ASSUME we can't draw outside of the box. The short video below shows how most people try to keep the lines inside the box and then how to solve the puzzle.

Week 1 Comment #2

Post by Charles (Chuck) Mills

I don’t read much at all.  Though I enjoy reading, my life is so busy I find it difficult to find the time.  Over the years I have read very few books with the exception of the bible.  Many of my friends can’t understand this because their perception of the bible is that it is a book of rules, of do’s and don’ts, of penalties and judgment (hell, fire and brimstone), and weeping and gnashing of teeth (as one professor recently alluded to in a Wimba session).  These things are not what stand out to me. I see hope, redemption, forgiveness, compassion, love, and the fact that though I could never “measure up”, I am an “A”. 

Life on the other hand can cause me to lose faith when I lose sight of the right perspective.  I refer to not only spiritual faith, but faith in others…like faith in my students! When I consider my teaching career, with all its ups and downs, I can clearly see how I have allowed myself to be boxed in and consequently, have drawn boxes for my students to operate within.  It reminds me of an auto commercial that came out several years ago of a young driver being instructed to “stay between the lines”.  When the “lines” ran into a roadblock (traffic), the driver turned and went off road…and did just fine!  I rationalize drawing boxes for the purpose of “safety”, careful to protect my students and me.  Most of it is because of a few minor mistakes made when some “liberties” were taken with video projects.  Reflecting on the reading and considering my classes, I see that I have become judgmental and am limiting possibilities for my students.  Time to step outside some of the lines I have drawn and open my eyes to a world of possibilities for my students.

Emily Overstreet

Wow, Chuck! Growing up in a Southern Baptist school, I have seen many people get carried away with the "rules" of the Bible, instead of the  "I'm never going to measure up, but I still get an A" part of the Bible. It just amazes me how you were able to make it so simple. Not that it was a bad thing by any means, it was just like the Twitter version of the Bible. I also struggle to have adequate faith in the people I encounter in daily life. Some people I think the world of and believe that they can do anything, and I help them to do anything, but I guess I see some people as a lost cause and don't try to help them. I need to stop putting rules on people and just give them another chance. Thanks for sharing, it really put a new perspective on the book for me.

Sunday, June 6, 2010 - 11:07 PM

Week 1 Comment #1

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2, 2010

wk1 reading – What do humans perceive?

In their book, The Art of Possibility, Rosamund and Benjamin Zander say that humans "perceive only the sensations that we are programmed to receive."  That statement makes me wonder if different individuals perceive different things.  Its been proven that cats, dogs, and other animals see differently than humans, and according to the Zanders, its because they see what they need to see to survive.  But what about humans?  Does one human see things differently than another human?

After reading just the first few paragraphs of the first chapter and thinking about the statement above, I was reminded of the movie Mallrats.  There's a particular scene where Willem (played by Ethan Suplee) has been staring at a MagicEye 3-D poster for hours trying to see a sailboat, while everyone around him glances at the same poster for a few seconds and sees the boat with no problems.  Willem gets aggravated with everyone because they can see the sailboat and he can't.

So why couldn't Willem see the sailboat?  Was he not programmed to see it or was he just not "relaxing his eyes" like the other characters advised him to do?