It takes a while to get a
sense of an educational community and what the members value within this
community. I have enjoyed the process of getting to know many of the various
members of the SSVT family and I wanted to share some brief thoughts and observations.
A key component in the
process of learning is to struggle. How we as educators manage this struggle
when working with students is the important part .When listening to an NPR
piece I immediately thought of the way business is conducted at SSVT. “In
Eastern cultures, it’s assumed that struggle is a predictable part of the
learning process. Everyone is expected to struggle in the process of learning,
and so struggling becomes a chance to show that you, the student, have what it
takes emotionally to resolve the problem by persisting through the struggle.” I
felt that this quote encapsulated a key value held here at SSVT and one of the
reasons that this school works for the students who come to us every day.
The NPR piece, “Struggle for Smarts? How Eastern and Western
Cultures Tackles Learning”, speaks to how teachers in eastern cultures help
students manage challenges. I thought this story highlighted many similarities
between what you do on a daily basis as part of your practice, and how it is
done in eastern cultures If you have a few minutes, take
the time to listen, I think it will make you reflect on your daily efforts.
Here is the link if you
would like to listen to this piece:
Spiegel, Alix.
"Struggle For Smarts? How Eastern And Western Cultures Tackle
Learning." NPR : National
Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts. National
Public Radio, 12 Nov. 2012. Web. 6 Dec. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/11/12/164793058/struggle-for-smarts-how-eastern-and-western-cultures-tackle-learning>.
