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>.