In viewing the 7 and a Half Habits slide show, I recognized my main weakness immediately, it was Habit 4: Have confidence in yourself as a competent, effective learner. I, along with many other people suffer from a fear of failure. It wasn't until I accepted possible failure as an integral part of the learning process that the proverbial spark was truly ignited. Failure is a part of life as well as achieving personal and group goals. I also believe in the importance of being a lifelong learner. The wisest people in the world are those that realize they don't know everything and continually hunger for new information and educational experiences. When one allows for a static intellectual existence, the brain's ability can atrophy, just like the muscles of the human body. I am reminded of some useful advice my father used to give me, which sadly, I used to casually dismiss: "If you believe you can't, then you never will." Such a simple phrase and yet it contains such wisdom.
The part of 7 and a Half Habits slid show I identified most as a personal strength was Habit 2: Accept responsibility for your own learning. This is not only relevant in the educational realm, but in life as well. Blaming others for personal failure and the shirking of personal responsibility are far too common and are epidemics which plague our society. It is important to understand that grades and accolades should be earned, not given. Dedication, genuine achievement and a strong work ethic are not part of some antiquated idea system which has been swept away in the name of progressivism. They are critical components of molding successful students and helping them to create a positive self image. Instilling those basic values goes far beyond the incredible disservice of lowering expectations in order to make everyone feel good. In the real world, there is no trophy simply for showing up.
I agree with you that accepting responsibility for your learning is something that also applies to life. I think it is important as teachers to stress this to students so that they learn that only they are responsible for themselves and what they learn or take from something.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting this blog. I feel your points about accepting responsibility for your own learning were clearly what I was trying to bring to words. Sharing your personal experience is a great example of humility and invokes reflection on past and personal experiences of our own.
ReplyDeleteFailure is an unfortunate part of life. But as Thomas Edison said he did not fail 1000 times at making a light bulb, he learned a 1000 ways how not to make a light bulb.
ReplyDeleteKnowing the importance of continuing to learn is an integral part of being an intellectual of any kind. The brain is definitely a muscle that can loss its ability to function properly without use, but it seems that you are already heading in the direction of remembering to not slack in your learning and that is wonderful.