Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Real Learning Doesn't Occur in Classrooms

Real Learning Doesn't Occur in Classrooms

Quote Morrie Schwartz, from one of the most highly acclaimed books by Mitch Albom, Tuesdays with Morrie, "Everyone knows they're going to die, but nobody believes it. The truth is once you learn how to die, you learn how to live." Acceptance, moving on, is what Morrie Schwartz was talking about.

Real Learning, might include learning how to let go; to forgive and forget, to move on.

I am here today, to talk about how and why Real Learning Doesn't Occur in Classrooms. You might ask what my quote had to do with my topic. Well, one harsh and final reality is Death.

A close friend of mine passed away late last year. Everything around me crumbled. Nothing made sense any more. I didn't know what to do. He was my lifeline, my support, always a phone call away. Now that he's gone, I didn't know who else I could turn to.

Now this, is something we can never learn in classrooms, something that can never be printed out in black and white. There is no guide book or self-help book that has been published to help us in this area. An area where only by experience would one feel the depth of the greyness in between the black and white

How do we define real learning? I believe Real Learning occurs throughout life. With each passing day, we learn valuable lessons that would last us our entire lifetime.


Another personal example would be, the Overseas Community Involvement Programme I took part in during the June Holidays. It was a school trip to Thailand where we had to build a dormitory for the village children. While we were teaching them Basic English, they managed to teach me the real meaning behind "The simplest life led, is the happiest life led." No doubt theirs lives are harsh and difficult and some of them are living in dreadful states, however they could still live each day with a happy smiles, oblivious to their surroundings. It makes me wonder if we were there to help them or were we there for them to teach us how to live life.

People say no one can survive on love alone. I beg to differ. Today, I challenge you to push past the limits that society has set for us. I dare you to step out of this materialistic world and let go of your inhibitions. Then not only would we be able to survive on love alone, we'd be able to survive on anything. And that, my dear friends, is what Real Learning really about. Wouldn't you agree?

- Nerissa Tan, Broadrick Secondary

One of the best speeches there was today, content-wise.
The speaker brought it up to the next level(:

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

It is very useful for me