I dedicate this post to my inner child, and all other interconnected souls throughout this world who ever felt not good enough according to society’s standards.
I shared about half of the following comment (due to a limit for # of words one can use) after reading the article, “At Success Academy School, A Stumble in Math and a Teacher’s Anger on Video,” and watching the included video:
Note: Image on right found next to link => www.edutopia.org (thank you; I’m also grateful to Spirit within to cross paths with this website)
After reading this article and watching the video, I was reminded from Spirit within to Be neutral, balance and harmony.
Because initially, I felt a surge of anger ripple throughout me from having to witness such unloving behavior, words and actions toward an innocent child, as well as having flashbacks of my own experiences of humiliation from others (to include a few teachers).
I was able to deeply empathize with the gentle child who was humiliated, because I recall from my own experiences feeling so ashamed of myself for being so “dumb”.
My own personal experiences remained with me to my adulthood, where I often feared making mistakes, even avoiding to raise my hand in classroom settings for fear of being humiliated again.
However, as I was inspired from the Master Teacher within (Spirit), I was able to slowing but surely build up confidence, testing the raging waters and facing my deepest fears.
I’m now grateful that I was able to learn from certain aggressive civilian teachers (and some overly aggressive military instructors) what NOT to do and Be as a teacher of life, and did my best to find a healthy balance while teaching my own students as an Army instructor (in the past).
In addition, as a Japorean-American woman who’s been influenced by Korean culture and the military lifestyle, I’ve learned that it’s highly beneficial for students to be taught to have discipline, to know how to focus, to respect themselves their peers and their teachers, and to do their very best in whatever they set their hearts to do.
However, just like everything else in life, going to the extremes is not beneficial PERIOD; it’s about finding balance.
As an adult in my early forties, I’ve learned that I absorb knowledge like a sponge when I learn in a flourishing environment (self-study at home or other uplifting places) that encourages one to fully and fearlessly explore and perceives “mistakes” as stepping stones of success.
Asian schools are infamous for ruthless teachers, and I trust that they, too, have their own form of gifts to share with humanity. But are the harsh teaching methods truly the best way?
And why is the suicidal rate so high for Asian students in general? Perhaps way too much pressure to be what society wants kids to be?
My Korean cousin committed suicide when she was in high school more than likely due to the unbearable amount of stress that others had placed on her so that she can be “successful” one day.
Material success means nothing when there is no physical form to experience and enjoy it.
Earthly labels of achievements, awards and metals, high status, “respected” positions, and success may be important to many parents throughout this world, but what about inner peace, joy, happiness, freedom, creativity, unconditional acceptance/love for self (and others), wisdom, and many other profound values and lessons in life?
Highly evolved civilizations don’t live in ass-backwards ways that doesn’t benefit the individual and the interconnected whole.
This world can create all the lawyers, engineers, chemists, CEO’s, football players, celebrities, etc. it thinks it needs with its logical minds, but without the most powerful force throughout this Universe and beyond—Unconditional Love/Heart/Deep Empathy/Compassion/Intuition/Acceptance/Creativity/Forgiveness/Embrace/Flow/Freedom, etc.—all the fancy labels won’t last, but will only spiral down like a raging whirlpool—the way things have gone down in human history.
It’s time for us all to wake up and smell the flowers and trees, and to realize that the old and outdated, insensitive, extreme patriarchal days of, “What are you crying about now?!” “Boys don’t cry!” “Emotions are a weakness!” “You’re wwway too sensitive!” or “Suck it up and drive on soldier!” is benefiting no soul or any other life form on this planet, and never has.
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Psychologically and emotionally abusive ways of teaching WILL come to an end as our world continues to transform. The following is an important section from the article/link shared above:
But Joseph P. McDonald, a professor of teaching and learning at New York University’s school of education, who viewed the video at The New York Times’s request, described Ms. Dial’s behavior as “abusive teaching.”
“We don’t see enough here to know for sure that this classroom is typically full of fear, but I bet that it is,” he wrote in an email. “The fear is likely not only about whether my teacher may at any time erupt with anger and punish me dramatically, but also whether I can ever be safe making mistakes.”
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