Habit #16 – Remain Open To Continuous Learning

Habit #16 – Remain Open To Continuous Learning

Intelligent people are in a continuous learning mode. Their confidence, in combination with their inquisitiveness, allows them to constantly search for new and better ways. People with this Habit of Mind are always striving for improvement, always growing, always learning, always modifying and improving themselves. They seize problems, situations, tensions, conflicts and circumstances as valuable opportunities to learn.

Our wish is for creative students and people who are eager to learn. That includes the humility of knowing that we don’t know, which, is the highest form of thinking. Paradoxically, unless you start off with humility you will never get anywhere, so as the first step you have to have the humility to know–and admit–that you don’t know and not be afraid to find out.

Be honest and say, “I don’t know, but let us find out.”

In this time with each one of us learning to cope with new challenges created by Covid-19, it is vital that we remain open to new ideas and news ways of managing our lives. In order to create this environment, I believe we must strive to create opportunities for our students that lead them to find reason for believing that certain learning has value.  If we are unable to answer the question “When will I ever use this?” maybe, we need to rethink why we believe it is important!  “Because it is in the book” or “because it is on the state test” isn’t a response likely to motivate our boys.

“Remaining open to continuous learning” is something we each need to survive and thrive in this dynamic and challenging time.  As parents and teachers, it’s up to us to pass on the skill of how to “learn, unlearn and relearn”.

– Brigitte Theunissen / Deputy Head Academics