So I was teaching a useful lesson this week. Some students were chatting, many more were doing what they do on their smart phones… some were even listening to music in their ear buds. I know, right! Nothing sends a more clear message to an instructor — HS teacher, college professor, or corporate trainer — I don’t respect your expertise, and I want to remain the same today as I was yesterday. So much for 1% better every day. If you’re not growing, you’re shrinking. But did you know that 1% better each day for a year is 147,966% better than 1% worse each day?
As you can see, small gains pay off over time. That’s the power of cumulative advantage!
I have pondered this behavior, and a rational conclusion most teachers could certainly reach is that these students simply don’t want to learn. They are outsourcing their attention which may bring immediate pleasure through the dopamine hit they get. However, this pleasure is fleeting. That is, most won’t even remember what content they were consuming or who they were texting at the end of the day.
Some students lament that school just isn’t exciting. To that, I say useful lessons are not always fun. Think about it. Running on treadmills and eating salads aren’t as fun as playing video games and eating chocolate bonbons. But even the laziest person agrees the long-term benefits will outweigh the short-term pain.
To paraphrase Jim Rohn, we’re all going to experience pain — the pain of learning, or the pain of regret. Cognitive engagement may be uncomfortable at times, but do you really want to live a life of regret? If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, then the road to living successfully is paved with good deeds. Sustained attention will pay off.
If we want to improve each day, we cannot outsource our effort. We may wish we could, but we can’t. What are we waiting for? The next year will pass whether we learn anything or not. Why not hedge our bets? Do those pushups. Read that book. Learn from an expert.
By doing some heavy lifting now, youngsters just might surprise themselves. Someone’s gotta be the next dot-com millionaires, superstar You-Tubers, inventors, etc.
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