Continuing our own natural learning helps us feel like a child again and I believe is critical for every adult! This poignant thought occurred to me recently while taking a pottery class for the first time. It was a Christmas gift from my own children and what a gift it has been.
My teacher, Mr. Ed Ham, is a master potter and a master mentor! He demonstrates just enough to get each of us inspired and then he turns us lose on our wheels! It’s true that we retain about ten percent of what someone tells us, and that’s about how far I got with my first pot – 10 percent! I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.
Ed didn’t jump right in to fix things, but rather waited for me to ask him a question. This way he gave me the pleasure of figuring things out on my own and deciding for myself when I needed a little extra instruction. Each time I attend his class he gives me another course in what learning is really supposed to look like. I will take his wisdom back to my own classroom and my life!