Life is your School

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

After reviewing the Spring and Autum Annals in our first class meeting, I came to the realization that Chong'er was destined to be a great ruler because he ventured out into the world and learned from his experiences. "Life is your school", my mother always says. And I believe that is true. Chong'er fled the state of Jin and became wiser by listening and paying attention to how others lived and ruled. Chong'er learned a lot in his flight and used the knowledge gained to rule. I honestly believe that people learn more from their day-to-day life experiences than they do from books, and I believe that Chong'er's journey around the states of China are what made him successful. "Life is your School".

[Anonymous]

I also believe that life is your school, however, I also believe that one needs books and stories to have a full education. Chong'er was a successful ruler because he traveled and dealt with life but also because he had his advisers (which you would assume were learned men) to help him as well. It was when he listened to his advisers that he truly succeeded. Life has many classes and school is one and so are books, and of course experiences. So learning from Chong'er's life can help one become a successful ruler but one would be a better ruler if you learned from personal experiences. Both make one a better scholar.

[Anonymous]

I'd be interested to read or hear the student POV on the way Chong'er handles things and develops. The idea that experience is the greatest teacher has much value. It brings up some questions about the way education is done.....and could better be done.

VO

[Anonymous]

I agree with lmonieperalta. I think that in order to have an entire education we must have both ( a formal education with books, books you have to read for school and books you WANT to read) plus the added personal experience.

Chong'er was a good ruler because he listen and even when he didn't want to listen they made him listen (i.e. when they got him drunk and out of the city). He took those life experiences and the wisdom other offered him and followed through. I try to do this with some of my students, i'm sure we all do, offer advice based on personal experience, but then again my mother always told me "one doesn't learn if one doesn't experience it first hand". Yet I think there are certain things that one does not have to go through to learn and Chong'er was wise enough to take other people's advice and move forward to the point that he was a successful ruler.

[Anonymous]

Yes! I certainly agree that reading and studying greatly enhances one's knowledge. And of course Chong'er's advisers played a great part in his success as a ruler. I should have included that in my post...I just got wrapped up in the idea that one's life experiences teaches us as well. There is a perception in our world that suggests only those who are studied are smart and I wanted to express my view that life teaches us many value lessons, and that a piece of paper--a diploma for example--does not dictate a person's intelligence or worth.[Edit by="rflores on Feb 22, 10:22:27 AM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

I agree with rflores that our society believes that in order to be considered smart that it needs to come from books and a university degree but it fails to take in account better yet value that personal experience is essential. I myself know people that did not have an opportunity to pursue a college degree that I know for a fact are way smarter than me. They have obtained knowledge through books they selected and read. This of course was not done in a college setting but rather because this knowledge acquired was something that the iniciated on their own I think puts them on a whole different level than me.

I think that we are in the ideal position to start pushing real life experience and giving them the value that they deserve. If we all did this I think that our immigrant students will feel like they also have something to contribute to our school environment and culture and am almost positive that they would be more successful in the educational field.

[Anonymous]

"Life is your school", truly makes logical sense and I do agree. In many situations, one observes that those with "life experiences", who learned from these experiences and made positive contributions to society, are valued compared to those of have the paperwork but no life applications. When meeting different professors, you see the research, ethnography studies and experiences behind their academia that make learning from them so much more richer experience, than more just learned from the books and lectures. To be able to grasp on to the experiences of life, open ones mind to these endless experiences have so much depth and meaning, then having the formal education, which you are learning from others experiences.
I also agree with Judith, that if our students, primarily the immigrants, were made to feel or believe their experiences were valued; this would increase there own self-worth and be open to learning: as we are learning from them.
It's those life experiences and how we apply it to our daily lives, that make us rich and interesting people.[Edit by="cori on Mar 19, 9:21:40 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

You know Vortiz, you bring up a good point. It would be VERY interesting to see how students feel about Chong'er's choices. We can have students analyze the Annals and discuss and evaluate his decisions, even have debates about whether they agree with him or not. Students could do a lot with this work. They can also read Machiavelli's Prince and describe the parallels between both works, or write narratives through the eyes of Chong'er, or the people he encounters. Good idea![Edit by="rflores on Jul 28, 9:31:24 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

When I first read Chong'er, I too immidiately made a connection between then two texts--the Spring Autum piece of the Jin period and Machiavelli's Prince. The opening passage we were assigned for class has Chong' er being given instructions on how to prepare proper forifications for the defense of a city. The topic resonated as being similar to the types of advice and observations one finds throughtout the Prince. I think it would be agood idea for students to look at excerpts from both texts and compare the writers ideas on the role and responsibility of an effective leader. You could simply have students do a compare and contrast activity and then at the end of which they pick and support one of the textual exerpts as providing the more tolerable of the forms of social guidance and territorial control advice given in the two texts. Then have students make a quess as to which text is older. Have studetns find the dates of the periods (~630 BC for the Jin text and 1530 for Machiavelli. Have them look at the similarities between the two sets of notes then have taken. Despite the difference in time, are the documents more similar than different? Have students use three source of evidance to support their claim.

And as for life being one's school, I would have to agree life experience does provide a wonderful dimension that book learning and other structured educational experieces somewhat lacks. Yet I am compelled to say that I beleive school is perhaps one of the most crucial aspects of life. To me, in order to be a sure one gets the most out of life, they must go to school in many forms. College, Elementary and Middle, para-profession. Life is school and school is life . [Edit by="chellmold on Jul 29, 1:26:43 AM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="chellmold on Jul 29, 10:48:36 PM"][/Edit]

[Anonymous]

Well of course the formal eductaion helps, thats becuase it helps us to understand from our school of Life. Truly you learn most by doing. Experience life events firts hand is by far the best way to comprehend lifes little lessons, but learning in school helps to make the lessons faster, or possible learn the lessons of teh ecents we will neer experience. I appreciate the tip on comparing the Spring Autumn piece, and Macihiavelli. Although I cannot do that with my sixth garde students, i will keep it noted for future refernces. Chongers was very enjoyable to read, and especially! enjoyd the lecture from our speaker, who helped to make the pices more alive, and easier to understand!

[Anonymous]

I agree that Chong'er is a great example to show students the importance of a balanced education in school and getting opportunities to apply classroom skills in the real world. Life experience is an important par of one's education and I guess that is why it is important to connect content knowledge to our student's prior knowledge or life experience. Field trips, projects, and presentations are also a great way for our students to apply the knowledge that they have learned in the classroom.

[Anonymous]

David Kolb comes to mind when I think of experientaial learining. Chris Argyris is another one who values experience and theory. I do not believe they need to be mutually exclusive and in fact D.Kolb provides an elegant theory for both. I utilize field experiences constantly to provide my students with those experience that bridge the concept with the practical----neither shoud be less valued. Should a Japenese poem be less thought of than a finely woven analytical essay? Of course not and neither should the learning modalities. The Pacific Asian Museam and Chinese American Museaum, among others are opportunites to provide our students with these experiential opportunities. [Edit by="jcsmyth on Feb 20, 1:55:57 PM"][/Edit]

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