We Need Real Teachers (My Final Reflection on Sprinkler Repair)

I tried to figure out how to put in sprinkler valves on my own. I combined trial and error and YouTube videos and tutorials and I ended the day in frustration. So, I called my dad. He walked me through it. He showed me how to do things, watched me do it and gave me feedback. He encouraged me and reminded me of his own journey in learning to fix stuff. I mention all of this, because there is an overly simplistic theory out there that says kids can learn anything and everything on our own if we just get out of the way. And on some level, that's true. But on another level, there's a need for feedback, for questions, for a story we can empathize with. There's a need for encouragement and not in the form of a badge or sticker, but in a "hey, this is tough, but you'll make it" from someone who has been there before. A kiosk and a hole in the wall and a Khan video can't provide this relational element. Because, it's in trusted relationships that people know one another enough to provide empathy and timely feedback and stories and encouragement in ways that pre-programmed formulas simply can't. Learning is inherently relational. We need feedback from people, through trusted relationships.