To cry over learning is not all wrong, but it does signal a need for reflection with the learning endeavor. Sometimes a person may cry over learning because their expectations are off--they expect the learning to be easier or their skills to be better. At other times, the tears can be due to frustration, the kind of frustration that occurs when learning doesn't come easy even after many tries. And tears too can arise from competition when a learner sees everyone else quickly completing a task that he or she simply can't master. There's lots of reasons that tears can arise from learning, and the fact of the matter is that sometimes it's not such a bad thing to cry when learning evades you or provides you with a challenge.
When those tears come, it's important to reflect with questions like these:
- Are my expectations too great?
- Am I using effective effort?
- Have I made good use of the intelligent assistants available such as colleagues, computers, experts, and learning events?
- How can I break down the task to make each step more reasonable?
- Am I celebrating the small wins?
If students cry, a teacher has to analyze the situation. Is the task too much of a reach? Were the proper supports put in place? Is this time for some coaching for a learner who, perhaps, has sky-high expectations?
Learning well is not a simple affair. Good learning takes practice, mistakes, reflection, revision, and collaboration. It's a step-by-step affair that profits from the intelligent assistants around us, assistants both human and technological. Good learning is not always easy, and can make you cry from time to time, but that shouldn't obstruct the learning journey ahead. Onward.
