For over 30 years international school leaders, teachers, and counselors have come together for PTC professional learning experiences. Each day of every program begins with a “pearl of wisdom,” a “nugget of knowledge,” or a “gem of inspiration” from one of the participants. We are delighted to offer our readers around the world these powerful stories, insights, and strategies, all dedicated to our shared mission of ever more and better learning for our children.
In this Pearl, Chris shares the importance of giving your students a chance to be young and stupid because you only get a short amount of time before your body can’t handle getting back up as easily. When he was young, he saw the quote, “In order to be old and wise you must first be young and stupid.” This resonated with him, and he remembers it now that he is teaching young students. He says that through adventures and failure, we can learn from our mistakes and get better. These “stupid things” aren’t done out of malice, but rather, because they are kids. Let them fall and then help them get back up.
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Chris Holmquist is the experiential learning coordinator at the InterAmerican Academy in Ecuador.
