The Unlearning Leader

Those of you who regularly read my blog know I am taking courses at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School. Yesterday the question of ‘“What are the things I need to start and what are the things I need to stop?” was posed. This is a very meaningful prompt to contemplate. It was then discussed that “Failing to unlearn runs the risk that new responsibilities and demands will be layered onto existing ones; nothing is ever discarded and work becomes overwhelming” (2023, Saïd Business School). This really hit home in the policymaking side of my life in education. As we consider redesigning high school or anything in education, we have a lot of things to unlearn.

Then I thought back to some teachings of Bruce Lee. I recently read Be Water, My Friend: The Teachings of Bruce Lee by Shannon Lee. Bruce Lee believed that “the value of a vessel – whether a cup, pot, or bottle – is in its emptiness.” He saw emptiness as a metaphor for openness and potential and believed that when a vessel is empty, it has the capacity to be filled with new ideas, knowledge, and experiences. Just as a cup can only hold water when it is empty, a person’s mind can only receive new information and grow when it is open and receptive. Emptiness allows for limitless possibilities and growth. Let’s not forget that unlearning and emptying our minds can be just as important as learning, so we don’t end up with overwhelming layering.

Byron's Babbles