Editorial September 3, 1990 Issue

Ready to learn?

Michael D. Rissler

"How teachable are you?"

That was one of the first questions that a teacher once asked his students. I don't think anyone had ever before asked me that question, and it set me to thinking about what makes a person teachable. In a way, it's just another way of asking, Are you ready to learn?

We can be very bright in some areas of knowledge and still not have a ready willingness to learn in those areas. But I have a friend who always seems willing and ready to learn. She has an inquiring attitude; she's interested in other people and what they think; and, she is willing to reconsider even her own sometimes strongly held beliefs. There's something resilient in her way of approaching things, and as a result I've seen her come into the middle of perplexing situations and patiently work her way to a solution.

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