Discomfort Zone

I like working with computers.  They are predictable - kind of; they don't have complex emotions; they don't expect anything; and if I don't enjoy working with them, I can just turn them off and go do something else.  It's easy.  It's comfortable.

But over the years I started working with people, employing people, selling products and services, selling ideas, getting socially involved.  Also started a family, raising children...  Suddenly I am surrounded by people who are not predictable, have complex and dynamic emotions, expecting things from me.  I am responsible for their well-being...  I strayed so far from my comfort zone, that I am not sure I can find my way back.  The story of course is not that simple, but close enough to demonstrate the issue of comfort zone.

It seems that to achieve almost anything I want, I have to leave my comfort zone.  And I am not very special this way:  The comfort zone is normally inert, unchanging, un-achieving, restful, sluggish...  It has it place, but generally it doesn't support development.

What does all this have to do with education?

Education is a place of development.  Learning is development and change.  If a pupil remains in his comfort zone, development and change (=learning) are not likely.  Much of learning is trying new ideas and activities.  By definition, these new things are not the old comfort zone.  Even worse, trial goes with error.  Trying new things is closely associated with failure - at least at first.  I don't know anyone whose comfort zone is large enough to include failure. Those people who deal well with failure are just more tolerant of it, and recover more quickly from the discomfort of having failed.  They are flexible in moving in and out of their comfort zone.

So, learning is change.  Change is not very compatible with the comfort zone.

Also, learning involves failure.  Failure is very incompatible with the comfort zone.

Learners must be flexible outside their comfort zone.

What about teaching?  As in "standing in front of a group of people who are themselves out of their comfort zone?"  Sounds uncomfortable.  Definitely error-prone.  Sadly riddled with failure. For mortals, it's way out of the comfort zone.

Teachers must be flexible outside their comfort zone.  They are the ones who should be able to model flexibility in moving into and out of the comfort zone, so pupils can learn that, too.

So much for learning and teaching.  What about the school graduate?  Can she stay much in her comfort zone?  Since we expect the world to keep changing quite rapidly, we can expect the graduate (=ourselves) to keep learning constantly, which means we all need to be outside our comfort zone much of the time, and to tolerate our own failures.

We all must be flexible outside our comfort zone.

It is a worthy habit to develop.