"You can do it! You can do it! You can do it!"
March 9, 2016 6:37 PM Subscribe
Oh, that was beautiful.
posted by inconsequentialist at 6:55 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by inconsequentialist at 6:55 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
Ok, it got me too.
Good job little guy!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:13 PM on March 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
Good job little guy!
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 7:13 PM on March 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure how to parse this video...
posted by midmarch snowman at 7:15 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by midmarch snowman at 7:15 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
On the one hand, that's a lot of pressure to put on such a little guy.
On the other hand, how awesome.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:31 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
On the other hand, how awesome.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:31 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh that made me cry with happiness. Very lovely.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:12 PM on March 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 8:12 PM on March 9, 2016 [2 favorites]
Kids don't want anybody to win. They just want everyone to be happy. Then we become adults and there's competition and relative power between people and it gets very very complicated and hostile a lot of the time. Then we get old and we're not so self-important anymore and we just want everyone to be happy again.
posted by downtohisturtles at 8:26 PM on March 9, 2016 [8 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 8:26 PM on March 9, 2016 [8 favorites]
Kids don't want anybody to win. They just want everyone to be happy.
I feel like people who say this don't remember what it was like to be a kid or had a different childhood than I did.
posted by zutalors! at 8:39 PM on March 9, 2016 [17 favorites]
I've been a kid and grew up my whole life as the child of a kindergarden teacher working/waiting around/trying to make myself unseen while class is going on. I've spent a lot of time with five year olds. They're better than us.
posted by downtohisturtles at 8:47 PM on March 9, 2016 [7 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 8:47 PM on March 9, 2016 [7 favorites]
downtohisturtles: "Kids don't want anybody to win. They just want everyone to be happy."
Nursery school kids don't want anyone to lose. They want everyone to win. But competition kicks in way before we become adults. Looking at my kids, sibling competition ("It doesn't matter how many apple slices I get, as long as I get more than Tony") kicked in at about age 7, and general competition kicked in at about age 8, with the discovery of soccer.
But, yeah, at this age (nursery school) I don't really remember seeing much competition. In field day nobody cared who finished races first or who got the most balls in the net, they just wanted people to run fast and get lots of balls in the net.
posted by Bugbread at 10:39 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
Nursery school kids don't want anyone to lose. They want everyone to win. But competition kicks in way before we become adults. Looking at my kids, sibling competition ("It doesn't matter how many apple slices I get, as long as I get more than Tony") kicked in at about age 7, and general competition kicked in at about age 8, with the discovery of soccer.
But, yeah, at this age (nursery school) I don't really remember seeing much competition. In field day nobody cared who finished races first or who got the most balls in the net, they just wanted people to run fast and get lots of balls in the net.
posted by Bugbread at 10:39 PM on March 9, 2016 [1 favorite]
I was sweating bullets watching that video, especially when I saw him start wiping his tears. Well done, brave little fella, and well done, class!
Then came the almost envious thought that had I had an experience like that in my childhood, my whole life could have been different.
Followed by the realization that were this my childhood, the video would have ended differently. I would have never succeeded, and would have quit trying once I started crying. The class would not have rallied around me. The teacher would have quietly steered me back to my place, radiating wordless disapproval, and the audience full of embarrassed parents would have pitied me in silence and quickly moved on to cheer for the next kid (who could do it). Although somehow, the sport would have been cross-country skiing. Or ice hockey.
And that's how I became the grown up I am today. Brb, I'm depressed now.
posted by sively at 12:01 AM on March 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
Then came the almost envious thought that had I had an experience like that in my childhood, my whole life could have been different.
Followed by the realization that were this my childhood, the video would have ended differently. I would have never succeeded, and would have quit trying once I started crying. The class would not have rallied around me. The teacher would have quietly steered me back to my place, radiating wordless disapproval, and the audience full of embarrassed parents would have pitied me in silence and quickly moved on to cheer for the next kid (who could do it). Although somehow, the sport would have been cross-country skiing. Or ice hockey.
And that's how I became the grown up I am today. Brb, I'm depressed now.
posted by sively at 12:01 AM on March 10, 2016 [5 favorites]
I love the support ring. Yes!
My university can be insanely stressful, and in the run up to finals there's a group of people who spend all day (I think they must do it in shifts) near one of the main parts of campus. They line up in two parallel lines, and anyone who wants to can walk down the middle and get cheered on for 20 feet. Then they hang around and wait until the next person comes by; you can hear them cheering and chanting from a ways off. "Beat finals!" "Go go go go go!" "You can do it!"
posted by teponaztli at 1:00 AM on March 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
My university can be insanely stressful, and in the run up to finals there's a group of people who spend all day (I think they must do it in shifts) near one of the main parts of campus. They line up in two parallel lines, and anyone who wants to can walk down the middle and get cheered on for 20 feet. Then they hang around and wait until the next person comes by; you can hear them cheering and chanting from a ways off. "Beat finals!" "Go go go go go!" "You can do it!"
posted by teponaztli at 1:00 AM on March 10, 2016 [6 favorites]
Oh yeah, and high fives are a part of the deal. It's always great to see someone sort of tentatively approach the gauntlet and smile on their way out.
posted by teponaztli at 1:00 AM on March 10, 2016
posted by teponaztli at 1:00 AM on March 10, 2016
Someday this kid will be allowed to choose his own goals. Not sure he'll know how to proceed though. The collective-based approach really makes me cringe.
posted by nicolin at 6:55 AM on March 10, 2016
posted by nicolin at 6:55 AM on March 10, 2016
i thought the point was his perserverance. I don't know that we need to go down an "Asian Tiger!"
"collective spirit is bad!" rabbit hole.
Maybe it was offscreen, but I didn't see anyone threatening him if he didn't try it again.
posted by zutalors! at 9:59 AM on March 10, 2016
"collective spirit is bad!" rabbit hole.
Maybe it was offscreen, but I didn't see anyone threatening him if he didn't try it again.
posted by zutalors! at 9:59 AM on March 10, 2016
Not sure there's anything specifically "Asian" I'm aiming at. It's just that I prefer an education that leaves aside performance in favour of self-determination. If those kids can achieve both, I'm happy for them.
posted by nicolin at 10:15 AM on March 10, 2016
posted by nicolin at 10:15 AM on March 10, 2016
And some day a kid who picks his own goals and doesn't have a bunch of people cheering him on will have to work with a group and persevere at something difficult. Not sure he'll know how to proceed, though. The isolationist-based approach really makes me cringe.
posted by Bugbread at 1:43 PM on March 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Bugbread at 1:43 PM on March 10, 2016 [2 favorites]
sively: were this my childhood, the video would have ended differently. I would have never succeeded, and would have quit trying once I started crying. The class would not have rallied around me. The teacher would have quietly steered me back to my place, radiating wordless disapproval, and the audience full of embarrassed parents would have pitied me in silence and quickly moved on to cheer for the next kid (who could do it).
Well, I feel you on that. You've described basically every single humiliating moment of my elementary and high school PE classes. It's a wonder I emerged as an adult who is able to occasionally enjoy team sports and group exercise. It certainly isn't due to my mortifying school career as a lousy, unsupported athlete.
Recently I was part of a group of women reminiscing about high school PE classes. Most of us remembered absolutely hating them and quitting as soon as possible. One woman said, "Wow, I had a totally different experience! That's not how I remember it at all...I LOVED my PE classes. I always felt like that was the only place where I was supported and encouraged." Her sister said, "Yes, because you were a naturally gifted athlete. The rest of us weren't supported or encouraged because the teachers didn't want to waste their time on us." Sad but true.
I'll take some collectivist cheering on and encouragement any day. I didn't see anything sinister about the video, just a teacher/coach encouraging the child to be persistent, and the group of children cheering him on. I liked it.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:28 PM on March 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
Well, I feel you on that. You've described basically every single humiliating moment of my elementary and high school PE classes. It's a wonder I emerged as an adult who is able to occasionally enjoy team sports and group exercise. It certainly isn't due to my mortifying school career as a lousy, unsupported athlete.
Recently I was part of a group of women reminiscing about high school PE classes. Most of us remembered absolutely hating them and quitting as soon as possible. One woman said, "Wow, I had a totally different experience! That's not how I remember it at all...I LOVED my PE classes. I always felt like that was the only place where I was supported and encouraged." Her sister said, "Yes, because you were a naturally gifted athlete. The rest of us weren't supported or encouraged because the teachers didn't want to waste their time on us." Sad but true.
I'll take some collectivist cheering on and encouragement any day. I didn't see anything sinister about the video, just a teacher/coach encouraging the child to be persistent, and the group of children cheering him on. I liked it.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 4:28 PM on March 10, 2016 [3 favorites]
You don't have to work in isolation, you can also learn to work with other people and respect their inclinations. But anyway, this is just a thought, I'm not sure it's either you'll never achieve what you really want or You'll succeed at something you don't care for. After all, when you're thinking about education, you are free to consider several aspects of a child's mind, and I'd say, to have your own ideas about what is desirable. That doesn't mean that other people are wrong or that you want to prove them wrong.
posted by nicolin at 3:50 AM on March 11, 2016
posted by nicolin at 3:50 AM on March 11, 2016
Well, you kinda did say the predominant educational approach here in Japan makes you cringe. I hope you can understand that it's easy to read that as you saying that other people are wrong.
posted by Bugbread at 4:14 AM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Bugbread at 4:14 AM on March 11, 2016 [1 favorite]
nicolin, I don't know how you know this kid didn't want to jump over that hurdle.
posted by zutalors! at 7:22 AM on March 11, 2016
posted by zutalors! at 7:22 AM on March 11, 2016
The thing I know is that my priorities would orient me to put emphasis on other aspects of child development and other kinds of relationships between pupils. I mean that selecting what matters to you, what you really like, what you want to do of your time are deep and important questions, and I feel that kids are not allowed to dwell upon it in a satisfactory way. I have to say that I've opted out of the public system of education here in favour of a Montessori school. But ymmv, and I'm happy to hear that there are great things to be found in all the systems. The fact that the vid comes from Japan or that it is the embodiment of the" predominant educational approach" in Japan has nothing to do with what I think about it. But I must confess that this is more about what the vid has evoked for me than about its actual content.
posted by nicolin at 7:59 AM on March 11, 2016
posted by nicolin at 7:59 AM on March 11, 2016
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