Scott's Weekly Greeting, May 12, 2020

Author: Rev. Scott W. Cousineau
May 12, 2020

My guess is that you have heard the phrase "teachable moment." If not, it is exactly what the phrase implies ... one finds themselves in a situation that presents an opportunity to teach a lesson. Educators and youth workers often refer to experiencing teachable moments with the children and youth in their care.

Of course, teachable moments are not only for the young. People of every age can be the recipients of such learning opportunities.

However, in order for the teachable moment to bear fruit, there must be a corresponding "learnable moment." I do not know if that is an actual phrase; I may have just made it up. But, the point is, the potential learner has to be open to receiving that teachable material. There may very well be parents that have found themselves in the role of home school teacher that are struggling with the resistance to those learning opportunities.

The reality is that most of us have likely had the similar experience ... a friend, family member, or co-worker that believes that they have nothing left to learn. They are among the "I have been doing it this way for twenty years," or the "We have always done it this way" crowd. There are also those who truly believe that they know everything that they need to know and are unwilling to look at anything from a new or different perspective.

You know them, you love them, and you have learned the subjects that are not open to discussion.

As we make our way through the uncharted territory of this global pandemic, we are finding that we all have to be willing to learn as we go. We have to be willing to try new things and be willing to be wrong. Not everything that we try will be successful. We need to be open to learnable moments when they present themselves. Chances are that some of that teaching may come from unlikely sources.

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