Encounter as Being!

We can just be and still help others

My interest in education was sparked back in May 2001 when I had the opportunity to interview an ‘outstanding teacher’.  This is a teacher with no discipline problems, above average learning outcomes and, importantly, the capacity to cause students to willingly do their work. 

What characterises such teachers is their use of encounter: they pay full attention to each student without judgement or comparison and, whatever a student might say or do they always respond with kindness and compassion. 

Students so value this experience that they willingly engage in their work to prolong it.  They are fully self-motivated - no reward or sanction on offer - driven by the connection they want to maintain with their teacher. 

Encounter is the way we create the right conditions for another to grow autonomously, to grow under their own volition.  The act of practicing encounter is also of immense value to the person doing it, not only does it discourage the growth of the red zone in a child it causes our own red zone to fade away over time. 

The more we practice encounter the more self-motivated and autonomous we become ourselves.  Practicing encounter is good for us and everyone around us. 

Overtime it becomes simply who we are. 

John Corrigan is an expert in helping individuals to bring their whole of mind to their daily life and increase their effectiveness and the effectiveness of those around them. This expertise scales from the individual to the team to the organisation. At the core of this work is the practice of encounter.  Earlier blogs can be found here.