Risky Business

Hello all readers! The last couple weeks in class, we talked about taking risks. It's quite an interesting topic, because many people view things that are more scary as more risky, when, in fact, they are less risky. For example, apparently now there in an equal risk of getting injured in a plane as there is of getting injured in a car (though I think a car used to be more risky). Even though this is true, many people are more scared of a plane crash and therefore see it as offering a greater risk.

Interestingly enough, I actually applied this lesson to my own life last week. I suffered an injury while skiing (partial tear of the MCL and complete rupture of the ACL), and I sat there in pain wondering if skiing is, in fact, a risky sport or if people just view it as such. I didn't come to any great conclusions, but it always excites me when what I teach can be applied to "real life."

This week, we learned about two preschools - one in Japan and the other in England. The one in Japan tries to take away any type of risk by using inflatable toys, tons of supervision, and even spraying the wheels of strollers for any germs. The one in England allows children to play outside almost the whole day - exploring in the field and learning by experimenting. Most of my students said they would prefer the English preschool. I'm not so sure - something about inflatable toys is appealing to me.

In any case, I feel that life is just plain risky sometimes. But we all learn through the risks we take, whether bad or good. If you feel in the responding mood, let us know what risks you've taken and how it worked out.