The human mind is built to avoid pain. It saves energy, seeks comfort, and chooses the path that promises the quickest reward. This instinct helps us survive, but it quietly works against us when the task is learning. Real understanding demands effort. It requires staying in moments of uncertainty where the brain must build new connections and endure the discomfort of not knowing.
When I saw my students struggle, I realised they were not being lazy. They were simply human. We rarely suffer unless we see a visible benefit ahead. Many of the real rewards of learning are hidden behind time. You cannot show a ten-year-old what it feels like to solve hard problems as an adult. The benefit is invisible, and so the motivation weakens.
That invisibility creates a great challenge for any teacher. How do you make a child choose thinking over comfort? How do you make them push through struggle when every part of their being is asking for ease?
The only way is to make meaning visible, to help them see that every effort carries value. That takes imagination, patience, and empathy.
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