Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 4

4.      The secret to unlimited power is to “believe”.
 

In the movie, the hero and the villain fought over the Dragon Scroll, which contained the secret to unlimited power. However, when the scroll was eventually unveiled, it turned out to be an anticlimax because the scroll was blank. Po later discovered that the secret of the scroll is simply to “believe”.

In another scene, Shifu had an exchange of words with Grand Master Oogway on Po’s potential. Shifu was dismissive of Po, saying, “The panda? He is no dragon warrior!” However, Grand Master Oogway, in his wisdom, foretold that, “maybe he can, if you are willing to guide him, to nurture him, to believe in him!”    

As a teacher, I believe in the value of education. I also believe in what I teach. Most importantly, I believe in my students who are really the hope and future of the real estate profession. I honestly believe that the best buildings have yet to be built, and the most innovative real estate deals have yet to be structured, because the people behind those buildings and deals are in my classroom today.

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 3

3.      We may not be born with teaching skills, but we can acquire them through perseverance.

A quick question—are kung fu masters born or made? In the movie, the villain Tai Lung was a natural kung fu fighter. Everyone said, “He is a prodigy!” He mastered every kung fu move very quickly. However, despite his superb skills, Tai Lung’s pride eventually turned him into a monster. Po, on the hand, was fat and clumsy. Although unskilled at first, he eventually mastered the art of kung fu because he persevered and refused to give up.

Similarly, are excellent teachers born or made?

Some are naturally gifted. They have intelligence, good looks, charisma, verbal fluency, a pleasant voice, and a good memory! In my case, it was the exact opposite—for one thing, I am not a naturally fluent speaker. Language and grammar are not my best subjects. Inhibited by a lack of confidence and self-consciousness, I used to suffer from stage fright.

However, I was determined to take every opportunity to learn and improve my teaching skills—both informally, from colleagues and formally, from attending courses organised by CDTL. I recorded my lectures, reviewed them over and over again, and solicited feedback. I read books on public speaking, making good presentations, and general teaching. I also made an effort to master the subject knowledge; I learnt to tell stories and to develop my own style of teaching.

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 2

2.      The first step to our dream is to wake up.

We all have to start somewhere; to paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, “the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step”. In the world of dreams and fantasies, we can do anything—from beating the most powerful foe with one little finger, to executing the most difficult stunt. However, in the real world, nothing worthwhile is easily obtained.

In the movie, Po’s initial reception by the Furious Five and their master, Shifu, was anything but warm. He was ridiculed and poked fun at. In one scene, Tigress, his idol, told him straight in the face, “Look, you don’t belong here! You are a disgrace to kung fu!” In another scene, Shifu derided Po: “Look at you! This fat butt, flabby arms, and this ridiculous belly, and utter disregard for personal hygiene… Don’t stand too close, I can smell your breath!”

When I first started teaching, I also encountered critical comments from students (despite my good intentions and best efforts). Some of these comments included:

·  “he lacks confidence… should be more at ease”,

·  “need to improve on his presentation style... always reading straight from the slide. Not very clear during [the] lecture”,

·  “his lectures are not well organized. Notes are often out of order” 

·  “content [is] too dry and technical”.

Two negative responses to such criticisms would be denial and self-pity. Denial would involve rejecting negative feedback by rationalising that students do not know how to identify “good” and “bad” teaching; that their view of a good teacher is based primarily on popularity and showmanship rather than substance. Self-pity, on the other hand, would involve allowing the negative feedback to eat into one’s confidence and emotion, which could lead to depression and making excuses about one’s teaching skills. In the movie, a dejected Po cried,

“I suck! They totally hate me! How is Shifu ever going to turn me into the Dragon Warrior? I mean, I’m not like the Five. I’ve got no claws, no wings, no venom, even the mantis has this… Maybe I should just quit!” 

In short, critical words can break the confidence of a young apprentice. I am glad that Po did not quit despite such setbacks. If he had, his story would have ended there and then, and there would have been no “Kung Fu Panda”. I wonder how many stories have remained untold and dreams unfulfilled because someone said, “I quit!”

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.  

Kung Fu Panda: Lesson 1

1.      Every great thing starts with a dream.

 

The movie starts with a dramatic scene of Po fighting alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five (Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey) to defeat an army of villains. Alas, it was only a dream, a crazy dream it seems!

 

Like Po, many of us can recall having childhood dreams. However, at some point in time, many cast aside these childhood dreams. What happened? Maybe as they grew up into adulthood, they learnt that dreams and fantasies were for children and would have no place in the adult world. Maybe, they learnt from bitter experience that dreams and disappointments were correlated. The bigger the dream, the greater the disappointment! As such, in order to insulate themselves from being hurt, they stopped dreaming.

However, dreams are important. To be honest, my pursuit of teaching excellence involved pursuing a series of dreams, starting from scaling small hills to eventually aiming for the peak—the Mount Everest of the OEA! In the words of the great American industrialist Henry J. Kaiser,

“I always have to dream up there against the stars. If I don’t dream I’ll make it, I won’t even get close. So, dream a great dream, a lofty dream, an impossible dream!”

 

 

Source: "Four Lessons from Kung Fu Panda", OEA Public Lecture Series 2012.