Nothing

Lesson Plan: 0

In this lesson we will: Learn nothing, and how learning nothing can be something. Just thoughts to ponder.

Lesson Overview:

How are you? What do you do? What are you doing? How are you doing? Questions we ask, and are asked on a daily scale. Answers vary, but not by much. Answers include- “fine; I am a __so in so__, and do__such and such__; I am doing, ok.” 

How much information is obtained by asking these questions? What do we expect to get? All information about a person? Nothing? Or something in-between? 

The purpose of this lesson is to simply pause, and question. In essence, “do” nothing. 

Warm-Up:

  1. Take a breath. If someone were to ask you, “what are you doing?” You may be inclined to say, “nothing”.  Yet, clearly you are doing something. Breathing. 

  2. When you sleep, eat, and (if you) play, might you say the same? While sleeping, eating and playing, you are indeed engaging in something; however, do you feel like you are “doing” something?

  3. Picture an empty jar. What is inside? 

Discussion Questions:

  • Do you feel like you always have to be doing something? 

  • Where does that notion come from?

  • Do the very questions we ask, like “how are you,” help or hinder daily interactions?

Now what?

If you come into I.School thinking or believing you know it “all”. Then you will probably get noting much. Nothing worthy of your time.

If you come into I.School thinking or believing you know nothing about education, you might get all uncomfortable for a bit, then something.

What I want from you is nothing. You just keep being you. What I will provide is information. All with my best intentions. 

Nothing but the truth. 

Resources:

https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/wu-wei-doing-nothing/