I have recently been pouring through the Steem whitepaper here these past few days, mainly trying to wrap my head around the mathematics behind Steem, Steem Power, and Steem Dollars. Sure, I've glanced through it before, but hadn't really poured through every detail in the attention I think it deserves. If you haven't had the chance to read it yet, I highly suggest it...just allow yourself several hours and cups of coffee!

I think many posts around here, like the top trending post from @arhag have provided their best efforts to explain Steem and have done a great job doing so. Searching through many of these articles has given me some very valuable insights into the inter-workings of the overall Steem economy. While I'm confident I now have a great top level understanding of Steem, I am not exactly sure if I could speak on it with a technical position of authority.

However, this, for me, is what learning is all about. And why is that?

Learning should be uncomfortable!

Let me repeat:

Learning should be uncomfortable!

After all, if you feel too comfortable learning a topic, it probably means you need to be challenged more! Being a math teacher for the past 12 years, I have probably said this phrase almost daily to my students. Whether it deals with a relatively low level task like solving a linear equation, or a fairly high level task like developing a mathematical model. Unfortunately, student feelings of discomfort can lead to confusion and often bewilderment. Math has the unfortunate reputation as being the hardest subject evaaaar!!!! So, when students walk through my classroom door, I'm already walking uphill.

The best of my students eventually understand feelings of discomfort and bewilderment are leading indicators of learning, and move forward like a Mack truck. Some still wind up confused, but the efforts keep continuing throughout the year.

The students I have had that are often unsuccessful at first assume their uncomfortable feelings are a tell-tale sign they should just flat out stop. "Why keep doing this if I keep failing at it?," they think. With more and more failures, more and more contempt is bred. Then the mob mentality starts. I especially notice this when passing back tests:

Jimmmy, you are failing?
Suzie, you failed too? LOL! MATH SUCKS! Who could possibly love Math? WHEN WILL WE EVER HAVE TO KNOW THIS IN THE REAL WORLD?!?

Where the Steem Whitepaper Really Hits Home

In pouring through the details of the paper, I was struck by a passage that I read and reread over and over again. The Story of the Crab Bucket. I think its inclusion in the white paper is absolute genius and I think you should consider giving it a read too:

This story is used in the whitepaper to predict how in an economy like Steemit, some jealous actors not earning as much as others might attempt some nefarious actions because they don't like the structure of the system. Think for just a second, how many posts or posters around here in the community do you see that are like this? The white paper predicted it brilliantly. However, it also goes on to say the following:

Flash back for a moment to my story about handing out tests back to my students. If there is ever a herd mentality of crabs trying to keep each other down, this is it. The strategy I always employ when "Misery Loves Company" takes over my classroom is to individually provide them with loving support at their desks at a time I deem appropriate later. You tend to learn REALLY fast in a 30+ student class that you can't always fight the herd with logic, just do your best to guide it to the best outcome possible.

Some individual breakthroughs involve showing a student just how much they have improved, even if they were not happy with their grade.

Look Johnny, you went from a 35F to a 63D. That's 28 points of improvement! Keep up your work and I know your next one will be higher!

Some breakthroughs deal with knowing the student, and their unique life situation:

I know that you have been working a lot and doing sports outside of school Suzie, but Soccer ends next week and I am confident you will do much better when you have more free time!

Others deal with putting some things into perspective:

You keep on saying you will never do as good as Jill because she is a dork, and naturally talented at math. But, did you know she is always visiting my open office hours and told me she works on her practice an hour each night?

It's amazing to see just how much success you can see spread just from laying down these seeds. Not quite on the order of successes^2, but enough to make this strategy successful. And usually, I can get across the idea that even if a student is successful besides them, there are often very purposeful reasons why this is occurring.

What the Steem whitepaper and The Story of the Crab Bucket helped me reflect upon about my teaching is that by encouraging my students individually, I am giving them power to continue on and help share in others with their ultimate successes--thus leading to more possible future successes. If I just angrily shout out to my students "DO BETTER!", I shut the lid to any type of progress, and keep my crabs in a state of perpetual self-loathing.

What the Steem whitepaper and The Story of the Crab Bucket helped me realize about Steemit is to try and steer away from envying others with high dollar posts or attempt to engage in self-loathing community activities that are counter to providing actual merit or value. It also taught me that even if these actions do happen, Steem is set up in such a way where these actions are still valid work, and end up providing value to the platform anyways.

Just like in my classroom setting, this passage means to me that all "students" have value and should not be ever made to feel like they do not. As I said earlier, all learning can be uncomfortable and the journey can be a bumpy ride. We should always have enough runway to allow for that bumpy ride so the course has a chance to correct itself over time.

So today Steemit, I am reminded that sometimes even though learning curves can be uncomfortable to go through, the absolute best thing we can do is to just set the table and give each other the best chances for success. We are in this together!