S3.C13. Outgrown by Design: When Students Surpass Their Mentors
Lessons from a wise educator in Singapore: When students surpass their teachers, true education begins—not in imitation, but in evolving the system that raised them.
Chapter 1: The Update
On the morning of April 1st, DAV79 was already online, greeting LIN91 and preparing for a working session. As John joined the call, the atmosphere shifted to a collaborative mode. “Happy April Fool’s,” DAV79 quipped, “but this session is serious—coffee’s on me next time.”
He wasted no time. “John, three things I need your help on,” DAV79 began - setting the discussion agenda.
One: Review the new series of daily newsletters—each structured around one challenge a day. “We’re testing how far we can stretch mindset with this,” he explained. Would love you to comment and build on this.
Two: Engage with the Super Parents community. “We’re inviting parents in Singapore to join weekend activities. The idea is to help them understand their kids through doing, not just listening.”
Three: Support in identifying and onboarding schools. “Some schools have potential but not the resources. We’re offering scholarships. The idea is to run this on minimal fees but maximum reinvestment.”
“These reports are more than summaries,” DAV79 added. “They help schools and parents understand a child's evolving traits. We’re running Zoom consulting sessions so parents can unpack this data with their kids and turn it into action.”
LIN91 then shared updates from The Learning Space. “We’ve launched a new module called ‘Watchful Spirit.’ Wybie’s leading it.” “He was underperforming, but now he’s grown into the role. He opens each newsletter with a personal reflection. Then there's a layered challenge and performance tracking built in.”
“The kids still skim the surface,” she added. “So we’re inviting guest speakers to help them distinguish listening from hearing. One session ended with reflections on a short video—it helped them process the lesson more deeply.”
DAV79 nodded. “We’re building in accountability. When students see their performance tied to behavior traits, they start to realize: behavior follows systems.”
“But facilitation is still weak,” LIN91 pointed out. “They’re curious, but not yet committed. We’re working on bridging that gap.”
John asked, “Any breakthrough moments?”
“One girl,” DAV79 replied. “She got poor grades, and during a reflection, a guest speaker told her: ‘Failure is action. If you learned, it wasn’t wasted.’”
“She smiled for the first time that session,” LIN91 added. “It brought back the ‘No Waste’ theme—every experience is part of something bigger.”
Chapter 2: John’s Involvement in Four Stages
DAV79 turned to John. “Would you consider joining a few sessions as a guest speaker? Just 10 minutes plus discussion. Next up is ‘observation and sensing’—your zone.”
“ok la - I could do one and see,” John said. “In the 80s, I trained senior execs in listening. You’d be shocked how many couldn’t practice it under pressure. That’s why starting with kids makes more sense.”
He shifted gears. “Have you considered integrating AI? I once saw a chatbot outperform social workers in empathy.”
LIN91 nodded. “Ninety percent of our behavioral tracking is AI-powered now.”
“That’s brilliant,” John said. “AI doesn’t carry human bias. It adapts and stays aligned to the system’s values.”
John introduced a deceptively simple technique called “paper cutting”—a physical exercise designed to disrupt conditioned responses and expose internal patterns. “I used this with a group of adult learners,” he recalled, “one of them an ex-army officer. The task? Cut a specific shape following fast-paced verbal commands.”
The officer hesitated, unsure. When he finally completed the task he chuckled nervously: “This is embarrassing.”
“And that,” John said, “was exactly the point. He could follow orders—but he wasn’t truly listening. The moment of confusion revealed the gap between hearing and understanding.”
He concluded, “Often, the most rigid roles conceal the most fragile patterns. That’s why real transformation doesn’t come from knowledge alone—it comes from structured, experiential disruption.”
Chapter 3: The Super Parents
DAV79 steered the discussion to the parent ecosystem. “Schools chase numbers. Teachers are burning out. Kids are confused. But parents—they care. They’re confused too, but they care deeply.”
“So we created the ‘Super Parents’ initiative,” he continued. “Parents go through mindset activities before their children. The goal is empathy through shared experience.”
LIN91 chimed in. “Some Vietnamese parents told me they don’t feel smart enough to guide their kids. They’ve never had a chance to think strategically.”
“We’re building a reflective community,” she added. “Let parents grow alongside their children—not just support them.”
John leaned in. “Don’t assume parents are always the teachers. Break that hierarchy. Let them learn with their kids. Peer-to-peer, not top-down.”
John added. “Exactly. In this system, kids can outgrow their mentors—and that’s the point.”
Chapter 4: Tech, Bots, and Fingerprints
The session closed with a look into the tech stack—and a new layer: fingerprinting.
“I have a contact in Shanghai,” John offered. “They’re working on using fingerprint data in psychometric assessments. I think it could add value—if we validate it properly.”
LIN91 explained their current system. “We’re on low-code. Telegram bot releases challenges daily. Responses go to Google Sheets. Then we feed that into the Persona Card system. It shows how traits evolve over time.”
DAV79 outlined what’s next. “We’re building ‘TapTap’—an app with modular pages, logic-based routing, character onboarding, and host-controlled flows. Every interaction is anonymized and analyzed to improve the psychometric system.”
“Tech should serve purpose,” John said firmly. “AI can scale awareness, but only with ethics. Fingerprinting isn’t about surveillance. It should be voluntary—helping people understand their sensory patterns and cognitive states.”
He paused. “Just don’t overpromise. Empathy isn’t prediction. It’s presence. Can your system make someone feel understood?”
That became the benchmark.
The team aligned on three next steps:
Refine the AI chatbot for smarter feedback.
Integrate biometric and behavioral data.
Build ethical safeguards into every system layer.
John offered to connect the team with hospitality schools in the Philippines and assist with parent outreach. His insights—ranging from AI humility to energy psychology—added uncommon depth.
“Today is my first day without work—I’m officially retired,” John shared.
“No such thing,” DAV79 replied with a grin, as both he and LIN91 welcomed him into their core circle. But let’s get some makan first.