In today's "Consejos" column of the Houston Chronicle, I ran across this quote:

Confucius said it best: "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."

I agree that often experience is a bitter teacher. I'm thinking of my first year in the classroom when I probably did a grand total of five hours of classroom observation of experienced teachers the whole year, and I had no time to reflect about my own practice. I'm not sure if I "learned wisdom" but the grueling nature of that first year certainly wised me up!

I'm left wondering what it means that reflection is "noblest".