Learning Never Stops…

‘What should I be when I grow up, and what should I do with my future?’ I asked my friend over the phone that night.

‘Okay, sounds good. I'll tell my advisor in the morning. Thank you.’ And we hung up the phone. In less than 12 hours, I was a Communications major. Life decided.

Why do we believe that achieving the title or the piece of paper will give a false sense of fulfillment? Test scores, certificates of completion, or the next ranking on the corporate ladder.

When I started my learning journey, I realized this process is also called ‘life.’ It’s a long, endless road. So why was it ingrained in me as a teen to think that I needed a degree or certificate to enter the real world. The signal that I was ready. 

Learning How to Learn

As an elementary education certified (woo certificates!) teacher, I was trained to deliver and ‘teach’ the curriculum based on Common Core Standards from the United States. 

But, while I was teaching, I was recommended the Coursera online course Learning How to Learn by Barbara Oakley. 

“We can all “think” ourselves smarter. Learning makes us smarter. And learning how to learn is one of the best things you can do to get the ball rolling and make learning more successful.” - Barbara Oakley

Therefore, I started to be ignited by learning, something that I had not experienced before, school (or learning as I wrongfully assumed) was always uninteresting. For me, school was more about friendships and playing. 

So I started to embrace learning. I was eager to learn from calligraphy courses on SkillShare, productivity hacks, and project management courses. 

Test-Driven

Since my first career day in first grade, the worksheet I would read ‘when I grow up…. I want to be a teacher.’ After 12 years of industrialized schooling, I was not convinced that teaching was the path I wanted when I chose higher education. 

So for the first two years, my major was ‘undecided’ until the very last day of my sophomore year, when I was forced to choose a major with my advisor. Decided on Communications, done.

Fast forward to the end of those 4.5 years of fun and adventure and studying abroad, and I now have a very expensive piece of paper that says I went to university/

‘This is it,’ I thought.  I have completed my ticket to the ‘real world.’ This was my signal of readiness. 

Choosing to attend university was a thoughtless process. I thought, ‘I’m going to University because what else would I do?’ and ‘I’m going to University because society expects us to.’

I was just ticking the boxes in my school experience, passing the grades and getting the degree. I was also uninterested in the learning process and eager for the end. 

Are you my teacher?

While I was starting to unveil my love of learning, I was also experiencing the different dynamics in the relationships between the teacher and student. 

When I was an English tutor, I felt more connected to my students. I was able to personalize the experience with my students. Asking them what they wanted. We would sit at the table, not standing in front of the class, and dictate the lesson while they all followed along on the same page and at the same eye level, side-by-side. 

The connection between the student and the teacher, no matter the setting or topic, allows humans to establish a human connection with one another. When you find support in learning and growing, a community is established. Students could see me as their teacher, and I was also learning.

Studies show that you are the product of the five closest adults around you. Growing up, mine were mostly teachers. We all have our favorite teachers from school years that we can recall the impact that they have had on our lives. My older cousin and my closest neighbor were both teachers. 

Falling in Love with Learning

We get this image that learning must be within the four walls of a classroom.

The experience is structured as a race to the highest <insert unit of measurement> (grade, score, certificate, rank) and repeat.

But when I realized that learning never stops, I started to love learning. 

You’re in charge of your mind. You can help it grow by using it in the right way.  – Carol Dweck