Education - the greatest gift that we take for granted
June 18th, 2008 -- Posted in Musings | 4 Comments »I don’t think I’ve mentioned what I do to earn a dollar here before. I’m actually a trained primary school teacher, although I currently work as a manager/teacher in a non-school setting. Before that I spent a few years getting a Science/Arts dual degree - so my own education has been long and rewarding.
As I was sitting with a student of mine tonight - a gorgeous little year 1 girl - it hit me how I take for granted my ability to read and understand. She is becoming quite a good little reader, learning how to sound out new words really well, but it still takes her time with each new word. I think, as adults, we forget how hard we worked as children to learn all the skills - like reading - that we now employ without giving a moment’s thought to the process. Books and reading and learning are such a big part of my life that it’s hard to think of any time in my existence when that wasn’t so.
I know my parents read to me from a very young age, and I was always eager to read along - to learn how to do it myself: this magic de-coding of marks on a page! But I also know that there was a barely-remembered time in my life - I think of it as the ‘golden time’ because so many of those memories are sun-drenched and full of open space - that words on a page were still a little-understood phenomena.
As a blogger, writer, teacher, and avid reader, words have always been a vital part of my life, and the ability to pass on my thoughts and knowledge to others is something I’m enjoying more and more as I grow in myself.
I think that has something to do with why I started writing this blog - and why I chose the topic I did. And thankfully, talking to all of you about trying my best to live sustainably - and thinking about what I want to say about this very important topic - helps me in my own journey to learn more and be aware of what I do every day.
A good, rounded, diverse education is the greatest gift we can ever be given - and I’m a firm believer in teaching how to learn, not what to learn. As I tell the parents of my students when they worry that their son is only reading motorcycle magazines, or their daughter will only pick up fairy books - “the important thing is that they’re reading, and that they enjoy it!” It’s the process that matters - if they can apply that process whenever they need it, they’ll be alright.
So, to conclude, I’m sending a big thank-you out into cyberspace to all the people who taught me - and especially those who taught me how to learn, not just what to learn.
