Growing up, school was part of my everyday life at home. It wasn’t something I went to; it was an activity that involved my entire family. I am blessed to have parents that took the time to educate my siblings and I at home. I never went to public school, and my entire approach towards life and learning has been shaped by my years of growing and exploring at home.
When I was little, my mom was my main teacher. Through her, I took my first steps as a learner. She always showed careful attention to detail and created a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to prepare my siblings and I for the later grades.
Somewhere around fifth grade, Mom had her hands full with the next set of students, and Dad decided to start teaching the older ones (I was one of them). Mom and Dad are opposite in many ways, and teaching was no exception. While my mom focused on neatness and attention to detail, my dad pressed for speed and accuracy. I can remember occasions like:
“This is an easy problem. You should be able to do it in your head. I’ll give you to the count of three. ONE…TWO...”
If you’ve never been in a situation like this, I can tell you that your mind goes completely blank. :) My dad’s classes were often hard, but I grew a lot through having him as a teacher.
I can thank both my mom and dad for giving me a great education, and I’m also grateful that they taught me to keep learning. It’s more than completing assignments and getting diplomas. It’s not something that you can finish. Learning is a process that should never end.
I remember telling my dad once that I didn’t think we covered enough history, only to have him point me to a shelf full of books and say, “It’s all right there. You can learn anything you want to know.” I admit, I felt dissatisfied with this answer, but he was right. At some point, I was responsible for my own education. My parents had worked hard to give me a foundation. Now it was my job to keep building on it.
Now that I am in the Digital Media Design program, I see the wisdom of what my dad was saying. You can’t expect to learn everything you will ever need to know in school. Yes, I am learning useful skills from my instructors, but it is my responsibility to keep practicing and exploring new techniques. In a field that is changing fast, only a dedicated learner will be able to adapt and succeed. That is what I hope to be, a lifelong learner.
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6 comments:
Wow. I think you covered evey bit of amazing right there. How wonderful it must have been to have the one on one attention from your parents all your life to learn. I could not imagine how much nicer it would have been. Also the motivation it has inspired within you is beautiful.
I always went to public school. When I got to middle school my classes became a little more difficult and my parents could not even help me with homework.If I didn't learn what I needed to in class or write it in my notes then I was on my own. At that time though it was really frustrating and I told myself that I did not want to grow up and be the same with my own children. In turn I pushed myself and still do to be a lifelong learner.
Right now I have a seven year old daughter that is in the first grade. She goes to public school but when she gets home we work on every subject to ensure she fully understands. I remeber being a kid and hating not understanding and how intimidating it was, however, I had so much fun when I did. For multiple reasons though i think it is so important for parents to have an active role in their child's education. The impression you will leave on them will last a lifetime.
That’s wonderful that you are helping your daughter with her studies. I’m sure having that one-on-one time helps her build confidence in each of her subjects. She will know that she always has someone to turn to if she needs help.
My mom said that she enjoyed school until she reached junior high. At that point, she started having difficulty understanding the material, but she was in a large class and felt afraid to ask questions. The more confused she became, the more she lost motivation and interest. I think a lot of students become discouraged with school because they are struggling and don’t have someone who is personally involved in helping them.
I agree with junior high being boring. In grade school you have recess and get to hang out with your friends for a few minutes everyday just goofing off. Once junior high rolls around, it's class after class after class.
I also know how frustrating it is to try and explain homework to a parent who has no idea what you're talking about. My mom still has no clue about how to open a text message on her cell phone...
Growing up, my parents were similar to yours with the exception of the degree. My mother was a history teacher and an English teacher while my father has had experience in just about every field in most states. I got the strict book style and the outside real life style, combined it turned out to be quite a good thing.
Growing up I would have done just about anything not to have to go to public school. I really started to not like school around junior high. I never really had a problem with understanding the work. I just did not like most of the people there, as well as the teachers.
I moved to Licking Valley when I was in 7th grade, and the teachers seemed to be extremely bias. I hated that. The homework and material we covered was the least of my problems. My parents both worked so home schooling was not an option for me. I wonder how it would affect me personally if I were home schooled?
Your dad gave some very sound advice, learning is a lifelong venture. It took me a while to figure it out myself, but it is one of the most important things you can learn. This is especially true for designers, who are forced to learn something new on a daily basis most of the time.
A lot of learning is also self discipline, and knowing you for as long as I have you are very good at sticking to a project and learning new concepts. As long as you keep the attitude you have about learning, you will be (and are) an amazing designer.
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