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As a child returning to the classroom, I expected to gain
new knowledge of and insight into the world around me. Now
the world itself is my classroom and life is my teacher.
Every day I have countless opportunities to increase my
knowledge and expand my outlook. But too often I fail to
take advantage of what life is trying to teach me--just
like some children in a classroom or adults in a training
program.
I remember a boy who acted like high school was his own
private Disney World. Charlie was a handsome boy with a
charming smile, quick wit, and a fun-loving personality.
His playfulness could be disruptive, but since he was never
rude or mean-spirited the teachers rarely scolded him.
Instead they gently reminded him to focus on the course
work. But Charlie seldom focused on school. He just
wanted to play and wanted everyone else to play, too. He
happily showed up for school but he never appreciated the
value of what he could learn there.
Tracey was a girl with a naughty laugh, a body that stopped
all conversations when she walked into the room, and a
preference for Marlboro cigarettes. Her disdain for the
drudgery of school was evident in the way she sulked at her
desk and refused to answer a teacher's question. The
tap-tap-tapping of her red, lacquered fingernails on the
desktop indicated her lack of her patience for all things
academic. For Tracey school seemed like a prison sentence.
When the final bell of the day rang, she sprang to life as
though paroled after a long prison sentence.
Matthew, it oftentimes seemed, could teach classes himself.
He seemed to know it all. At least he thought he did.
His hand was always the first in the air when the teacher
asked a question. It wasn't uncommon for teachers to say,
"Now Matthew, let's give someone else a chance today."
Matthew was very smart, but he didn't accept correction
very well. If he provided the wrong answer, which
occasionally happened, he would argue his point with the
teacher. In the end, he'd hang his head, grumbling that
the teacher didn't know anything. Matthew was smart, but
did he limit his learning potential by being too proud to
ask questions or consider a perspective different from his
own?
Katherine was a girl with long red hair and freckles
smattered across her nose. She loved to learn. She would
bounce into the classroom and be settled and ready to learn
before the bell rang to start the class. Not even
Charlie's playful antics could distract her from the
lesson. Tracey's hateful comments about Katherine's hair,
intelligence, or penchant for chewing the tips of her
fingernails couldn't destroy Katherine's zeal for learning.
And Matthew's heavy sighs of exasperation couldn't keep
Katherine from asking questions. Her homework assignments
were always completed on time and contained more than was
expected, because Katherine took every topic to a deeper
level than I even knew existed.
Time and life experience have most likely warped my
memories of these people, but there always seem to be
people who remind me of Charlie, Tracey, Matthew and
Katherine in every meeting, training class, or social
gathering I attend.
There are vacationers who just can't seem to take anything
seriously, prisoners who act like they've been unjustly
convicted and sentenced, graduates who think they know all
the answers even if they don't, and students who ask
questions, share experiences, and just "take it all in."
Which approach do you take to life? If you're a
vacationer, is it time for you to focus more on the thing
that are important to you? You don't have to suddenly stop
having fun, but you could spend more time taking a serious
look at how your vacationing style is impacting your life.
If you're a prisoner, is it time to exam the chains that
shackle your hands together to determine if they are made
of steel or silk? You may discover you've been confined by
the limits of your own mind or attitudes and not by any
external forces. If you're a graduate, is it time for you
to realize that no one expects you to know everything and
that people will like you more if you make and admit to an
occasional mistake? If you're a student, keep exploring
the world and asking your questions. Your insatiable
curiosity will remind the rest of us how interesting even
the mundane can be if we look at it with a fresh
perspective.
The world is filled with opportunities for you to learn
more about yourself, other people, and the things that make
your life unique. But the amount you discover will be based
on your attitude toward learning and observing. At one
time I thought teachers stood in the front of a classroom
or strolled between the desks of their students. Now I
realize that teachers surround me: my husband, children,
best friend, manager, and grocery store clerk are all my
teachers. The world really is my classroom. And you are
my classmate.
~~~
Copyright 2003 by Donna Doyon. All rights reserved. You are free to
use material from the A Swan's Song eZine in whole or in part,
as long as you include complete attribution, including live web
site link. Please also notify me where the material will appear.
The attribution should read:
"By Donna Doyon. Please visit Donna's
web site at http://www.donnadoyon.com for additional stories and articles on improving relationships with yourself, your family and the other people in your world."
"Carefree Woman" artwork by Ann Boyajian
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