Thing #1 Lifelong Learning

As most of us know, we never stop learning. It's easy to see as a parent that even a child just moments old can learn. We learn even if we aren't thinking about it. A professor here at Austin Peay stated that some of the best learning comes from play. A baby learns to reach out for objects through play. This goes for adults as well. Think about technology. I just purchased an iPad and the best way for me to learn and understand how to use the device is through playing on it. I would have to say that the habit of playing is the easiest of the 7 1/2 habits for Lifelong Learning for myself.

Other habits for Lifelong Learning that seem to come more easily for myself is: creating a learning toolbox, using technology, and teaching/mentoring others. In my toolbox is the use of technology (computers, iPads, cell phones, ect..), books, videos, information I have heard or acquired from others, and the list keeps growing. Throughout the years as a Sunday School teacher, musician, wife, mother, and student, I have come to cherish the the idea of being a mentor /teacher or being on the receiving end of having a mentor/teacher. If a person is teaching or mentoring another person, they have to become knowledgeable of the subject. Teaching a Sunday School class or in a school classroom, there are times as a teacher that the lesson maybe new to you as well. This situation requires research so you can then teach it to the students. Technology can help in so many ways during research and mentoring. On the iPad there are applications that can allow someone without the ability to communicate with vocalization or sign to "voice" what they want through touching pictures. There are also applications to help translate if talking to a non-English speaker. Just by using the touch screen of my phone and the iPad, my daughter that is delayed in speech has learned many words.

Several of the other habits do not come as natural or easy for myself. As a child reading was an issue for me. I am confident in my learning abilities, but at times recalling information I have read is difficult. Many times I will read and sometimes re-read information to insure I understand. With that in mind I do take responsibility for my own learning, but it is so easy to blame things as humans on other people. Lets say a child gets to sixth grade and still does not understand multiplication. It's easier to say that the teacher in 3rd grade was horrible and didn't teach the child what he/she should know even though the rest of the class understand the concept.

Viewing problems as challenges and beginning something with the result in mind is very hard to do at times. My daughter had medical issues as a baby. It was very hard to see that the problem was just a challenge at that point in time. Now I can look back and say it was just a challenge that we had to go through to learn and grow spiritually and as a family. I love to start things with a goal in mind like, I want to be a size 6. That's a goal, but as I start the process of losing weight the goal seems to disappear through the challenges through the weight loss journey. These are areas that I am constantly working on. As I continue learning, hopefully these last two problem areas for me will become easier.