School has barely been out for a week and a half, and already I have the learning itch. I guess I really am a teacher, because I absolutely love to learn, and I think one of the most important things people can do with their time is learn. That's why education, travel, and simply going outside is so important. It's also why I love interacting with babies - they're constantly learning as they discover their tongue, learn how to move their little arms and legs, and match sights with sounds and emotions in their brain.
This summer, I have a lot of learning goals. I would absolutely love to start my math endorsement, and then go on to get my Masters of Education. I've also been learning a lot about parenthood and how to take care of babies by checking piles of books out from the library (some theories really resonate with me, but some don't, and I return them after a chapter or two). I've also been learning a lot about photography, and making myself use only manual settings on my camera no matter what (to a lot of you this is already a no-brainer, but it's an accomplishment for a novice like me!). I finally have time to learn Photoshop, which I got months ago for Christmas. I'm still barely scratching the surface with everything that Photoshop can do, but it's been really fun to practice and try new things on it. And then there's the whole "becoming a parent" thing, which I'm pretty sure will be the steepest learning curve I've ever been on, but I'm excited nonetheless.
In my classroom, I'm not a huge believer of homework over the weekends. I made my kids read 30 minutes each weekend, but besides that, they only had one piece of weekend homework. Every Friday, they would write "EXPERIENCE MY WORLD" in their planner. On Monday they would tell me what they did to experience their world that weekend. They went for bike rides, tried new recipes, played in baseball tournaments, visited their grandma, finished their book, and babysat their little siblings. It was an easy way to help them learn that not all education comes from a classroom, and that they are in charge of their own learning.
I'd love to hear what learning goals you're working on, or what you've done recently to experience your world. It would also be fun to hear how you're learning even if you're not taking classes or in a traditional classroom setting. I'm also taking recommendations on parenting books or apps that you loved!
I am SO with you! When summer lets out I'm usually good for a few weeks, but then I either need to take a course (I'm looking into skillshare, have you heard of it?) or travel. That is such a neat idea about the homework--I'm totally going to use it this year!
ReplyDeleteI've heard of Skillshare. I'm excited to know how you like it. Let me know if there are enough classes and taught by credible professors to make the membership worth it.
DeleteLong time reader, first time poster. This post isn't even one I have lots to add to, but I figure I'd start somewhere. My name is Sara and I am Sam's and Jason's cousin on his mother's side. :)
ReplyDeleteI got married about a month ago now, and one of the big things we are learning is how to live on our own. To make sure we keep up with dishes, laundry, making sure to stick to a bedtime, and making sure we have a plan for dinner every night instead of just peering into the fridge waiting for mom to come up with some leftovers we can steal.
On that note I have also been learning to cook. We got lots of awesome kitchen appliances for our wedding, and I've been trying them all out. I've used the crock pot twice (it makes real cooking so much easier!) and the mixer and the toaster oven. Cooking has never been something I had enough time/interest in, and this summer, being both out of school and unemployed at the moment, cooking has become a newly discovered hobby. I've stolen lots of recipes from my in-laws and my mother. So far it's been great.
I love reading your blog, by the way. Sorry I've never said anything before. I'm not trying to be a creepy stalker, I promise!
-Sara
Sara! We are so sad we couldn't make it to your wedding! It was on the exact same day as my brother's wedding, and I had to give a speech at a luncheon that was the exact same time as your reception, so we couldn't make it :( Congrats though, and yes, there are a ton of things to learn when you're just married and starting out together! Comment more often - it's not creepy, it's awesome :) Hope to see you soon!
DeleteBrooke, that is totally okay! It sure was a good day to have a wedding. :) I hope your brother's turned out as smoothly as ours. I will definitely comment more often, I read practically every post. My husband and I are planning to go to Grandma Morrell's family bash this weekend, maybe we'll see you there. :)
DeleteMy bad, it's actually the weekend after this one.
DeleteHave you read Baby Wise? It's my favorite parenting/sleep training/ baby eating schedule book.
ReplyDeleteWhat a really awesome homework idea - experience your world. I think that everyone could benefit greatly from that! I couldn't agree more with how good it is to be constantly learning something new. I am starting college next month (after a three year hiatus) and I couldn't be more excited!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how I missed this post but I love it so so much. It's so important to recognize other ways we can learn and to remember how fun learning can be! Race has been teaching me how to play tennis which is something I've been doing and I just learned about these workshops apple does where you can learn how to better utilize your apple products. I'm thinking of taking one to learn more about iMovie so I can compile family movies! Learning new things is so important but often easy to forget to do when life gets busy. I also want to start reading more books. I always see awesome recommendations from people on blogs, Facebook and Instagram but don't read nearly enough of them! Someday I would love to have a book club with friends so I could also discuss the books I read. Anyway, I just really love this post. You really seem like such a great teacher! I've been thinking about how much impact teachers can have on their students (I still visit my second grade teacher who lives in Oregon whenever I'm visiting family) and I just bet you're that teacher for so many of your students! And that didn't all flow but I don't care. Again, I love this post and you're awesome! Haha.
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