The main and obvious reason why our parents and/or guardians send us to school is to learn. It is imperative for them to let the kids spend their childhood to their young adulthood to primary and intermediate schools and later on colleges or universities. Undeniably, there is reinforcement in learning in the school and this, as well, complements our right to education.This is not limited to memorizing each lines of a poem or decoding a short story and identifying the tone once the reading is done. Sort of, education teaches us to become a better person or even the best person that we think of someday.
Spending time and years in the school makes each of us ready to be developed and honed in our chosen field of expertise now or in the future – for some instances like pursuing post-graduate studies. An academic institution drives a student to thrive harder from setbacks and failures as well. Being one of the lowest in written examinations, seat works and requirements are naturally parts of the process. Studying can always be a toll to one’s life considering the money you have to spend, the time you have to make, and effort one needs to exert, however, failing will not make less of a student. A person’s productivity is not smooth-sailing as history tells us. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg is a college drop-out same with Information Technology kingpin Bill Gates of Microsoft – considerably, learning is given but learning more is a choice.
It is apparent, no matter what the amount is, that we learn in educational institutions. It triggers us to make the first step to many paths. It also gives us the chance to be wiser and happier. One who has the love for learning will never have a dull life. Same manner, a person who loves to develop wit has a brighter disposition in life. There is fun in studying and this is what we don’t see while we still flip pages in our books or get some sore fingers while writing your research papers. Mainly, the fun in learning is what we miss since we see this only as a time of being burdened not an opportunity to grow as an individual equipped in life.
In many cases, learners are always guilty of not trying at first. One tends to be complacent too. There is always a chance of one being too playful and choose not to understand that in return what is taught inside the classroom will not be used in the future. Say for example, the quadratic formula taught in Intermediate Algebra requires a learner to memorize a formula with combined alphabet, we know as variable, and numerical figures. As students claim that being expert of the said function does not guarantee a greener pasture, it is forgotten being good in problem solving drives the folks to be more analytic and logical – both are life skills. Life skills make us who we are while living.
On complacency, it happens that once we acquire something new, we stop. We never cultivate. We stop asking. We stop on deciphering and we realize later in the day that what we know is just the tip of the iceberg. We are doomed by our own self-satisfaction. The mistake we do is on the loop once the habit is form. One who is curious is likely to learn more and one who asks is said to be more enlightened. The habit of asking shall be encouraged in the classroom and a great educator, conversely, will always be there to advise, “Speak now or forever hold your peace.” It starts conversation and when we converse, we collaborate ideas then we learn.
Flip side is instilling the idea to the young ones is always difficult. The subject-matter experts, the professionals, will always have a bad time to display such positivity to the students due to the issues and concerns of the so-called millennials. The job is tough since the focus of the audience has always been divisive come the ages of smart phones and multi-network games as frontrunner examples of distraction. However, this shouldn’t be a distraction if we know how to use these gadgets properly and the parents/guardian should be the main driver of this.
Young ones tend to get the job done easier with the aid of technology. The internet has been a steadfast companionwhile in the process of academic requirement completion and the y-generation has been passive of what is laid by the available search engines. As a result, we settle on this kind of attitude. It demonstrates impulsiveness and being lethargic and sometimes the state of being idle.
The person who leads the pack should be the one to initiate adjustments. In the process of nesting the learners, analyze the group’s strength – in this generation, almost everyone, if not all, is tech-savvy. A guru can do gamification, if needed, to trigger the competitiveness in one’s mind. This case, they thrive harder to climb on top. There might be freeloaders too and they can be tasked of something important to pull a group up. Their curiosity should be woken up. Learning is a choice and it is their reason of spending time in the school but it will not hurt to give them something more.
Traditional learning may come handy as the baby boomers are taught on how fit in the pedagogy this way but with the dawn of the development of technology, there should be changes in ways. Address the need of the youngsters and give them something they want too. The concept of give and take is basic but it still applies. More is sometimes synonymous to convenience to both parties. The process may not be easy but in the end it will be worth it, always.
By: Andrea S. Irangan | Teacher I | Bataan National High School | Balanga City, Bataan
