How Informal Education Helps Me by Alexis

How Informal Education Helps Me by Alexis - June 2024 Scholarship Essay

Informal education can present itself in numerous ways- for example: a work environment, videos, shows, and books. The most common forms of informal education that I've experienced are a work environment and shows.

For a year (July 2022-Aug 2023), I worked at an Olive Garden branch. Throughout my year there I would say I learned a lot, alongside schooling. I learned how to efficiently complete tasks assigned to me and pick up other tasks; I learned to challenge my discomfort and was forced to adapt socially. I worked as a busser at Olive Garden, but despite that, I still interacted with customers more than I initially thought I would. Doing so taught me how to keep my tone in check, and to better choose my words. I also picked up a little Spanish while working there.

I often watch shows as background noise if I'm tired of music, which is a good source of informal learning. All shows have some sort of moral lesson, it could be a different one every episode or it could be a show-long lesson only mentioned at the end. The show I watch is called Bones, and every episode is a new moral dilemma for the main cast. By the end, it is always addressed, and some of the dilemmas can be learning opportunities for us as the watcher. Last night I watched an episode about a victim who happened to be a transsexual pastor, which Agent Booth had struggled with because of his own religious beliefs. Dr. Brennan struggled only with the religious aspects as she is a scientist through and through. Sometimes it takes a compromise for Booth and Brennan and because of my own beliefs, I often find comfort in their conversations around the topic.

These things that I've learned from working, or watching a fictional show are things that in my 14 years of schooling, I somehow never grasped. School never taught me, or helped me, through social interactions and saying the proper thing. School books never opened up hard conversations to have, or how to resolve them. So because of that, informal education through working and watching TV has helped me.