The Joys of Learning by Gabrielle

The Joys of Learning by Gabrielle - July 2016 Scholarship Essay

The most important lesson I’ve ever learned from a teacher was how to enjoy the actual act of learning again. I say “again” because at one point we all got excited about learning new, intriguing things. Whether it was in high school or even way back in elementary. But somewhere along the line and through the years, I became more concerned about the stresses of taking on new knowledge, and the tests and work involved, than the knowledge itself. What a pity that is when you truly think about it! Learning should be a pleasurable experience, one that is recalled by strong relationships built with fellow students, the moving talks between you and your professors, and the fun lessons you learned during class, not one recalled by cramming, GPA calculating, and thinking about all the things you missed out on. But sadly, that is the reality for many students today. That was my reality up until a couple semesters ago.
I once took a class that was required at my college for all new students to help them gain and/or improve their study habits. The mandatory textbook assigned to the class was called On Course and I found it to be very helpful. There were reading strategies and tips on how to make wiser decisions when it comes to staying on track in college and in life. However, even with the best resources, I know that I and many others can become uninterested with homework. Even the most fascinating classes you will register for and attend can have seemingly tedious tasks that will bore you to tears without the proper incentive. That is why it takes more than a textbook to inspire you. Words on a page cannot, in themselves, motivate you to be a better student or a harder worker, but teachers can.
No matter what kind of learner someone is, I am a firm believer in the power all great teachers possess that allows them to help you see things differently. You can tell when teaching comes naturally and isn’t forced. They encourage you to succeed not only in word but in action. If you are fortunate enough to be taught by one of these people at some point in your life, you will undoubtedly experience that “aha moment” that makes you want to go further, dig deeper, and learn more. The teacher that I am describing is not one who monotonously rattles off her lesson plan for the day or writes everything on the agenda for the class on the board and sits unapproachably at his desk while the students do their work.
It is the teacher who remembers you by name even semesters later. It is the teacher who takes time after and before class to speak with you about your personal challenges that have nothing to do with school. It is the teacher who connects course topics to real life in a way that everyone in class can relate to. It was my teacher Mrs. Johnson. Mrs. Johnson started off the semester by introducing herself as a married mother and professor. She was not unrealistic in her goals for our class. She didn’t expect this course to radically change the lives of her students, she just wanted us to listen. She told us about her struggles as a young woman juggling college courses, a full-time job, two children, and a husband who also had his own career. She reminded us that it was okay to get overwhelmed sometimes. She said that if college was easy, everyone would have a degree. Mrs. Johnson told us that by registering for classes we were endeavoring to change our lives for the better and to remember that whenever times got hard.
Throughout the course, Mrs. Johnson picked and chose which chapters she wanted us to read and work on out of the textbook. There were many assignments that were interactive and asked us to survey ourselves to see what type of learners we were. My favorite assignments, though, were the ones that Mrs. Johnson herself arranged for us to do as a class. The very first was a sort of icebreaker to get everyone in the room talking and see what we might have in common with one another. This particular assignment was one that even to this day has helped me because one of the people in my class—who sat clear on the other side of the room—was also a young mother in a similar circumstance in life as me and after sharing with the class, we realized that we had a lot in common and even now we still keep in touch and encourage each other to succeed in college. This is just one example of the many lessons she introduced to us that encouraged me that semester.
My perspective on school is completely different these days. No longer do I dread quizzes and pray for the end of a semester. No matter what I am learning, I always remember to use the skills Mrs. Johnson taught me and to take it one day at a time. She helped me to enjoy school again by focusing not on the stressful aspects of college, but on the exciting parts of learning. I will always appreciate how she left her door open to her students—both literally and metaphorically—because it changed my life.