Learning For Life by Morgan

Learning For Life by Morgan - December 2020 Scholarship Essay

With high hopes for the new coming year, I am determined to become a better life-long learner in correspondence with my academic abilities. Throughout the course of my high school career, I have consistently been taught that education is the tool to my future prosperity within my career path, civil duties, and social life. This proves to be true in many circumstances, such as pursuing secondary education, since colleges analyze students’ transcripts, extra-curricular activities, and behavioral records to understand them better as individuals. Although the grades or active participation of a student can reflect their hard work and dedication towards their academic pursuits, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they apply their studies to their personal lives or inherently have a dynamic approach to life.
To some students the application of taught lessons have no importance or significance to their daily lives, but this is far from the truth. For instance, I can recall a recent memory in which my math teacher was reviewing geometry notes among the class for our upcoming test. As my thoughts slowly drifted from the mundane session, I began to ponder on why these lessons were so vital to our future. The more my thoughts escalated, the more I began to question, ‘What more meaningful or beneficial messages can I take from these lessons?’ Is there some hidden truth or potential realizations that could be drawn from these principles?
After my epiphany, I focused critically on what he was explaining to the class by focusing on the key points of each property. As I further examined one of these properties, the transitive property, I started to realize how I can make a connection between different variables, or in a sense, aspects of my life. Even though my teacher didn’t point out or make this assumption based on the equation, it made me enlightened by the idea that there is more to mathematics than just letters, numbers, and symbols. Furthermore, it showed me that my classes are not just for the purpose of memorizing and repeating the information that is taught to me, but to provide a pathway to open our minds to interrelations between our lessons and real-world situations. From that point forward, I have endeavored to make these connections more frequently across more of my courses.
Not only have I been able to draw these correlations within the classroom, but I have discovered more ways to execute this ability in a vast majority of practical situations. One of the techniques that I utilize to be a lifelong learner is to reflect on each decision that I make throughout the day. Whether the consequences of my choices would be minuscule or more detrimentally impacting, I’d review its effects in order to come up with a more favorable outcome. Another way I exercise the traits of a lifelong learner is by always remaining curious and unbiased when I’m presented with new information. Oftentimes, people will have preconceived ideas or prejudice that can contribute to their lack of understanding and ability to see various relationships between different concepts. For example, if I were to listen to someone talk about how cantaloupes are the best fruit, but I think that they are absolutely disgusting, then my conflicting interest of the fruit could cause me to not understand that cantaloupes actually provide an immense amount of vitamin C that can effectively prevent the risks of some cancers.
By maintaining an open mind, I also have been able to better comprehend the material that I’m learning since it has allowed me to visualize concepts in a way that I’m more familiar with. In addition, it has given me a better outlook on my personal relationships by allowing me to understand the root of my conflicts, whether sourced from self-sabotage or other outside negative factors. Truthfully, I don’t feel that this ideal is recognized enough within the classroom environment, especially since schools are the basis of understanding for continuously forthcoming generations. With that being said, I also don’t believe that this responsibility to be self-aware should be solely reliant upon teachers, but instead the students themselves.
We are the future voices of our nation who will shape the beliefs of our society. We are the foundation of the succeeding generations that will shape our culture, religious pursuits, and liberties. If we cease acknowledgement of the interrelatedness between school and home life, then we will not have the willpower nor the potential to prosper on an individual or societal scale. Being a life-long learner is more than just acquiring new information or topics, but instead an open minded approach to life that can allow endless possibilities to unfold to those who push themselves to their fullest potential. It is this notion that I wish to carry with me into the following year while simultaneously inspiring other students and individuals to aspire to this outlook on life as well.