Last Lecture
The Things We Learn
Inside and Outside of School
I laughed as I wrote
this second part of my lecture because I remember hating some of these subjects
so much for so many different reasons.
But that hate must have turned to appreciation because I got my degree
in Academic Studies with my minor being in Language Arts. And, then I received my certification in
Elementary Education. Enjoy…
Spelling: Patience
Pays Off
I was an AWFUL speller in the beginning stages of my
education. Seriously, it was bad. I can remember sitting down nightly with one
or both of my parents practicing taking a spelling test with the list of words
I had been given for that week. And as
frustrating as it was for me to have to do it, I think it was equally as
frustrating for them. Spelling tests
started in the first grade and continued through the fifth, so imagine five
years worth of schooling being horrible for me when it came time to have to
spell anything correctly. And, everyone knows that spelling is involved in
every subject so it was a rough set of elementary years for me.
Thank goodness my parents were patient with me. They worked with me nightly and didn’t give
up even when there were times that I literally walked around the house kicking
and screaming because I refused to do it.
Their patience paid off and so did mine because at the end of each week
I would make no less than an “A” on almost every test. And as time went on, spelling eventually
clicked for me. I would almost brag that
I’m a fantastic speller. Catch me on the
right day and in the right mood and I may perform like a spelling bee champion.
Patience is a hard thing to learn and sometimes I still
struggle with it. One of my first
memories of having to learn this virtue was when my dad would take me
fishing. There was a period of our lives
where we were avid anglers and we went out almost every weekend together—one of
the joys of living so close to the coast.
It was our father/daughter time and it’s full of fond memories. I remember baiting the line (or letting my
dad do it most of the time), casting it, and waiting. And, waiting... And, waiting... There were times that I didn’t catch anything
but also times that I had the big catch of the day. And when that happened, being patient paid
off and it was such a sweet feeling to see the reward.
Lately, being patient has centered around the ins and outs
of my life. Waiting for that hot meal at
the end of the day can be hard. Or,
waiting for that perfect someone to come along has been challenging at
times. But this little grasshopper knows
that things happen in due time and the outcome is often much more appreciated
when you have to wait for it. Being
patient has allowed me to slow down and take in the things around me in the
moments that can so easily be overlooked.
And, the biggest lesson that patience has taught me is that it is not
all about me.
Writing: Be Creative
As much as I hated spelling, I loved writing! It seems a little odd that this would be
case. I hated the logistics of writing
(spelling) but loved that it allowed me to be creative. Growing up, I journaled constantly, whether
it was in school or on my own in the privacy of my bedroom. I competed in UIL
competitions in the “Ready Writing” event and often placed first or
second. But, my creativity seemed to
blossom when I was introduced to many different styles and purposes of
writing. Writing was my outlet. I found some old journals not too long ago
and have had fun reading what I wrote during different times in my life. It’s amusing to revisit how a seven year old
thinks.
Writing allowed me to be creative without always being
judged. And, being creative often times
means that one has to allow themselves to be vulnerable at the risk of being
judged for it.
I learned that creative ideas on paper sometimes work out in
real life and sometimes they do not! I
experienced this most often in relationships with other people. In thank you notes you can often be direct
and fluffy with your words to make the other person feel great about what they
have done for you. But, if you were to
say those things directly to them, it might make for an awkward few moments
following. Or, in the early stages of
romance, it’s nice to get “love” notes that elude to how someone feels about
you, but if said too early out loud or if the same written sentiments were
spoken instead of written, it could change the dynamic of the relationship
fairly quickly. And, although some of
the same sentiments aren’t always received well when spoken as they are on
paper, at least there was the confidence to say it.
The joy of writing allows someone to formulate their
thoughts into the perfect set of words.
It allows them to have a creative outlet that they might not have
otherwise. And, it’s a wonderful way to
keep track of memories from the past.
Being creative on paper has allowed me to gain confidence in
being creative in my every day life.
There are times that I say or do things that I know create an eye-roll,
or some giggles, or a point and laugh, but being vulnerable to that has allowed
for moments of fun and goofiness that create memories. And even if it was dumb in the moment, it
often creates laughter for years to come each time it is remembered.
I didn’t love reading in school. It wasn’t because I didn’t like to read,
because I did. I grew up going to the
library with my mom, who is also an avid reader, and enjoyed spending time with
my nose in a book. I mostly hated
reading in school because I hated assigned reading. It was rare that I was assigned a book that I
actually liked and then to be tested over it was the most irritating.
I learned a lot through reading, though. I learned that words have meaning and meaning
helps you pick up on context clues. And,
context clues help you to better understand the content. And, understanding the content means you have
good comprehension skills and then as a result, you learn something because you
understand what you are reading. Once I
figured this out, I enjoyed reading even more.
I loved books that communicated other messages—like those about
communism, socialism, feminism, etc and how those messages were important for
the time in which the book or message was written. Learning to read between the lines opened up
a whole new world of understanding for me.
As I have gotten older, I have realized that often times
others can be read much like a book can be read. I have learned that it’s important to not
judge books or people by their covers and that some of the best lessons to be
learned are from the book or person that may not have originally interested
you.
Communication is HUGE for me, which is probably why I love
to read and be in relationships with people.
Communication happens in both forms but I have grown to understand that
unlike books that only communicate using words, people communicate with words
and with actions or body language. And,
the majority of the communication that is happening between two people is often
nonverbal. I’ve learned that if I’m just
listening to what someone is saying, I’m not always getting the whole
message. I have to read what is
happening in between and I have to pay attention to tone, observe body
movements and read gestures. Someone
could say they are “fine” when everything about how they said it says they are
not.
I have lost and formed relationships
based on communication or the lack of it.
It is always fun when you get to experience relationships forming. I look back at some of my friendships and I
can pin point times in those relationships when I knew that it was growing or
had grown. Most of this came out of the
communication with one another and the interactions we had. Also, hind sight is 20/20 and most
relationships that I have been a part of that have fallen apart, I shouldn’t
have been surprised about. I also can
pin point times when our communication was lacking or the interactions would
have given me a good indication that that was happening. It’s important to read between the lines to
better understand the content and can better comprehend what is going on.
