The Truly Educated Never Graduate

In the "back to school"spirit of things, and because I taught a class
on this subject this weekend, I thought I would share some of my
ideas for lifelong learning.

Remember when you were in school and you were supposed to

go on a field trip?  Weren't those the best days?  Out of the classroom
and into the real world, even those activity buses weren't so bad.
Learning was exciting.  This is how I feel about post graduate education.
Life is a field trip with something new to learn around each corner.

I've been out of the "school" scene for a long time now, but that doesn't
mean I have lost the desire to learn.  At times I toy with the idea of going
back to school.  Who knows, maybe that will be a goal for my year of fifty-one.
I am however, convinced there is a lot of good we can do in the world
without a degree and there are numerous ways to self educate.

The truly educated never graduate.

No matter how old we are, we can be actively learning and growing.

Michelangelo, at age 87, said "Ancora imparo.", which for those of
us who don't speak Latin, means "I am learning still."  Yep!  I'm right
there with you Michelangelo.  Everyday of my life, I am learning.
Some lessons are harder than others.

And here's a prescription for remaining youthful.

"Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. 
    Anyone who keeps learning stays young.       
    The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.”                 
                     Henry Ford

Ten Ideas (+1) for Life Long Learning

1. Hang out with smart people.

    They are everywhere. 

     Also, hang out with people who love to learn.  It's contagious.

2. Ask lots of questions. Be curious.

    Especially when you're with those smart people.   Listen and learn.

3. Try to learn one new thing each day.

    It can be anything from which kind of apple makes the best pies, to

     what kind of bug is eating your lettuce in the garden.  

4.  Do things you are afraid of doing - push yourself out of your

     comfort zone.  

     This is huge and it can require courage, but I find it's always worth it.

   

5.  Write things down.  Write a lot. 

     Even if you think you stink at it. 

     I'm not implying that you stink at writing- but I feel like I do and

      because I can be a bit of a perfectionist, I don't like to do things

      I stink at.   So I have to make myself keep at it.  I'm finding the 

      practice helps.  Journaling and list making and just keeping a 

      "common place" book are all ways to help us learn.

6.  Be reading something all the time. 

     Read newspapers, magazines, blogs, biographies, fiction, nonfiction.

     Even the backs of cereal boxes can be enlightening.

     Join a book club.  Share your thoughts with others. (this is so fun!)

     "You will be the same person in five years as you are today

      except for the books you read and the people you meet."

                                   Charles Jones

      Don't have time to sit down and read a book?  Listen to books on CD

      while you drive or exercise.  You'll be amazed at how many books 

      you can "read" while driving around town doing errands.

7.  Watch worthwhile tv.

      Be very discriminating about what you watch.  There are some really

       good programs out there and there are some awful ones too.  Our

       time is too valuable to waste on junk.   

8.   Travel as much as you can.

      This isn't as easy as it used to be for me (contrary to what our dear

       President says, we are still feeling the recession at our house).

       However,  I love travel experiences so much, that I will budget for

       it before I buy other things.  And when I can't travel to faraway

       places, I can spend time with people who have.  Hey, I'll look at

       your vacation pictures anytime!  

       The distance we travel doesn't always dictate our ability to learn

       something new.  Have you thoroughly explored the area you

       live in?  Sometimes a field trip across town can be a cultural

       experience.  Or for that matter, how about your neighbors?

       Do you know them well enough to be familiar with their interests

       and hobbies?   We can learn from everyone!

9.  Don't be afraid to be around people who are different 

     from you.

     This kinda goes along with stepping out of your comfort zone.

      We tend to enjoy hanging out with people who look like us, live 

       like us and have our same beliefs.  We miss out on so much when

      we do this.  Open your world and enjoy all God's children.

10. Take classes.

     Sign up for some continuing education classes, online classes or

      classes offered in your community.  There are so many talented 

      people who are willing to share their gifts with others.  It's fun to

      take a class and meet new people.

     I've ordered a number of The Great Courses over the years.  

     These are CD's or DVD's with high school and college level

     lectures on every kind of subject you can imagine.  I watch for  

     the sale items and have even put these on my Christmas wish

     list.  

     A most exciting discovery is the website- Academic Earth.

     One of the students in my class Saturday recommended I check

     it out.  I did and I was like a kid in a candy store looking at all the

     offerings of free college courses from Harvard, Yale and other

     universities. Now, it remains to be seen if I can understand any

     of it, but this definitely qualifies for hanging out with smart people.

     I won't really be hanging out with them....but you know what

     I mean.  And did I mention that it was FREE? 

11. Listen to TED talks online.

     These are amazing.  I love the one by Jamie Oliver and I just

      listened to J.K. Rowling give the commencement speech

      at Harvard.  Very, very interesting stuff.

I now find myself in the season of life that lends itself to having

more time for these kinds of pursuits.  But regardless of our 

situations, we can all be learning and growing if we have the

desire to do so.  Remember life is a field trip and if we look for

ways to learn something new, even a visit to the farmer's market

or the hardware store can be an education. 

I would love to hear what you've been learning lately?