There is a Chinese proverb that says, “Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere.” As a Learning Specialist, one of my responsibilities is to help children learn as best they can. One of my passions is to help students to see that there are no boundaries to what they can learn and no limits to opportunities for seeking knowledge. I believe that whatever a student wants to learn, he or she has the enduring power to pursue that goal. As parents and teachers, we can be powerful advocates for our children and our students as they pursue their dreams of learning. By using ourselves as models, we actively invite children to view us learning new things, learning about ourselves and learning from our mistakes. Modeling is a powerful tool. Being aware and willing to share our struggles and triumphs with our children and our students, contributes to the magic of learning, and says “We are all in this together!”
Several years ago I had the good fortune of witnessing an impromptu learning moment that I will never forget. I was walking to lunch with a group of children when one astute boy spotted a slug on the ground. I was amazed to see this boy stop to observe the simple slug in greater detail, as it slowly slinked its way across the hard ground. Soon other children and two teachers joined the group of slug watchers.Unsatisfied with merely watching, children started asking questions like: what kind of a bug is that, how is it moving, what does it do? The student, who initially stopped to observe, answered many of the questions and before long he was sharing his knowledge of slugs with the curious children and teachers. I was struck by two things: the curiosity and interest of the children for such a tiny, unassuming creature was contagious and the decision of teachers and children to stop and take these few minutes to look at the little slug, listen to each other and learn was magical. A simple moment became a real learning treasure .