on learning

Good day to you, beautiful people. I missed you over the weekend. Hope you had a good one. Lots of graduations went down around here. If you are a recent graduate, or the family member of a recent grad, then congratulations!

It has recently occurred to me how truly important a good early education is. Not that you can't try to catch up later, but if you can grasp basic science, literature, history, etc, early on, then, let's face it, your reach might extend a whole lot further.

When I was growing up, we moved often. That meant a lot of being the new kid. When you are the new kid, and you get dropped off at the school out in Podunk, USA, they stick you into any old class, like home decorating. You stare out the window a lot. You analyze everyone's outfits to the point where your speed in recognizing "Glamour Don'ts" is almost enough to qualify you for the Olympics. You discover fun new hobbies, like counting your freckles. You graduate never having gotten to dissect anything, or to learn calculus or physics. Who cares?, you think. That's how disengaged you become.

That was my story, though I did get to fall in love with calculus in college, as well as quantitative business analysis. But never the classics, literature, or history, as I majored in accounting because it was easy, and I wanted to be assured of finding a job. (Which I did, but guess what? I soon discovered accounting is boring. Worst of all, even the outfits are lackluster and not worthy of analysis.)

When my oldest daughter was in second grade, she started coming home crying day after day about being bored in school and not getting to learn. This was not whining. This was a frantic hunger for knowledge. I knew a little something about it. Unh un, I determined, picturing the many school years stretching out before her, this will not be happening.  My girl is going to get the chance to learn in school, and I'll do whatever it takes to make that happen. I became a berserko-fanatical tiger-mom when it came to securing the accelerated educational settings my kids needed. I was like a linebacker clearing the way for them to run full out for the touchdown. It was no easy task, but I believe that everyone has the right to run full out, no matter how fast or how slow that happens to be.

This brings me to my recent discoveries. Now that my kids are launched, I've started catching up on all that I missed.

My friend, Judy told me about the Great Courses: college courses to watch and/or listen to at home. Lots of libraries carry some of these. I'm, almost done with Books That Have Made History: Books That Can Change Your Life, by Professor J. Rufus Fears. I'm happy to report that not a single one of his lectures has been boring. Yea, Professor Fears! After tackling the classics, I might just decide to dissect something.

So, in conclusion, let us remember it is best to learn early, but better to learn later than never.