As most of you know I am a senior education major whose student teaching and last semester is fast approaching. I have been taking time to reflect on some of the life lessons I learned from my students over the last 3 years.
1. The lines in your notebook and in your life are optional. You can always make your own path.
If I am being honest, nothing drives me more insane than students clearly missing the lines printed in their notebooks. However, I think we could all learn a thing or two about going against the status quo and creating our own path in life.
***If you are a fourth grader from one of my placements, PLEASE USE THE LINES! I promise you your two digit by two-digit multiplication problems will come out better. ***
2. Using every color in your crayon box makes the best art.
Some of the most beautiful and unique art I have seen in the classroom has been made with every color in the rainbow. It reminds me that there is always beauty in creativity and uniqueness.
3. Failure only happens when you don’t try
I have seen more than a handful of students fail and fail again simply because they were not trying. It made me learn that if we do the work in life and put in the effort, we will be successful. This success may not come the next day or the next week but it will pay in dividends in the future.
4. Sometimes the wackiest ideas are the best ideas.
Last week, an assignment in my class was to create an ecosystem using art. Most of my students chose paint or crayons, but two girls in the back came up with one of the most amazing and crazy idea. They decided to take the paper given to them and create a 3D version of a rainforest. It was the most amazing thing and it was so wild and out of the box. Moments like these remind me to take risks in the classroom and in life because the biggest risks have the biggest payouts.
5. Directions are all about perspective
As a teacher I have spent hours writing directions for my assignments. I write and rewrite them until I believe they are perfect and totally understandable. However, the directions don’t always convey the right message, but I’ve learned that directions and how you follow them is about perspective. Someone could say you should go through life hitting each step of ‘directions’ in order. I think we could all learn from students and take life’s directions and go our own way.
Teaching is one of the most inspiring and interesting professions I could be a part of. I am constantly learning from my students and my students (I hope!) are constantly learning from me. I hope everyone can take at least one of the lessons I have learned over the years and apply it to their lives.
Quote about learning: