A Lifestyle Of Learning Essay

Most kindergarteners are forced to take on critical learning material that a first grader should be learning. In Maryland’s Montgomery County, kindergarteners are given a reading exam by the end of the year and most of them pass it (Curwood, 2014). Last century, kindergarteners did not received any type of reading exams, they were not even introduced to reading. Kindergarten was fun and children did not have to stress about not being able to learn how to read or write. There was also hardly any homework that would take children hours to finish.

People’s experiences shape their lives and influence the choices they make, their expectations, and formulate their behavior and mindset. I have always loved to learn! As a child, I was constantly at the library and playing school. I recall being in 5th grade when my teacher handed me the science manual and a box of equipment, and asked me to ‘figure it out’ and recreate it for the class. I couldn’t have been more thrilled!

Living Learning Communities facilitate learning, growth, and friendship. LLCs seek students who are dedicated and motivated. Personally, I am both; throughout high school, I have worked hard and studied hard. I maintained a high GPA while participating in theatre almost every day after school. Indeed, I was able to take rigorous Advanced Placement courses along with dual enrollment engineering course while helping to run my school’s theatre company, Lymlight Production. I plan to continue both this hard work while at USF. Thus, living in an LLC will help me meet my goals.

It was not until I reached kindergarten where I first learned how to write. Having parents that were not fluent in English and worked almost all day, I found school being the gateway to my academic success. Learning how to trace letters were the first steps to my literacy journey. Every morning, I would sit in my assigned seat where I had my very own box that contained my crayons. My first task was to trace my name on the paper with crayons, something that every kindergartner is anticipated to fulfill. I remember having so most trouble, everyone has trouble from time to time, but in my case it was all the time. Once the bell rang for recess, all the kids ran right past me to go play outside once they finished writing their name successfully. I was always the last one to go and my teacher, Mrs. Ross, would have to slowly spend more time with me, holding my hand and tracing my name so I could get the hang of it. I did not have the same help at home as I did in school. Unfortunately, my parents could not help me with any of my school work; I either had to be self taught or I had to turn to my teacher for assistance. “The most important day I remember in all my life is the one on which my teacher, Anne Mansfield Sullivan, came to me.” (Hellen Keller) I can relate to this quote because my kindergarten teacher was someone who inspired and motivated me to go past all odds. Like Hellen Keller, meeting Mrs.

There is an endless supply of knowledge out there in the world, and I am ready to take in as much as I can. Every time I learn something new, I see the world a little differently and interact with people on a new level. For instance, learning about nature or receiving new information about how living things function, helps me appreciate the life that I am living. I never find a class to be fruitless, even if it will not be the most practical subject in my life; I still treasure the information that I retain from it. Some people are content with knowing what they learn from their classes and going home and watching the television, but for me, learning does not stop when I leave the classroom. I read books at home, research topics discussed in class, and attempt to memorize pieces from my favorite poets. Learning is a never-ending, but delightful, process for

“The human mind is our fundamental resource,” John F Kennedy. When I was little, my parents always guided me towards expanding my intellectual horizons. I quickly learned what JFK had expressed long before my time, that my mind was my core asset. In elementary school I would spend every moment not spent doing homework or playing outside watching whatever documentary I could get my hands on. I would often ask my dad to teach me new math concepts, or my mom to take me to the library. All of this made school a breeze, I did not need to put forth the same effort other students did. I learned a lot, but the most important lesson did not come from my parents or books.

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you will learn, the places you’ll go.” (Dr. Suess) The unique and most grateful thing in live is learning.

Armed with new sneakers and a whole new vocabulary, I started my first day of school. It was a learning experience for both my parents and I, but when it was over I felt like I fit in. Kids do not care where you are from or if your English isn’t up to par. In fact they only cared about two things: how good you were at tag and what kinds of crayons you had. Lucky for me, I was doing great in both departments. I experienced my first year of elementary school alongside the friends I previously made.

Growing up in elementary school every day presented a new obstacle that needed to be overcome. Most of the time they were reading and writing challenges, and most of the other students at my grade level didn’t have the difficult time I did.

Cate came into kindergarten already reading because of the incredible support of her fours teachers. Learning was fun for her and she loved going to school. Given her abilities, my husband and I wanted her to be challenged to move forward as she was able. However, the critically decisive factors that compelled us to choose Second Pres kindergarten were its developmentally appropriate curriculum and individualized education. We believe without the experience of Second Pres kindergarten, our oldest, Holly Jane wouldn’t be a third grader reading

My beginnings as a reader and a writer were most difficult to say the least. When I was almost five years old, I was up-rooted from my home during the middle of my pre-kindergarten year. My family and I moved halfway across the country so that my dad could take a well paying job that would financially support our family. Sadly, this majorly halted my learning abilities. As a little girl in a brand new school, surrounded by brand new people, I was scared. I didn’t know how to introduce myself, let alone speak with teachers that I had never met before.

As I reflect on my childhood, the first memory of literacy I recall is when I was in kindergarten. I was approaching the end of the school year when my mother revealed to me my teacher was considering keeping me in kindergarten for another year. I was extremely upset and felt as if I had failed my first year of school. I felt that I was fresh out of the gate and already defective. My perception as a child was that the adults were already giving up on me. The teacher stated if I could learn the alphabet by the end of the school year I could continue ahead to the 1st grade. The conclusion of Kindergarten was vastly approaching. My mother constructed flash cards to help with my letter recognition. In doing so, she realized I could not see the letters. My mother promptly made an appointment for me to visit an Optometrist to evaluate me. Before I knew it, I was fitted with a big plastic pair of glasses. My world became much clearer after that. My mother was upset that my teacher did not recognize the problem, and that I never spoke up. Fortunately, I passed kindergarten with a lot of hard work from my parents, teacher, and I.

My first day of kindergarten was not a happy day for me. I was scared and wanted to go home. The environment was unfamiliar to me. Entering into kindergarten at the age of four is a normative event. I recall my mother giving me a kiss on the cheek, smiling at me and told me everything would be okay and then walked away. I did not cry; I just watched her walk away. What stood out the most for me, is that none of the children or teachers looked like me. I was the only African American in my kindergarten class. I had enough sense to know that something was different.

Lifelong learning is the continuous building of skills and knowledge throughout the life of an individual. The first characteristic of lifelong learning is that it encompasses both formal and non-formal/informal types of education and training. Formal learning includes the hierarchically structured school system that runs from primary school through the university and organized school-like programs created in business for technical and professional training. Whereas informal learning describes a lifelong process whereby individuals acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience and the educational influences and resources in his or her environment, from family and neighbors, from work and play,

Everyone has his or her own first day of kindergarten experiences. Some might have been more memorable while others still trying to forget. Mine was merely an observance and evaluation period. After I gave my mother a kiss goodbye, and placed my belongings in the cubbyhole I was ready to learn, but unfortunately the majority of the other students were not. Considering one can not get too accomplished over many loud high-pitched cries, I was forced to be patient and suffer silently from boredom.