“If you are a young person, open your eyes wide and let the world educate you to the fullest extent. (‘Ascend no longer from the textbook! warned Walt Whitman, and I warn it, too; there are many ways to learn that do no necessarily involve schoolrooms.)

Learning is a life-long experience. You start learning the minute you open your eyes and take in your surroundings. You learn all sorts of things from your parents before you even enter preschool or kindergarten. Schools are great places to learn, if you are receptive to the idea, but they shouldn’t be the only place that education happens.

It is easy to get distracted from all of the entertainment options out there, but you can entertain yourself by learning something new. There are countless books, tutorials, podcasts, and even YouTube videos that you can learn from. So, why wouldn’t you want to take advantage of that. Let the world educate you. Don’t ignore all the teachers out there that have something to share.

Educate the World in Return

“If you are young, you see things differently than I do, and I want to know how you see things. We all want to know. When we look at your work (whatever your work may be), we will want to feel your youth — that fresh sense of your recent arrival here. Be generous with us and let us feel it. After all, for many of us it has been so long since we stood where you now stand.”

Learn from the world, but then give something back. You have something you can teach all of us.

I know that I learn from my students every day. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I wrote this one for my students. I hope you will share it with yours. The ideas were inspired by passages is Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Teaching Tip Tuesday – inspiration from my classroom to yours