The Scary Side of Learning

I love learning. It energizes me. This week I attended training on learning assessment. I came away from the workshop with many practical methods, some of which I have already applied in the classroom. Attending the program was well worth my time. I came away renewed. I also left scared.

What scared me about what I learned is the realization that my teaching is not as effective as it could be. I then wonder how I have shortchanged my past students. I experience such anxiety whenever I learn better ways to teach. I have the same reaction every time I learn something new about child rearing now that my children have been reared. My new learning prompts me to wonder how I may have psychologically scarred my children because of what I did not know. I have these thoughts in spite of the fact that my children are healthy, loving, productive adults.

My fears are not lasting. They dissipate as soon as I experience the thrill of applying my new learnings. My fear, however, does make me aware of why people may resist learning. Learning challenges our self-image. We discover we are not as knowledgeable and able as we thought. On the flipside, learning promotes our growth. We discover we are more than who we thought we were.

Learning reminds me that I am a work-in-progress. I strive to give and be my best at whatever I do recognizing that I will always have more to learn. Holding this perspective keeps me close to my students and open to learning with them. This keeps me fresh and energized. The scary side of learning keeps me alert. So I look forward to what I may learn from the next workshop, book, article, conversation. I may find it scary to discover what it is I don’t know, but I am more frightened of becoming content with what I do know.