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| Photo Credit: http://alpineschools.org/schools/preschool |
My love for education developed when I realized that only one of my siblings received a college diploma. I wanted to do good in my studies so I could earn a degree. True enough, I was focused with my studies that I graduate in every phase of education on time and with colors.
While it is true that the learning we have in the classroom is far different from the real world and that we often say that it is no longer relevant, certain values are developed as we perform our roles as students. These serve as our strong foundation to face life and deal with challenges. Among these are:
• Persistence. Attending classes 5 days a week and 8 hours a day from elementary to high school is surely a humdrum :D How boring it is to go back to those days when we spend more time in the classroom than in our homes :D Throughout these years of struggle, we actually have developed the virtue of persistence. We still go on despite overwhelming odds and we linger no matter how hard situations seemed.
• Diligence. With thousands of assignments, seatworks and projects from kindergarten to date, we managed to submit at least 50% of those :D The pressures for all of these requirements, we learned to be diligent and hardworking to submit some of these for the fear of being given an INC or even failing grade. :D In real life, we cope up with the demands of time and the organization which we belong.
• Resourcefulness. Occasions every month call for a preparation to undertake and yes, even in our primary years, we were given tasks of bringing fruits, vegetables, flowers, utensils, cleaning materials, rags and every little thing needed in our classrooms. For the exciting month of December, we give ourselves pressures to prepare a creative Christmas tree using indigenous materials and the recycled ones. So resourceful we were that we explored the forests of Tubo-tubo to get pako-pako only to find out that some yelled across river because they were drowning. :D Thank God everyone was saved. To date, we think creatively to meet the requisites of what is pleasing to the eyes. :D
• Patience. For at least 16 long years of schooling, we often feel tired. One school year for instance seemed very long that we tend to complain. While we bear the angst, we also learned how to wait :D To wait for another 4 years before getting a college degree after being exposed to 4 challenging years in high school. If we needed something, somehow we become patient to wait for the right time for opportunities to come and for dreams to realize.
• Time Management. The various activities we were compelled to join :D and the exhausting hours we spend in the school daily should have crashed us :D Quizzes and exams to pass, assignments and projects to submit were time consuming that every hour missed is a problem of meeting deadlines. We might have missed some requirements, but we also learned how to manage our time in our own ways. To date, being exposed to various obligations poses a problem on our time, but with our extensive experience in school, we somehow know how to balance things. :D
• A Sense of Competitiveness. In a class of at least 20, suggests an implied competition. Who speaks well, who writes well, who’s the best in Math, English, Science, etc. Who’s the best dancer, best singer and the list continues. With our desire to do good leads us to become competitive in our ways. True enough, it’s a source of joy at some point and a reason of disappoint at times. Nevertheless, this instance taught us to be better in the real world, more challenging and demanding.
• Compassion and Love. Being surrounded with classmates from all walks of life is truly amazing. With everyday need for intermediate and yellow papers as well as ballpoint pens, someone could miss bringing either of these and we tend to empathize :D and the same happens whenever we miss any of these. I could say I was compassionate and other people have been compassionate to me as well.
How about infatuations even when we were in elementary years :D Having crushes made us inspired and motivated to do things great. We honed our feelings to define for the first time what love is :D Along these is the hard times of facing that your crush likes someone. This instance is a great background for dealing with the present if I may say so.
These are just some of the values I have learned through the course of time. You can share yours below this post. I believe you too have more to share on the traits we lived on while we were in the academe. I am indeed thankful for the essence of education, most of which are unseen.
“Truly, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly. What is essential is invisible to the eyes. “ - The Little Prince.
