Beech Tree News Network

Working in education for over thirty-two years increased my appreciation for the learning process. It’s a process we use in every aspect of our lives – whether learning appropriate behaviors or gaining knowledge and skills. Generally, we can learn at any age.
    Many people have expressed their opinions about learning; a few are listed below:
•    I don't think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday. -Abraham Lincoln
•    Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. -Henry Ford
•    I have never in my life learned anything from any man who agreed with me. -Dudley Field Malone
•    The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn. -Alvin Toffler
•    I am learning all the time.  The tombstone will be my diploma. -Eartha Kitt
•    You learn something every day if you pay attention. -Ray LeBlond
I’ve been blessed with many good teachers in my lifetime and a few who were unexpected teachers. For example, my grandchildren have taught me much; they’ve even reminded me of the lessons I learned years ago from my own children. I’ve listed a few of those lessons:
I’ve learned:
•    That children have opinions and can be very verbal about them.
•    That many young children do not enjoy riding in a car.
•    That children can be very intense, especially when they want something.
•    That boys like motion – the faster the better (as in bicycles, dirt bikes, four-wheelers…).
•    That children don’t always make the choices we hope they will make.
•    That girls are not always girlie.
•    That boys don’t see dirt.
•    That I can’t buy my grandchildren clothes that will please them – regardless of gender.
•    That children are motivated or rewarded by food, movies, activities, and money (like adults).
•    That children try to live up to the expectations of their parents.
In my experience, we learn from others, regardless of age or any other category. Proverbs 3:5 cautions to “lean not on your own understanding.” So, sometimes we have to look outside of ourselves. And, that might include looking to a child.