Always Living and Learning

A wise, seasoned public schools’ educator once told me, “Students go to school to learn how to learn.” In a sense, these words seem quite obvious. Of course students go to school to learn! That is what school is for – to teach students in all realms of academia. But is it that simple? Perhaps what this educator was trying to convey was that learning is a skill which needs to be developed. It takes discipline, repetition, and perhaps an understanding of what learning – defined as `the acquisition of knowledge and skills through experience, study, or being taught’ – entails. Being a young person attending school does not make a girl or boy a good student. But having a mindset and desire to better one selves’ mind to achieve academic success is a good start to both a successful educational career and beyond.

The 2022-23 school year officially began in Cibola County this past Thursday, Aug. 11. At Grants High School (GHS), administrators, teachers, and students were adjusting to a new computer learning program called Synergy, which will be the software used by teachers to take attendance and create classroom work assignments. There were, as expected when new technology is being used for the first time, glitches which will, in time, be overcome. Class schedules for the incoming freshmen class were inadvertently erased, resulting in some late nights for GHS administrative personnel leading up to Thursday.

The school was also stricken with hot temperature issues as the air conditioning unit went on the fritz resulting in over heated classrooms on Wednesday’s freshmen orientation day and the first two days of school Thursday and Friday.

But, as it’s been said, `The show must go on!’ Students did indeed return to school and, all things considered, all involved – administrators, teachers, janitorial staff, and students, survived the rocky return.

So, just what does it mean that students `learn how to learn’ at school? Most of the 900-plus students at GHS have been attending public schools for at least the past nine years (kindergarten through eighth grade) and are all at different levels of school learning. Some youngsters are several grade levels behind in levels of reading, writing, science, math, etc. And some are much further along. So how do students, wherever they might be on the academic ladder, move and improve in an upward trend in their school work?

First, the education department – teachers, academic advisors, and administrators – must be there for the students, all students at all levels of learning. For that to happen, these educators must have a heart for the students. They must love and care for them and want what’s best for students’ current and future endeavors. I believe we have such personnel at GHS. When I began my career as an educator my younger, sage brother had the following advice for me. He told me, `Rich, let them (the students) know you are there for them.’ I have never forgotten that.

Also, students need – must have – support from their families. They need to be encouraged by loved ones to do the best they can do at school. There is nothing like the fulfilment that comes when an individual, in any endeavor in life, gives it their all at whatever positive task they are trying to achieve. Family members can encourage such strong work ethic, study values to their kin attending school. One teacher, this past week, told his students the following, “One of the greatest `highs’ you can ever enjoy is being able to say you accomplished something – achieving a hard worked at goal or achieving a task you didn’t think you could.” The teacher used a simple example: “What if your parents or grandparents asked you to clear a portion of the yard of weeds? Would you do a halfway job and not give it your best? Or would you do the very best you could? If you do the latter, you will feel a wonderful sense of achievement at doing the job in a top notch manner.”

A third way in which students can achieve better academic success is to give it their best effort in their respective classes. But this determination has to come from inside of them. This is pretty tricky because high school aged students are transitioning from childhood to adulthood and experiencing crazy emotions as they are growing up. But whether it occurs during the high school years or later on in life, there comes a point where all individuals will hopefully recognize that, with a mindset to achieve and pursue their dreams, anything is possible and great things await ahead.

That’s when an individual, whether as a high school student or at another phase of their lives, has `learned how to learn!’