The Joy of Knowing!

As an educator, I love learning, sharing, teaching, and watching the process of knowledge development.  It is often times sticky, and there is much less control over the learner than we think.  

Schools are created to provide optimal spaces for learning, yet many schools do not have a community garden or a tranquil space for contemplation.  Often times students move through the halls without even noticing the banners and posters put up to create the positive environment.  The joy of learning is hard to find.  

Once the joy has been removed, children, and their parents, feel this overwhelming weight.  It's not noticeable at first, because we all did it.  WE all went through school, WE all had good days, and WE all had bad days.  At the end of it all, we hoped we learned something.  

Today, many students are not learning what is being taught, instead they are learning how much they dislike learning.  The social pressures brought by the cell phone have drastically changed learning, which directly effects the purpose of school.  As parents and educators, we are left scrambling to figure out how to bring back the "JOY". 

What I discovered is that when a child finds their natural curiosity again, the learning is now for them, not the teacher, not the parent, they are the one who wants to know.  This is such a simple feeling, the JOY OF KNOWING you learned something. 

I would love to see this joy being spread throughout our country.  I would love to see a world where children were excited to go to school because it is a place that nurtures their soul and helps them feel complete. 

We're ready for the metamorphosis, let's bring the joy of knowing back to our children.  One way you can do this is to reflect on a time when you learned something, and sit with the feeling, describe it to yourself.  Once we remember the joy of knowing, we can share it with our children and pass it along for future generations.