What kind of student ARE you?

When we think back to our grade school days, several student archetypes may come to mind. These archetypes follow us through high school, into college, and go beyond just teachers’ pets and class clowns. What kind of student were you?

What kind of student was I?

In middle school, my binder was complete with page numbers and a table of contents. Every page was in a protective sleeve to preserve the uniformity and look of the overall binder. I even photocopied extra worksheets in case of any screw-ups. I remember being assigned a five-page report on an Indian tribe in 6th grade. My peers turned in their stapled-together compilations. I turned in a spiral-bound, laminated book. As I entered high school, my school situation changed and so did my priorities. I didn’t quite knock my academic habits, but I kept them hidden from my peers. As I graduated high school and went onto college, I grew into a passive student. I did the minimum required work to get the grade I desired, I zoned out of lectures, and I skipped as many classes as I could.

So what kind of student am I NOW?

We never stop being a student when we leave high school, trade school, or college. We enter jobs, relationships, parenthood. The question isn’t, “are you still learning?” We are certainly faced with substantial learning opportunities every day whether we realize it or not. The question is: “What kind of student ARE you? This couldn’t be a more important question to ask. As I seek to inspire learning in teachers and students through my placements at The Foundry MakerSpace, I am convicted by my lack of studious intentionality. It is too easy to become passive, to check off my daily task list, to not enter each day with a desire for learning. In my last post, I shared Downey’s mantra, “Let’s make today a great day for education.” My oh my, do I need to adopt this mission! I’m not saying I want to go back to my middle school days and laminate all my meeting minutes, but I do want to go above and beyond in pursuing quality learning every single day.

What about you? What kind of student were you? What kind of student are you now? Who were your most influential life teachers?

What inspires you to learn?