How To Learn Things

In my childhood, I believe I was put on the right path for learning how to learn. I was fortunate to find within myself many ways to understand what I came across at a deeper level. Now, I will tell you what I’ve done and have found throughout my life as being useful to my endeavors.

My earliest memory of creative conceptualization was when I was learning how to spell. I had come across the word “people” and separated it into two instances: the way it was pronounced, and the way it was spelled. In a kindergartener’s brain, one may hear “people” and translate into writing something akin to “peepull”, but that wasn’t what I did. Out loud I had said “peepull” as well as “pee-o-pull” to cement in my mind the relationship between the spelling and pronunciation.

Throughout school I had challenged myself many times over as well. Instead of using a calculator, even when recommended by teachers, I would do multiplication and addition out on the paper or in my head to further learn tricks for how to solve these equations much faster than I had previously.

Recently, I have been chasing thoughts and ideas down in Wikipedia. Weeks ago, I read into art history articles about Winslow Homer and realism, Caspar David Friedrich and romanticism, Edvard Munch and expressionism, and Claude Monet and impressionism. I have not had to relearn the names of these men and relations to their respective art movements, because I have already connected them in my brain through a chained sequence.

My point is this: learning does not come easy unless you work for it. I’ve never just sat back in a classroom unless I were sleep deprived. That’s another thing as well. Find your habits and change them as soon as you can. Get more sleep, get yourself more ready to be present, and maybe sit at the front of the class. Put yourself where you want to be, not where you are at or where you are brought down. Sitting in my room and distracting myself has not ever helped me find my way. 

Be brave to make mistakes, get a little flustered, and pick yourself up. That’s the necessary path to success.

Now, just as a little surprise for reading through, I have a little secret. My yearbook quote didn’t quite make it in, so I will declare one now.

All is lost, all is forgiven.

Huzzah! History is rewritten. Now go back to learning! Bye!