List of 30 things I’ve accomplished

1. I’ve convinced people to call and refer to me by a name I choose.

2. I’ve completed at total of 13 years of dance training.

3. I don’t let my two chronic illnesses affect my daily life.

4. I’ve mapped out my educational goals.

5. I own a used car that I bought with my own money.

6. I own both a laptop and a desktop computer.

7. I once taught a left-handed 4 year-old how to eat using utensils properly.

8. I’ve developed my own theory about education and learning.

9. I write and blog avidly and consistently.

10. I’m certified in Infant/Child CPR, the Heimlich maneuver, First Aide, and Shaken Baby Syndrome.

11. I’ve overcame almost complete muteness and a speech pediment with the help of speech therapy.

12. I was homeschooled all through my teenage years.

13. I mentor a family in need with Project Team under CAP Services.

14. I was awarded Teen Volunteer of the Year at the Appleton Public Library for my work in the Children’s Department.

15. I passed and got my driver’s license on my first try.

16. I know how to put gas into my car, check and add more oil, and change a tire.

17. My first job was with Family Services.

18. I’ve lost almost 20lbs since the beginning of the year.

19. I’m trained as a Jazz Trombonist and was in Lawrence University’s Honor’s Band in my second year of playing.

20. I have made the decision that the religion that I grew up with doesn’t fit into my ideals and goals and have since explored 4 different religions.

21. I can balance a checkbook, successfully manage my finances, and have adapted some of my previous life styles knowing that I don’t have as much money as I used to.

22. I was in a national commercial in kindergarten.

23. I’ve learned about my paternal ancestry and their traditions.

24. By the end of 2^nd grade I could easily read at close to middle school level.

25. I practice mindfulness in my everyday life.

26. I stated taking college courses at age 15.

27. I’ve acknowledged the negative effects of my upbringing and try regularly to counteract those effects.

28. I have a good self-awareness and know how to grieve properly.

29. I have come to the realization that if you laugh at yourself and generally take mistakes less seriously, that you can learn and experience more in life.

30. I’ve read the entire New Testament back-to-back in order.

Why I view Education Like I do

In highschool I was a homeschooler following the ‘unschooler’ philosophy.  The unschooler philosophy means that I was encouraged to learn as much as I can about every single thing/idea that interests me.

This instilled my belief that education should be pleasurable and that every educational thing/assignment you do, you should do it with more than your %100 effort.  If I’m going to make a point of learning or studying something; I want to suck every ounce of knowledge I can possibly get out of it.  I have a strong belief that doing something half-assed or learning something by only route memory is frankly a waste of time, energy, and space in the part of the mind that controls memory (the Frontal Lobe).

My educational philosophy is summed up quite well by the Mark Twain “Don’t let schooling interfere with you’re education”; and it’s kind of my personal motto in general.

Therefore, I learn and study for the sole purpose of obtaining knowledge. Receiving good grades, although they a cool affirmation of how hard you worked, aren’t by any sense the object of education.  To me, the object of education is the inner self assurance that you know more about something that you did in the past.