Before reading Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education by

Matthew Sanders, I perceived my personal role as a student in higher education to obtain

an education degree in order to start my career. I was frustrated by all the time that I was
compelled to attend this summer semester to relearn unneeded formulas in Beginning
Algebra, write numerous unnecessary essays in English Composition and memorie
useless information in !eneral "sychology as they are re#uired core classes in the
Education Assistant "rogram. I $ust wanted to be able to begin the classes that truly
mattered. Classes with interesting titles li%e& Individual Education "rograms, Effective
'eaching, (evelop ) Adapt the Curriculum, Behavioral Intervention ) Classroom and
similar ones that will prepare me to complete my $ob as a teacher*s assistant upon
graduation.
After reading this boo% I observe my purpose differently. My purpose is no longer
to be a student attending community college for a few semesters in order to begin my life
as a teacher*s assistant. My purpose is to truly begin to become a lifelong learner
+although I have already begun that $ourney the day I was born,. -hen we are born, I
believe we instantly begin learning through our everyday activities of daily life& eating,
drin%ing, sleeping, etc. 'hrough each one these activities we are provided with the
necessary s%ills that assist us to develop and grow for new bigger and greater activities.
As an infant we never stop and consider, well I do not possibly understand how crawling
will benefit my future, I am s%ipping this activity. -e begin to crawl therefore we can
improve our balance and increase our muscles in our arms and legs, as a result we can
begin to move towards the subse#uent activity, learning to wal%.
'his fall semester I will stop the distracting conversation in which I perceive these
re#uired core classes to be unnecessary and begin to view them as opportunities in which
they hold for me as a learner and how I may grow from them. .or e/ample the formulas
may be of no use to me, unless I teach an Algebra class, which is highly unli%ely0
however, in my Intermediate Math class I can develop greater critical thin%ing and
problem solving s%ills through learning these formulas and finding the solutions to the
mathematical e#uations. 'hese s%ills that are genuinely beneficial to me as a student a
learner, a woman, a wife, a mom, a teacher*s assistant and various other positions I may
hold in the future.
'his thought of becoming a learner does not stop at my own personal e/perience.
I intend on applying it to my philosophy of teaching as well as parenting. I believe this is
a necessary conversation to have with my children now as well as my future students,
parents, and administration. I want to assist in preparing a child to see% out an education
as a lifelong $ourney instead of a long, tedious list of re#uirements. I am than%ful to catch
sight of this now in my $ourney, although could only imagine what developments could
have come from this if learned several years before.