Thing #1: Two Habits of Lifelong Learning

     It may sound cliché but I do consider myself a "student of life". That's because life in and of itself is an educational process. As the slideshow states, we learn in and out of the traditional classroom. And being a non-traditional student - one who is older, a parent, and with years of career experience and skills - over the years I've meshed together the concepts of learning via the university environment with the choices and results that have had an impact in my adult life.  

     The particular habits of lifelong learners described in the slideshow are thus are familiar to me. It's safe to say that I've had some measure of experience, difficult and not so difficult, with each one, so choosing which is easiest and that which is most difficult made me ponder for a bit. It also gave me the terrific opportunity to reflect. 

     Habit #7, teach and mentor others, is by far the one that I find the "easiest". I'm a natural teacher and leader, as I enjoy working with others in order to see them succeed and develop. I find the social aspect of education and the relationships that are formed in the academic environment, along with achieving goals with others, incredibly rewarding. The habit that is most challenging, or I should say was, is #2; accept responsibility for your own learning. I spent years struggling with my college education. During my 20's, I would embrace it and succeed for a semester, then lose the focus and fail miserably the next. It took me years to get the courage to return and face the mistakes I had made during those difficult times at school. But when I did go back to college in 2007, was awarded my bachelor's degree and continued on in the teaching licensure program, it was with a renewed passion and dedication.