It is that time of year again when the students return to school where their wonderful and hard working teachers will be waiting with lesson plans, schedules, and the (dreaded) homework assignments. It is both an exciting and scary time!
School is so important for teaching us skills that we need to go out into the world and become a contributing member of society some day, and teachers are such a big part of that growth and our ultimate success. But school is not the only means of learning. Much of what we learn in life is learned outside the classroom. In the real world is where we learn how to balance a checkbook, book a flight and make it through TSA, deal with disappointment and broken hearts, and say goodbye to and possibly bury loved ones, both human and furry. But the outside world is also exciting and exhilarating, with many lessons to be learned. Yes, the world can be a cold place, but it can also be a wonderful teacher as we cope with these different life challenges and become stronger versions of ourselves.
This is another poem that I started many years ago (as a teenager returning to school myself), but never finished. I decided to finish it in 2021, throwing in a few more life experiences that I’ve had since I started it. There is no question at all that I value education. I worked full-time while going to college, so I realize the sacrifice and commitment. But school or college is not the only path to learning. I know many people who never went to college and a few who never finished high school. As they would say, they went to the school of hard knocks, and some of them are the smartest people I know. They are honest and hard working and just all around decent people. The common sense and problem solving skills that they possess is amazing, yet they are looked down upon in some cases because they don’t have that piece of paper with a few letters after their name.
I am not sure the Internet is helping either. We have more information available at our fingertips but I feel as if we are less informed than ever before. On top of that, our social skills are suffering, as so many people have their head buried in their devices. Look around at restaurants and see how many people are actually talking with one another. I am guilty of this also, as I often have my head buried in my phone or emails, and I spend more than eight hours of every day looking at a computer screen. I am glad that when I was in school, we did not have the internet. As handy as Google is, there was some satisfaction in spending long Saturdays at the library, pulling out the card catalog, thumbing through and writing down the location, finding that book on the shelf like a hidden treasure and bringing it and several others back to the table to compile research. As frustrating as microfiche was, again there was that satisfaction of homing in on the article you were searching for and hitting that print button. All of that is missing with today’s technology. Imagine if there was a technology crash, which I suppose could happen at any time, and the world went off-line for a day or two, or even a week. Would you miss it, or would you feel some relief at being disconnected? Be honest.
I would never discourage anyone from going after their dream of getting an education, but I would also encourage them to sharpen their common sense and critical thinking skills, as well as the real world is there waiting, and it is not always kind.
But just like the classroom is not the only means of learning, neither is the real world. These two work in tandem and each teaches us different skills and lessons so that when we finally emerge from school, ready to take on the world, we are not only well rounded, but stronger and up for the challenge. And the universe will ensure that we never stop learning.
So at this back to school time of the year, wishing a productive and prosperous year to all of the teachers, administrators, and students. And for the parents, grandparents, siblings, and everyone outside the classroom who step up to assist with making this a great year, cheers to you too!
Life Lessons outside the Classroom
College taught me many things
Like English, math, and science.
Meeting deadlines surely helped me
Nail down compliance.
Such as getting work turned in on time
Or studying for that test.
I never made the Dean’s list
But I know I did my best.
College didn’t prepare me
For matters of the heart,
Or how to pick myself back up
When life just fell apart.
Like when that romance took a turn
And I found out he had cheated;
College didn’t teach me
That I’d often feel defeated.
In school I learned history
But not how to live today.
The present remains a mystery
As I learn to find my way.
College didn’t prepare me
For matters that are real,
Like when my father passed away
And I didn’t know how to deal.
Or when I held my beloved cat
As she whispered her last breath;
I learned about evolution
But not about life and death.
No college class has ever taught
My hurt soul how to cope,
Or how to lift my head each day
And face the world with hope.
Math and science are crucial
But the best lesson of all
Is to learn that we will walk again
Once we survive the fall.
For in each life are lessons
That we must learn on our own.
We realize an inner strength
When we walk the path alone.
Education has its value
I do believe that’s true,
But when it comes to learning about life
The best teacher is you.
-K.A. Bloch-
