Our whole educational system is based on compulsory learning no matter whether you like the subjects that are taught or not.
We spend twelve years at school learning different subjects like history, mathematics, biology, etc. and then we end up not remembering and not knowing almost anything about them. Why does it have to be this way?
The struggle
I had studied English at school for 12 years and then two more years at university before I actually started speaking English. And in the beginning it was terrible. After such a long period of time I was still struggling with simple grammar constructions, my vocabulary was quite limited as I was not able to remember half of the words I had learnt at school. At then in a few months all of a sudden I become almost fluent in English. My friends were astonished by the huge change that they were witnessing. How did that happen?
The questioning
I also started asking myself this question. And slowly after a while I began to realize what the missing piece was. We spent too much time learning things we do not actually have to use. We simply memorize new words and grammar rules. And right after the exam we forget about them because they have served their purpose – namely, we have passed the test. And the problem is that it should not be like that as the test should only motivate us even more to explore and to learn.
“The enlightenment”
The first time in my life when I experienced a great joy from learning was in China. I was taking extra classes, studying on my own things that were not part of the exams, going to classes every day with passion and desire to expand my knowledge. And the result from all of this was that I improved my language skills extremely fast and at the same time I was having fun. I realized that learning was full of joy and I was inspired to constantly look for new information, memorize new words and sentences and to use them in my everyday conversations.
Something similar happened when I was learning Spanish. My initial plan was to go to the Canary islands, work on my teaching skills and enjoy the beautiful weather. But the reality far exceeded my greatest expectations as I learnt Spanish in less than 8 months. And the funniest thing is that I did not put almost any effort in doing it. The whole process was enjoyable, interesting and inspiring. I just went with my gut feeling and followed my curiosity which every day led me to exploring new subjects and remembering their names. I had to learn how to order food, how to buy some fruits and vegetables, how to ask for directions because my survival actually depended on this.
Unravelling the mystery
So far I have talked only about learning. But how did I do it? The truth is that I had great teachers. The best one was my “Canary mum”. I call her like that because she has taught me how to speak Spanish like a mother teaches her child – with a lot of patience, understanding and by tolerating mistakes. This is like a game for the child – new and exciting – as it has the chance to explore and to learn on the go. The most rewarding moment is when you have the chance to put into practice what you have already learnt and to see the massive results that you have achieved.
The realisation
For me, our lives are full of lessons that once we understand, we can move on to the next journey and bring with us all the knowledge and wisdom we have acquired. I believe that the biggest reward that we get is not the end result, but the way we choose to walk, the people that we meet, the expansion of our consciousness. That is why the learning is the most natural, the most wonderful and the most intriguing process available to us every second at any place, time, dimension. The only thing that we have to shift is our perception of the reality and then a vast amount of unlimited opportunities will open up for us. Life is all about constant learning, start enjoying it!
