What Goes In One Ear Shouldn't Necessarily Go Out the Other

By: Stephanie P.

Do you struggle with your online course? Do your teachers tell you that you need to work harder and more diligently to succeed?

Although some students struggle with motivation, there are also many of you who are irrefutably academically motivated; you will dedicate hours to your courses and stay up late at night until all of your assignments have been completed. If this resembles the kind of student you are, then clearly there is no motivation problem. However, you may have unknowingly added fuel to the learning vs. memorization fire.

This week, as I was reading the novel Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, I came across an excerpt that really left an indelible impression upon me. In the dialogue, scientific experimenters tried to educate a boy, Tommy, by playing a tape recorder while he slept:

(A small boy asleep on his right side, the right arm stuck out, the right hand hanging limp over the edge of the bed. Through a round grating in the side of a box a voice speaks softly.

"The Nile is the longest river in Africa and the second in length of all the rivers of the globe. Although falling short of the length of the Mississippi-Missouri, the Nile is at the head of all rivers as regards the length of its basin, which extends through 35 degrees of latitude …"

At breakfast the next morning, "Tommy," some one [sic]says, "do you know which is the longest river in Africa?" A shaking of the head. "But don't you remember something that begins: The Nile is the …"

"The - Nile - is - the - longest - river - in - Africa - and - the - second - in - length - of - all - the - rivers - of - the - globe …" The words come rushing out. "Although - falling - short - of …"

"Well now, which is the longest river in Africa?"

The eyes are blank. "I don't know."

"But the Nile, Tommy."

"The - Nile - is - the - longest - river - in - Africa - and - second …"

"Then which river is the longest, Tommy?"

Tommy burst into tears. "I don't know," he howls.)

Tommy memorized information instead of learning it. Therefore, he didn’t fully understand the material and, consequently, wasn’t able to effectively apply the information memorized. To him, the Nile was just a meaningless word in a recording. This goes to show that it can be detrimental solely to memorize information. You might be able to get by in your class through doing this, but it isn’t beneficial in the long run. Strive to understand every concept you encounter. Know each idea so well that you can explain it simply and in your own words to another person. This is true learning and will save you time and energy, simultaneously preventing frustration.

So if you’re having a difficult time structuring proofs in geometry, maybe you just need to see the origin of the theorems you are going to be utilizing. Or, perhaps you’re in algebra II, and need a refresher course on linear equations. If you can understand how these things came about, you’re chances of retention are much better.

Contact the PTC whenever you do not fully understand a lesson. Ask us for help on the basics if you are a little lost. We genuinely want to see you reach your full potential.

A Note from the Editor

Daily Chuckle:

Funny English Errors is a book full of unconsciously made English errors and misuses of the English language. Here’s a sneak peak – see if you can spot the mistakes:

-The equator is a menagerie lion running around the center of the earth

-Lost: Wallet belonging to a young man made of calf skin

-In preparation for the channel crossing Caesar built 18 new vesuls vessils vesles botes

Thought Thief: “Man’s mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.” (Thanks to Oliver Wendell Holmes for that thought provoking line.)

Weathered Wisdom: Curve balls. Nobody likes them, nobody wants them, but everybody has to catch them when they’re thrown. The past few months have been all about the curve ball for me. As I began my senior year, I was daunted by the looming college applications and in-house competition for the most impressive grades. There came a point this past autumn where I had to stop and ask myself what it was all for. Granted a secondary education is important, but can there be more to life? Absolutely. This thought became a reality a few weeks later – a reality I had to accept, a curveball I had to catch. My parents, while wholeheartedly supportive of my college career, had to press pause for a moment and be honest with me. They told me that unless I could find a means of putting myself through school without graduating in a sea of debt, they weren’t so sure the university route was for me. Don’t get me wrong, my parents would gladly work to help me pay for school, but they were genuinely concerned about the financial aspect of attaining a degree. While frustrated, I agreed that, should scholarship opportunities not come my way, community college would see one Amy Bareham in September of 2012.

It wasn’t until I humbled myself to the prospect of what, in my mind, was a “lesser educational path” that I realized the practicality behind community college. And I needed to be humbled in order to fully appreciate the massive blessing of a full-tuition scholarship to a private school I was recently awarded. See, through adjusting my perspective, I remembered that everyone’s going through hard times; everyone’s having to make sacrifices. Schooling, no matter how prestigious or impressive to potential bosses, can’t be everything, at least, not for me…because if I don’t have a warm, inviting home to call my own or a family to encourage and love, I don’t have much of a fulfilling life. So whether you’re stressing about the college-hunt or fretting over another, equally important decision, keep in mind that your path, your plan, may not be the best one. Don’t hesitate to catch the curveballs that come your way, because they may teach you something you didn’t know you needed to learn.