This is one of the buzzwords of this generation of educators. At the school where I teach, we're supposed to help our students become lifelong learners. You hear it everywhere you go, and sometimes it's hard not to become a little blase about the whole thing. But really, the alternative is to descend into a life of monotony and lack of reflection, which is a terrible fate to contemplate.
Teachers who are not lifelong learners are the worst kind of monster, and we've all seen them. They do the same thing year after year, while their students' needs take a back seat to their own ease and convenience. I know it's important to avoid this alternative at all costs. So here I am in school once again, when instead of doing homework right now I could be relaxing. And I'm doing this to myself voluntarily, and paying for the privilege! Am I crazy? I guess a controlled amount of crazy is good.
As I read over the 7.5 habits of lifelong learners, I must admit to a slight feeling of smugness. My first response was, "Duh!" I mean, after all, haven't I proven I'm already a lifelong learner just by being enrolled in this class? I had to show evidence of all those habits in order to apply, be accepted, get financial aid, register, find my way to my site, etc. Still, once I'm done I'll be all the more exhausted and all the more tempted to fall into complacency. Definitely something to guard against.
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I find that I forget to articulate to my students the importance of being a lifelong learner. I assume that that can make the connection between reading and writing well to being a successful individual. Because our school is being accredited this year, there has been a big push to remember to model lifelong learning and also connect our daily lessons to it.
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