This past weekend I was reflecting on the sense that each day can feel long yet the years just flash by. We are already in the second half of this term and before we know it, we will be watching Easter Mega Chapel! Dr Karl Kruszelnicki the prominent TV scientist says that “time elapses at the rate of one second per second”. It always goes at the same pace regardless of how it feels to us. That said we have a choice as to how well we invest the time that we are given.
Making the most of school is often rightly viewed by students as getting the best marks possible. However, research has shown that it is not what we learn that really prepares us for the future. Instead, it is developing our learning skills. Whilst the content students learn at school is not always their favourite thing to study, there is immense benefit to them and their future in the process they are undertaking. As prominent Neuroscientist Dr Jared Cooney Hovarth from Melbourne University states, “there is one skill that will never fall out of fashion – learning”.
Part of the problem of schooling in the modern day can be that the focus always seems to be preparing for the next stage. For instance, we spend primary school getting ready for high school, and high school preparing for university. It is important to plan well for the future but there is much to be experienced and enjoyed in the moment. The best preparation for the future is to make the most of the learning opportunities available each day.
We work hard at Mueller to create supportive and stimulating learning environments. It will be a focus of the professional learning we undertake in 2021 to further develop our knowledge of how students learn and what we need to provide them to maintain a confidence and love of learning throughout their schooling, despite the obstacles and barriers to this.
