A Life of New Learning

For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved to read. Whether it be Doctor Suess, Mary Pope Osborn, Rick Riordan, or J.R.R. Tolkien, their artful words engulfed me and I was brought into the worlds that they had so skillfully created. Their writing skills impressed me so much that when it became time for me to learn how to write coherently in school, a fire was lit inside of me to strive not only for competency in the subject, but for excellence.

Second grade was the first time that I was tested to be in the school’s gifted and talented program, which was run by Lucille Rioux. I believe that it was her classes that first kindled my love for learning and my longing for a deeper understanding of literature, which accentuates W.B. Yeats’ ideal that, “Education is not the filling of a pail, but rather the lighting of a fire.”. While I don’t particularly remember all that we did when I was in elementary school, I remember vividly how classes were conducted in middle school. Each unit would revolve around a book, and for every certain number of chapters, we’d get a work packet that consisted of challenging vocabulary found in the story, short answer questions that helped us to further analyze the text, and an essay question to strengthen our critical thinking. Depending on how long the book was, we would get 3-5 of these packets, and there would also be a project or two for each unit. It may seem like it was a lot of work, but none of it was ever boring. Almost all of the books that we read continuously sparked my interest, and the assignments where interesting and engaging. Probably the most impactful thing for me, however, was the class discussions that we would have over those things. Mrs. Rioux would constantly push us to challenge our understanding and improve our critical thinking skills, which became essential to my future learning in all subjects, not just literature.

I had always been afraid that once I entered high school, I would be overwhelmed by their high standards, but once I actually got there, it was a lot different than I expected. It was intimidating at first, but once I got adjusted I realized that my fire for learning that had been lit in my younger years had helped me to prepare tremendously for what was ahead of me. I dove into my work with such enthusiasm that any difference in the work load from middle school went unnoticed. Under the guidance of my amazing teachers, this fire began to grow into a blaze, and I began taking AP classes, such as AP Language and Composition. This was one of the best decisions of my life because I learned more than I could have imagined that year. The embers of curiosity that burst forth from my wildfire like hunger for learning caught the surrounding trees on fire in an attempt to satiate my thirst for new learning. Over time though, I realized that that thirst would never truly be quenched.

However, this wasn’t because I lost interest. It was because I realized that there was a lifetime of learning ahead of me. No matter how much I learned, there would always be more, and that’s really exciting to me. I can’t wait to continue my education both in and out of school, because it not only helps me to push my intellectual limits, but to grow as a person. In fact, my teachers had such a great impact on me that I’ve decided to be an English major in college and become a high school teacher.

My love of learning was inspired by the adults in my life who were constantly encouraging me to test my limits, as they laid down the firewood that soon turned into a blazing campfire. My life wouldn’t be the same if it wasn’t for their heavy influence on my life, and I’m forever grateful to them. I think that’s one of the main reasons why I want to be a similar catalyst to others, because life is so much less interesting if you don’t have a zeal for new experiences.

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