We Are ALL Students

I consider every human being to be a student. We are ALL students, because we all learn things. There are several different approaches to learning or different types of students, in general.

1) The “education is an asset” student. This person sees education merely as an asset to advance in a career. The end goal is earning potential. The diploma is more important than the learning itself. This type of student is most likely to cheat on tests, embellish a résumé, plagiarize or pay for others to write school essays.

2) The “school is a chore - school is a bore” student. This category likely contains the highest amount of dropouts or those who never go on to pursue higher education. These are the students that sit in the back of the class and ruin the experience for other students… sleeping through lectures, making fun of other students and teachers, and not participating in and/or sabotaging group projects.

3) The overachiever. This can be a good thing, but overachieving can also get in the way of learning. When a student is too focused on the GPA or trying to comply with the established curricula, he or she may never develop critical thinking skills - in other words, being able to be resourceful and innovative. There is another type of overachiever who wants to get involved in everything. The downside of this is that this could lead to burnout and discouragement or in many cases the depth of learning is compromised because they are spreading themselves too thin. Such overachievers need to know their limits.

4) The closed-minded academic. This student is done learning and has put a cap on his/her education and can’t be taught anything new or any new material is only used to validate what has already been established in the mind of this student (whether that information is correct or not). This student may be a high school graduate or a Phd, but the level of education or “degree” is the pinnacle of that student’s learning and there can’t be any greater or further accomplishment.

5) The unconventional scholar or skeptic of formally accepted principles. This student is quick to follow rumors, conspiracy theories, Internet memes or urban legends, but is skeptical of established curricula or theories that have been backed with overwhelming scientific evidence, studies and statistical data. This student reads between the lines and tries to figure out what is said by what is NOT said.

6) The balanced, continually learning student. This student has a thirst for knowledge and considers education a lifelong pursuit, seeking knowledge from multiple sources and updating/upgrading that knowledge by studying current events and reports. This student prefers reliable, unbiased sources, yet also looks at the varying views and compares and contrasts them, ferreting out valuable data. This student is resourceful and applies critical thinking skills - never forming a solid opinion as a stimulus response, but rather, after deep research and cognition. This student excels in learning, not necessarily for the sake of a high GPA or honors (though he/she understands that hard work usually leads to those honors), but learns to acquire knowledge because doing so improves one’s life and builds healthy communities.

This is just a list, my list, but there may be other items to add to it and some may disagree with it. That’s ok. You might wonder where you fit on this list. Which category are you or which category am I? Can we change? Well, of course we can change and we don’t have to accept that we are in one particular category or other. Honestly, I used to belong to the “school is a chore - school is a bore” category while I was in K-12 school. It wasn’t until I was in my senior year of high school that I actually started enjoying school. Now, I’ve always enjoyed learning though, so most of my education has been more a product of non-traditional or informal training, rather than what I can learn in a classroom setting. That being said, as an adult I have enjoyed classroom learning. I enjoy the interaction with other students and the stimulating lectures and classroom discussions. I have also struggled with being an overachiever, usually being at the top of my class as far as grades are concerned. This has led to some severe anxiety as a student.

Some learning methods provide a more healthy approach to being a student than others. As we all strive as students, let us be more efficient in our learning so that we can get the most out of it.

Decoding the Media

Just a friendly reminder... so-called "mainstream news" is not necessarily a reliable source of information. I'm not saying don't watch it - by all means watch it, but remember to do so with critical thinking skills... in other words, don't get sucked into the the deception. With the onslaught of so much information, it's difficult to know what to think or what is true. Here are some things to remember:

1. 1) Look out for rumors, conjecture, exaggeration, conflation, selective editing and blowing things out of context.
2. 2) Piece the article or video clip together to see if you can spot the agenda behind the story - there is almost invariably an agenda, sometimes it takes a sharp eye and objective mind to spot it.
3. 3) Learn the difference between passion and fact. Just because a statement is beautifully and passionately stated does not make it true.
4. 4) Follow the money. Many stories are promoted using campaign funds and lobbyists with deep pockets. This is literally a multi-billion dollar industry. Money talks.
5. 5) Check your emotions and pick out facts. Media is ALL about emotion. Nobody wants to watch a dry speech - however... such narratives are carefully crafted and calculated to elicit emotional responses, rather than provide factual information.
6. Explore both sides of the issue. As issues become more heated, media becomes more polarized - even to the point of extremism. Often (but not always) the truth is found somewhere in-between.
7. Dig deeper. Biased sources (pretty much all of them) highlight what they want you to see and hear while glossing over or completely omitting crucial, but pertinent information.
8. Sometimes the truth is obfuscated not by what is said but HOW it is said. Listen for understanding. Media is much akin to sales or a con. The truth is buried in there, but you need to develop skills to decode it for accuracy.
9. Don't react. Breaking stories rarely have enough information to make an informed decision or opinion and as stated before, don't let your emotions override facts. Don't jump to conclusions at first glance.
10. Know the difference between science and Science™ (or pseudoscience). The true scientific method is to look for facts, not cherry-pick them to advance an agenda or promote an ideal. Science does not lie, but people do. Once again, follow the money trail. If a scientific study only looks at a part of the data or relies on computer modeling, ignoring current data and measurements, it's not science. It's an agenda. Oftentimes celebrities and educated "experts" make assertions that are well-beyond their area of study or expertise. Know their backgrounds, level of education and biases before falling into a flawed belief system.
11. Educated yourself. Having a college degree does not automatically endow you with expertise on ever subject. Education is a lifelong pursuit and requires humility and an open mind. Once you believe you are "educated" and therefore don't need to learn anymore you actually attest to your ignorance.
12. Current events and issues - understand that things change, people change and what was true yesterday isn't necessarily true today. Some people/entities and things change for the better, others change for worse or they just get better at lying. That being said, this does not necessarily apply to morals, values and principles based upon truth, righteousness and honor.
13. Media can and IS manipulated to falsely portray events or are complete fabrications. Check your sources and research multiple sources.
14. So-called "fact" checking websites are not always truthful or unbiased. Keep in mind that these are subject to being skewed by their own biased opinions and also being sold out to those with lots of money. Raw data from government sources may provide better insight, but remember that U.S. government has been involved in scandals from corruption, so data may be skewed, redacted or inaccurately presented.
15. Take accountability for yourself and become a thinking, responsible adult. Never shift that responsibility onto another person or entity or the government. We all need help from time-to-time, but ultimately we are ALL agents unto ourselves and responsible for our own actions, thoughts, words... or apathy, negligence and idleness - whatever the case may be.