Reformation of My Mind: Relearning about Learning Part 2

Understanding that Knowledge is Contentious and Incomplete does not make me despise it. On the contrary, I find myself pursuing knowledge with newfound vigor and rigor. Because now, it no longer exist as a pragmatic entity to success, but it is an important key to unlocking the mind and eventually, to life. As I explore and acquire knowledge with a discerning and open mind, I find myself discovering more truths upon which I begin to rebuild the foundations of my life and hopefully, build the foundations of my children's life. And that is exciting to me. 


Back to the book - It is through this exploration of knowledge that one's mental muscles are trained. And it is this mental training that will prepare a teenager as he steps out of textbooks and enters the real, dynamic world. I agree with the author that the process of education is like "a learning gymnasium" whose aim is to strengthen our mental muscles and it is a phrase that I will borrow as I think about the kids education. 


I remembered how I first started on reading about education in preparation for Sarah and Samuel, I was considering the classical approach and then I was soon exposed to whole plethora of other methods and then I found myself swimming in a big big ocean. I find myself returning to the starting point and asking -What am I really teaching my kids when I choose to delve in the classics? Why do I want to introduce to them the works of art of the masters?  Perhaps, even if my kids could  replicate their work, it really doesn't effect in true learning. I think the copy artist of Thailand and Indonesia do a better job at reproducing the originals of the great artist. 


But perhaps, if we could, as we explore the works of the great- but immerse into an iota of these great minds and ask - what were these great men really thinking about? What was Gustave Eiffel trying to do when he built the Eiffel tower? Why did Leonardo Da Vinci decide to paint the ceiling? What inspired Vincent Van Gogh's choice of  the color yellow in his famous Sunflowers? Journeying along the great minds of artists, musicians, writers, scientists and philosophers would do more to the mind than merely be able to rattle the biography of each great men, or memorize the entire repertoire of their works, or even draw an accurate reproduction of the great paintings. 


Much to learn even with knowledge itself,
There is knowledge to be acquired, there is knowledge to be mastered and there is knowledge to be appreciated and there is knowledge to be questioned and there is knowledge to be refuted and there is knowledge to be created

Reformation of My Mind: Relearning about Learning Part 1

I urge anyone reading to follow me closely as I write about my unkinking process. Because firstly, I am Not holding this book up as THE authority to life. But I realized as I did honest reflection upon my life, the words in the book corroborated with my own discovery process about education and it has managed to organize and put succinctly my confusions into codified language. Secondly, whilst this book is written by a non Christian [a buddhist to be exact and I can just imagine the jaws of some dropping:)], it is nevertheless one who has exercised the faculty of his mind, a very precious gift that God has bestowed to mankind. And for that, he does far better than Christians who have isolated themselves to all things sacred and have chosen to close their minds up to learning. Thirdly, because I attempt to write down my reflections as I place it alongside God's word. Lastly, because I think that this unkinking process will assist many many...and liberate us to live the life we are suppose to .

Here we go...

One truth that liberalized and unkinked my mind through "What's the point about school?" is that - Knowledge is contentious and incomplete.  That sounds like a simple enough statement that one can agree heartedly. But as I reflected on the truth of this statement throughout my 35 years of history of  how knowledge was imparted to me and how knowledge was absorbed by me, I realized it was a kink that was never released but reinforced. I think it trapped me for a large part of my existence. Phew! Phenomenon revelation. 

As cool a teacher as I was :), I did not believe that knowledge was contentious. I did not believe that knowledge was incomplete. I entered school accepting that all knowledge imparted is truth or at least, knowledge that I did not know better. So my natural response was to see how much of this I can absorb and retain- through memorizing, through rote, through acronyms, through mindmaps, through pictorials, through whatever learning styles I believed I was inclined to. Follow me now - all these methodologies are not wrong, in fact, these are ingenious inventions by men in a bid to understand the vast and mysterious world that God has created; Creation trying to understand their Creator. 

But what was wrong with me was I never questioned, I never enquired, I never probed, I never spontaneously experimented, I never dared do wrong. I never really understood what I was absorbing. All I did was to channel my efforts and energies in mastering knowledge, whatever it was. And guess what, I was never really interested in knowledge or learning about my world. I merely absorbed knowledge because I needed it to move onto the next phase in life. For that reason, I preferred knowledge presented to me on a platter [spoonfeeding! sounds familiar?] because it was the most expedient way of regurgitating my knowledge on the subject whenever it was required. Throughout my education life, I was living out a philosophy and a belief that Knowledge is complete and An End of itself. This philosophy was translated both in the physical and spiritual realm. 

My Long Break

It has been a while - Since we came back from Paris, things have been busy for me. Resetting the jetlagged kids, relooking at their education and my own, preparing for our church camp, heading to camp and now taking of the kids while Dan is away on reservist. 

It has all been very meaningful  as I relook at things in a new light and I hope I can represent these thoughts accurately in the next few entries. 

My Mind: Finally Unkinked

Let me relate to you an incident with my garden hose, one which you too, maybe familiar with. 

We just bought a new 20 m garden hose that comes with a good durable plastic contraption that fits right to the wall. It's a real nifty and beautiful piece. Very neat and handy. For all it's worth, my new 20 m garden hose in its full extension just can't seem to water my plants. I checked the opening and the tap and it was all fine. What I failed to realize that at the end was a kink that was formed. And that kink had rendered my beautiful garden hose useless - useless to fulfill its intended purpose of providing water for our plants and for cleaning. So I went and undo the kink and the true enough, the water flowed. Reminded me of an important lesson, it don't matter how good a material your hose is made out of or even how neat a contraption I had for holding the hose, the water just don't flow the minute there is a kink. Every kink needs to be undone for the streams to flow and fulfill its original purpose.

I have been filling my mind with much reading and literature - spiritual, secular. I read from books on Christian motherhood to Education [spiritual and secular], to the Bible, to cookbooks, to trying to understand how politics inevitably affects our everyday life. ..My mind was slowly increasing in its knowledge but somehow, it was kinked - somewhat trapped. My thoughts were not flowing freely and confidently and I just couldn't figure out why.

Just a week ago, I picked up a book. A secular nondescript book that laid on one of the display tables at our trusty National Library. As I read through it, I realized that my interest was piqued. Not just interest, my whole being. Every free time I had, I read it and I read it till I finished it. And I think I will read it again. All the reading I had done two years since were vital but it remained trapped. This one book in my opinion unkinked the kinks of my mind and made all that I read come into play - an active play of discernment, assessment and examination. 

As I write about what I have learnt, it has also interestingly amalgamate various entries that I have not had the time to pen down -  mainly Daniel's FRCR Exams, My Learnings on Education, the Kiddos Education, Our Spiritual Journey...Well, it seems like I can all fuse it together under "The Mind Unkinked: Relearning about Learning.

My Unkinking Book: [pick it up at the library nearest to you:)]

Mommy! There is a Moth!

I was in the bathroom one evening when I heard a terrible racket. Sarah and Sammy were yelling at the top of their voices much to my displeasure. I thought that our teachings about elegance, poise and gentlemanly behavior had fallen on deaf ears. The yelling crescendoed and I realized that one shouting kid was just yelling outside my bathroom door. 

Behind the door, I heard Sarah yell, "Mommy, a mouse, a mouse!" That word made me jump. When I opened the door, I cried, "A mouse?!" Sarah looked at me and enunciated her words in an amusing fashion, "No, mommy, a moth!" I was quite ready to spank them for all that hollering becausemoths, insects and flying creatures were usual sights around our new place. 

I went downstairs with Sarah in tow to find out what the other shouting kid was doing. That was when realize what the racket was all about. The kids were busy. Very busy in their Operation - Get - Rid - of Moth. Hahaha

The perpetrator: The Moth with eaten wings

The Hero with a glimmer of mischief in his eye

The Hero - Hard at Work determined to eliminate the moth perched high on our kitchen cabinet

The Hero - Fixing up his Wipe-o-Moth

A closeup of the Wipe-o-Moth

The Hero fires off

So that's the tale of the moth and two very excited and determined kiddos. Made my night.

Disclaimer: This is entirely not staged. And the characters are real:)