Learning

FRI., SEPT. 7, 1990, 6:44 AM
FARM, STUDY

As an educator you are concerned about learning. You try to get learning to take place in a variety of ways, and you will be discovering and developing new ways to the end of your career. Learning is a gift of Mine which is rarely acknowledged. And I want you to know and to state that learning involves the body, the mind, AND the spirit. Spirit is exceedingly important in some forms of learning, and I want you to be more aware of this.

As you speak of the three basic philosophies of learning emphasize that the realist is the least concerned with spirit, the experimentalist is concerned that learning activities have a spirit-developing quality, and the idealist is the most concerned with spirit in all that she says and does. Idealism can be described as a coming together of minds, but I want you always to emphasize the union of spirits also.

You have done your song and story presentation in both death education classes, and this was done with considerable spirit. The songs and stories you employ do reach out to spirits, so the learning is more spiritually effective because of these (and you could say this at the beginning). Also, the little simple ballots that you collect and tabulate give you an important view of the class that can influence the ways in which you guide their learning. You might consider developing another presentation that would give you comparable information from other classes.

Learning can be difficult. You realize the limit you reached in learning mathematics. You must also be aware that some students will have comparable trouble learning what you find easy. Therefore, do as I do. Repeat. Revisit. Emphasize. Have them apply the learning. Help them, as you were not helped.

Learning can be traumatic. Some of those who will write reaction papers this week will be describing their feelings about events that were soul-wrenching. Nancy and Jan offered you previews of recollections that shall potentially be traumatic. Yet those who write of such events will learn, in the very writing. You can reemphasize this as you return papers.

But learning can also be fun. Life should always have an element of fun to it. When I created the earth and all that is therein I did so with some amount of fun. There are some strange and funny aspects of life, and it is quite proper to recognize and acknowledge these. So always affirm that learning can be fun. As classes assemble out here next week (weather permitting) the stories you tell should be tinged with fun, even as they are about serious, solemn matters. The very atmosphere is one of fun. Let them realize this.

Fun is very much related to spirit. It is wrong to think of spirit as being only solemnly holy. Spirit is, finally, your link with Me, the Holy Spirit, but I announce and proclaim that the fullness of spirit, as I am, is well-laced with fun. Fun encourages the expression of spirit, and spirit encourages enjoyment… or joy. These make learning more effective. It isn’t quite logical, but it’s true. For I have said it.

You are fortunate in having subjects to teach that you enjoy and in which you, also, still remain a learner. It should continue to be so. Consider carefully the merits of offering the class on human/spiritual interacting yet again next summer. It has been a fine experience in previous years, so consider that it could be again. Why not submit all three and see what happens?