I’ve written about the importance of enrollment in teaching, which also makes it true for learning.
Not the formal process of signing up for a class or being in a school, but a mindset.
Learning about something you don’t care about is really difficult. Anyone who’s gone through a form of mandatory education knows how painful that experience is.
On the flip side, a motivated student is unstoppable. That person learns on her own time and pushes through challenges. The reason why someone wants to learn isn’t nearly as important as the fact that she does.
I know this isn’t a revolutionary concept, but these days I do find myself coming back to it from a parent’s perspective.
I want my kids to love the act of learning. Often they do not. Mostly because much of their lives were filled with by someone else dictating what and how they should learn.
They need more of the opposite. The space and resources to choose their own projects, but also the confidence to figure out their own learning path.