A Sense of Accomplishment

I am a perpetual student.  I am one of those people who really, really like to learn new things.  But it's more than that - it's the feeling of urgency that I need to learn some things in order to be effective in different areas.  Saturday, I finished a certificate program at Hamline University.  I was very excited to do so - not just because it meant the end of homework (well hey, that's a nice thing...), but that I had that sense of accomplishment:  that I pursued an avenue of learning, built that avenue as an opportunity for others, and then saw it through from beginning to end.
As adults, I think we have sometimes forgotten what it's like to engage in school learning, from the very beginnings to the "graduation".  We will learn things that we want to learn (community education, etc.), but that's different than a school program of study.  In these economic times, I think that more adults are more apt to HAVE to remember what it is like to go back to school, to read textbooks, to engage in classwork, to study, take tests and do homework.  But this is the life of our children - and frankly, just because we did that as kids, doesn't mean we understand their lives now.  Schooling has changed dramatically since I was in elementary, middle, high school.  Hey - it's even changed since I got my bachelor's degree and my masters degree!  I actually had a conversation with my professor about Skyping a class if the weather was too bad on Saturday to hold the class!  And I'm still learning that aspect of 21st century learning that our children, our students take for granted in their personal lives- the life of continual connectivity, of instantaneous information, of technological engagement.
But that sense of accomplishment on a job well done hasn't changed one stitch from when I received my honors in high school and in college.  It was a great feeling to see it through, to connect the learning to my professional life, to really embed some of the concepts in my thinking as a person.  That's what our children should experience, every single year of their schooling... that "WOW - this school year is done and look what I accomplished!"  "WOW!  I graduated high school and now am off to my next set of learning experiences, because I'm not done learning yet!"  I'm not talking about a dog-and-pony show style of teaching.  I'm not talking about being "buddies" with my students so they're happy every day and learning next to nothing.  I'm talking about instilling the love of learning in a person, to create teaching experiences that are relevant to them so that we are teaching our students how to apply that learning to their lives.  It's this type of learning that will keep them in school - beyond any one school year.
I want them to feel the sense of accomplishment I felt this weekend.
Now.... off to the next set of learning experiences!!!!!  (Yes, another program is on the horizon...)