What life has taught me.

Today's challenge: Things you've learned that school won't teach you.

This challenge was really difficult. Partly because I'm exhausted and just can't think but also because I think I learned a lot in school. Maybe it wasn't necessarily always from the teacher in the classroom but I think the whole process of being with peers day in and day out is really educational in itself and has nothing to do with textbooks and formal lessons. You learn, independently, how to function in a group with friends, and people who are not your friends. You learn how to be around adults who aren't family. You learn what can happen if you're late, if you park in the wrong lot, or if you don't do your work. You learn about friendships and relationships and how to feel when someone hurts you and that you should surround yourself with people who respect you. And I don't think you'd learn all that without going to some type of school. So while I wished they taught more home management and life skills such as paying bills, filing taxes, registering to vote, etc. -- I think school teaches an awful lot and anything else you can Google. 

So... I'm sort of changing this up a bit. These are the things I learned in school that I still apply to every day life (because honestly calculus and biology haven't come in handy... yet): kindness, compassion, punctuality, fairness, effort, motivation, inspiration, how to be a friend, forgiveness and empathy. 

I know a lot of people say that school doesn't teach all of those things but I do feel that I learned how to do all that... in school. Through relationships, and friendships and routines, and expectations all of that is taught. I think life has just refined those skills and has turned all of my education into experience.

  

(And when all else fails... life has taught me to turn up the radio and belt out a tune.)