Learning By Teaching: The Cycle of Education

Being raised in a large family, I am accustomed to the constant fuel of creativity, the continual exchange of new ideas. There is always a new project to compete in. The next breakthrough research is always just around the corner. The learning process never stops.

There is a key concept that naturally comes to life in a family of vast age differences: the best way to ingrain any piece of knowledge into your head is to pass on that information to another individual.

For hundreds of years, this was an expected cycle of learning. One learnt the information, reviewed it, formed his opinion of it, debated it, and taught another what he knew. (Socratic dialogue, anybody?)

It has only been in recent years that we have lost the concept of the cycle of learning. Teaching is reserved only for those who are so-called “experts” in a field. Everyone else keeps quiet and lets the experts do their thing, successfully cutting off the life of education by smothering conversation.

How would humanity change if each individual recognized the benefits of using the knowledge he has, no matter how small, to impact other people?

What if you sat down and wrote a short essay on every new concept you gained? Or if you found one person every day to question about an idea you have about the world? What if the cycle of learning could be refueled by those who are passionate about true education?

I challenge you: Teach someone something today. Build relationships. Pass on information. Create dialogue and healthy conversation. Encourage questions. Explore. Create. And watch the world begin to flourish around you. Life can only be complete when education flows through its intended cycle.

 

 

What I Learned: Dog Breeding

Though there is a world of information to be discovered between the pages of a book, I hold to the belief that the greatest education consists of hands-on learning. This conviction stems from my personal experience of managing a small business. In fact, if I had to trade my entire high school education for the hands-on work I did building a business,  I would make the switch in a heart beat.

I jumped into the dog raising industry in 2012 rather suddenly when my aunt needed help setting up a small business of her own. My first paid job, at $5/ hour, consisted of getting up at 6AM in the morning to care for 10 small and large breed dogs that were all adjusting to a new home. Because of my fondness for the canine species, I fell in love with the job.

Enter the tragic experience of my dad passing away unexpectedly when I was 13 years old. As the oldest child in a large family, I felt the weight of necessity. With the help of some friends to whom I will forever be grateful, I embarked on my own journey raising Golden Retrievers.

At the time, I was in such emotional pain that I could hardly focus on traditional school work.  (I still have 9th grade textbooks that I did not completely finish.) But I was pouring myself into tangible experience that taught me more than any book could have. Through hands- on experience and commitment to something outside my grief, my heart began to heal. But without realizing it, I was also gaining by default skills that many only realize when they become CEO of a company.

The greatest skill developed in me through my dog raising was consistency. No matter how I felt, no matter what day it was, the dogs needed food, water, grooming, and personal attention. And when there were 10-20 puppies that also needed constant attention, the stakes got higher. I spent an average of 4 hours a day with the dogs. Consistency is a skill that can only be learned by experience; I am forever grateful that I was introduced to a job that forced me to birth steadiness.

Secondly, I got a start in both sales and marketing without realizing it. (Learning to take high- quality photos of a squirming puppy that looked good on a website was an accomplishment in itself.) I also learned how to watch  patterns in customers, find common ground with potential leads, and craft my selling points for each puppy based on the customers’ individual needs. I bargained concerning price drops, and learned advertising techniques that targeted my choice audiences. No, I didn’t learn marketing lingo. But, more importantly, I built the foundation of experience that set me up to refine my marketing ability later on in life.

Finally, I gathered more management skills in my years of dog breeding than anything else could have taught me. Navigating meetings, creating payment plans, finalizing paperwork, keeping track of expenses, and keeping up with emails and phone calls gave me exposure to the reality of adult work. I always will be grateful for the administrative ability that day-to-day coordination of both expected and unexpected tasks built into me.

 

I cannot stress enough the importance of entrepreneurship from a young age.  Not only did I love my job, I built a strong base of three top skills that are in high demand in today’s professional world. “Teach a man to fish…”

Frozen Yogurt Bites

Oatmeal Protein Bites  are a great snack, but what about those times when you aren’t keen on chocolate and peanut butter?

Greek Yogurt is a great source of fats, protein, and probiotics. (And it tastes wonderful!) Sweetened with honey and garnished with strawberries, this frozen snack is the perfect healthy summer treat!

Frozen Yogurt Bites

Ingredients:

  • plain Greek yogurt
  • honey
  • vanilla
  • strawberries
  • chocolate chips (optional)

Sweeten 2 cups of Greek Yogurt to taste.  Add approximately 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and spread the yogurt thinly and evenly on the paper.

Cut 1 cup of strawberries into small pieces. Sprinkle on top of yogurt. If you want a small dose of unhealthy flavor, add chocolate chips.

Freeze for 4 hours or until the yogurt is completely hard. Break into pieces and store in a bag or container in the freezer.

 

Oatmeal Energy Bites

The other day while ravaging the fridge for something I knew I wanted but couldn’t identify, I remembered that I hadn’t made snacks for some time. Having healthy quick-grab food items on hand has always been a priority for our family. With everyone constantly doing school, working, playing, and just living, there is a constant demand for food that is healthy but tasty. Somehow in the last couple months, however, we stopped making snacks to have on hand. Continue reading Oatmeal Energy Bites