The Process of Learning

"We now accept the fact that learning is a lifelong process of keeping abreast of change. And the most pressing task is to teach people how to learn." Peter Drucker I am becoming very mindful of the importance of the "process" as it relates to learning, collaborating, and coaching.  Last week, we saw an interesting YouTube video about Process v. Event (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngHccKbSBl8).  It was a great reminder that while an "event" many attract a lot of attention and excite people, no vision or work can be carried into action without a well-thought out process that follows the event. Process takes time, and many people today feel that time is a dwindling resource in their professional and personal lives.  So, how do we "find" or "make" time to give process the respect it deserves?  I am still reminding myself each day to slow down by concentrating on the thought that the stronger the process, the stronger the result. Just as process takes time, so does learning -- especially when learning is part of the process.  I am fortunate that I have great teachers -- my fellow ICs, our Director of Instructional Services, and our Asst. Superintendent for Instruction -- who immediately surround me and teach me how to learn.  But there are many others in all of lives who teach us how to learn -- especially our kids (those in our classrooms and those in our house). And finally, change takes time, and this is a process that makes some very uncomfortable.  But think about it -- nothing in our lives ever really stays the same -- not the weather, not our job, not our relationships...you get the idea.  Each day something new comes our way, whether we're ready or not, and how we react to it shapes our mood.  A friend of mine has a sign in her classroom that reads "Embrace Confusion" -- a great reminder that we will never know it all, because it is, as Peter Drucker states, "a lifelong process." JWalton