Monday, August 29, 2011

A Heart for Learning

 

 “Wherefore is there a price in the hand of a fool to get wisdom, seeing he hath no heart to it?” (Proverbs 17:16)
I had the privilege of attending a Christian school beginning in the 6th grade. I can remember hearing someone say, “Christian education doesn’t cost; it pays,” and I suppose that person had a point. Christian education is definitely a worthwhile investment. However, it does cost money; and that money is wasted unless the student has a heart for learning. If you are investing in Christian education this fall, you will want to be sure you get what you are paying for. To have a heart for learning, we must:
Realize that we need to learn.
If you already know everything about the subject, you need not bother going to class. Recognize the fact that none of us knows everything, and we can all learn something.
Identify the areas about which we want to know more.
What do you want to know? Even if you are required to take a class that doesn’t sound interesting, think of something within the scope of the class that you want to know. This will help you stay focused.
Find a good teacher.
Here at Golden State Baptist College, God has given us some wonderful teachers. Teaching is an art. It is more that just knowing a lot of information. The students who excel place a special kind of trust in their teachers. The more you are convinced that you have a good teacher, the more you are likely to learn.
Open your mind.
Students need to do this on purpose. If you are intent on never changing anything, then you probably will not gain much from classroom instruction.
Listen intently.
Listening is active. Your mind needs to be following what is being said, thinking ahead, and asking questions about the material that is being covered.
Complete your assignments.
If you are not going to do the work, why take the class? Better yet, if you signed up for the class, get busy and do the work! Make a list of assignments due, work out a plan that will allow you to complete each one, and schedule time daily or weekly when you will actually do the work. Plan your work, then work your plan.
Share with others.
If you really have a heart for what you are learning, tell someone about it! Nothing ingrains new material in our minds like sharing it with someone else. This step makes learning fun.

Let’s face it: if we are going to invest both time and money to attend a Christian school, we might as well learn something. These simple steps will go a long way toward helping us develop a heart for learning.