That Wild Learning Curve... Classroom wasn't Appealing.

There is a lot of valuable information about life that people are not trying hard enough to grasp.

The same people go on a wild hunt for things that are not worthy of the time they commit to it. While the solution to such a lifestyle can be as simple as telling the person to quit engaging in acts that make the person miserable, it's also important to know that the suggestion in itself could be generic. It doesn't tell the full story.

How about we talk of something that's actually worth doing...

One of the things I know that should never count as a waste of time is usually the time we spend LEARNING.

Yeah!

The problem, though, is that there are circumstances that make learning feel like a big waste of time. A good example would be spending years and resources to learn something without actually learning anything about that particular thing. Some people could argue that situations like that count as a waste of time.

Of course, that's a valid argument.

I sure didn't appreciate learning enough during my academic days. Going to school wasn't a fun event. It felt more like a chore, and I always felt more relieved whenever school sessions were coming to an end.

The only thing that ever made me slightly interested in academics was the fact that my parents sacrificed so much to enroll me in school programs. I didn't want to disappoint them. I was also a competitive lad who didn't want to be the dumb one in the class. So, I just pushed myself to know well enough to pass my courses.

I did that in my Primary School education and carried that over to my Secondary school education. Throughout that transition, from year to year, school always felt like a boring affair. History classes were never worth the time spent in those. My Art classes didn't feel interesting. Science classes may well be the worst of them all.

For the record, I genuinely tried my very best to make things interesting for me.

- I already knew I would have to wake up each day and go to class each school day.

- I knew I would have to listen to someone talk about something he/she is not interested in just because he/she wants a paycheck.

- I knew these teachers were pissed because they were not paid fairly enough, and they just couldn't wait to end each day's class and bid us farewell.

These things were very obvious.

So, we (teachers and students) are all in a space where we didn't want to be and I didn't want to be ruined with frustration. At the very least, I tried to understand as much as I could. It paid off because I understood enough to get to the stage of aspiring for University Education.

When I got admitted into one of the finest Federal Universities in Nigeria, I dared to have high hopes for the quality of Lectures and the passion of the Lecturers I would be meeting. I genuinely looked forward to any chance of seeing our Educational system in a brighter light.

Well!

My high expectations were dragged through the mud by what I saw. After spending 5 years in University and taking almost 100 courses, I can only think of two Lecturers who were actually interested in impacting knowledge and also competent enough to do that. That's less than 4% of the Lecturers I came across in University.

Every other lecturer had the following unappealing features in common;

- They were too lazy to actually teach. Instead, they just read textbooks for an hour or 2 and call it a lecture. They limit their courses to whatever is in the textbook and do not encourage external research.

- A lot of them were only interested in compulsorily forcing their course materials down the throats of students. They make it obvious that buying whatever textbook they present is the only way to stand a chance of passing their course.

- They are also open to bribery and other corrupt practices which I wouldn't like to get into.

Let's not miss the point though...

My point exactly is that throughout the 20 years I spent in the formal academic setting as a student, I never really had a reason to enjoy learning. The educational system never presented itself to be fit for purpose, and I never had a surge of anticipation for the coming of a new school day.

When discussions like that come up, there's always a standing argument about who's to be blamed for the disinterest people have in academic education?

It may be a different story in other Countries of the world. However, I've been opportune to also discuss this with a lot of people from different parts of the world regarding this issue. A couple I know who are based in LA decided to opt for homeschooling because of their distrust in the Educational system over there.

Something Changed for Me.

While sitting in a classroom didn't feel appealing and reading those textbooks felt like a chore, I've now become someone who's on a wild hunt for knowledge. I basically learn so much every day, and I find it fulfilling to know that I'm consciously making a genuine effort to daily know so much about several topics.

This undiluted passion I have for learning started during the COVID-19 period when most parts of the world were basically in lockdown due to the pandemic. That was just a month after I picked up my Certificate of Graduation from my University. I was in my rented apartment with nothing much to do except scrolling through the internet.

I was very curious about the pandemic. So, I started doing research. I did a whole lot of research regarding it and listened to a bunch of Interviews. I gained solid knowledge of what was happening around the world then and even developed an interest in the things happening all over the world.

Learning never felt more fun and rewarding as I listened to really interesting people discuss impactful issues. I also listened to some debates and who could have believed I would be curious enough to listen to US Political Debates?

Yeah!

At this moment, I barely go any day without listening to a Podcast from Joe Rogan, Patrick Bet-David, Jordan Peterson, and Co. I also read every day. That helps me to widen the scope and depth of the things I'm learning.

My story as a learner started from a huge disinterest to an undeniable deep interest in learning. I even started a YouTube channel of my own where I talk about several topics I find impactful and interesting. It's a channel that I plan to build into a hub of genuine interaction when I have the things required to build a proper studio.

An Interesting Reality of Learning.

Remember how I started this post by talking about people who go after things that make them miserable while they disregard valuable things?

I've realized that learning is something that counts as an adventure for me. I learn from reading, listening to podcasts, watching audio-visual productions, and also by interacting with people. The things I learned have helped to shape me into the person I am today.

I now see value in learning and I've learned to gain knowledge in ways that suits me.