The Pleasure of Learning
- By Hannah
- Feb 18, 2021
- 2 min read
Updated: Aug 2, 2022
"What we learn with pleasure we never forget."
- Alfred Mercier
Learning should be pleasurable. Our brains are wired to learn and grow, adapt and create. Giving students a curiosity for learning and a desire to discover is what I love to do.
In the classroom I was sometimes called "The teacher who lets us go to recess" and I loved that the kids got to move their little bodies and get the blood and oxygen flowing so they had the capacity to be curious and ask questions.
I know I'm not supposed to have favorites, but my favorite students have always been those that ask "why" or are crawling around in the back of the classroom, doing their best to move AND pay attention. These are the students who love lizards and science, who wonder why two words are spelled the same but mean completely different things, or want to get their hands on things to learn how they work. These are the students who change the world with their drive to discover.
As a mom, all of my children are "those" students in different ways. My oldest has the focus of a surgeon. When he sets his mind to something he is going to keep practicing until he gets it. My second born is so tactile. If every lesson could be written in sand or spelled out with slime she would be all for it! My youngest is a creator. Every second of every day he is inventing a game or obstacle or creating Minecraft worlds in real life with his Duplos and also on his game system. Each of them finds joy in learning in different ways and they are all good ways to learn!
It is my joy to help my kids and the students I teach discover the way they learn best and that learning can be a pleasure.
Pictured below is my son with his completed STEM challenge over quarantine last spring.
"The way you talk about the joy of learning makes me reflect on my own educational journey. It’s a beautiful thing to be reminded of how curiosity can shape our lives." https://burnouttest.app/
"Your insights into how curiosity drives us to explore new ideas are so inspiring. This post really makes me appreciate the value of learning in every stage of life." https://mergejpg.top/
"I couldn’t agree more with the idea that learning is a lifelong journey. It’s the small moments of discovery that truly make learning so rewarding." https://randomaddressgenerator.net/
"This piece perfectly captures the joy of learning and discovery. It’s a refreshing reminder that curiosity is the key to unlocking new knowledge and experiences." https://imageoverlay.org/
If you enjoy games like Little Alchemy but want something potentially even more expansive, play Infinite Craft! It’s an immersive sandbox game where the core mechanic is combining elements to discover new ones. There’s no set goal other than your own curiosity and desire to see what you can create. From mundane items to mythical creatures and philosophical concepts, the range of discoverable 'recipes' is vast. It’s easy to lose hours just experimenting with different combinations and seeing your list of known elements grow.