Class Dismissed

Richard Bach once said, ~Learning is finding out what we already know. Doing us demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers.~ On any given day we are bombarded with information that may or may not be relevant in our own lives. With media such as word of mouth, television, books, magazines, radio, and the internet we as a society attain quite a bit of knowledge stored in our ole' memory banks. Whether you've let it go through one ear and out the other or learned through osmosis, you soak in some, most or all the information like a sponge. So kids, take your seats as class begins and please pay attention and no talking...just kidding.

Oftentimes you learn things by accident, which can inevitably benefit others, depending if they actually respond to what one found out. Personally speaking, I found out that if you have a stuffy nose due to a cold or the flu, just stick your head in the freezer and breathe in the cold air. I know it seems highly unorthodox and totally ridiculous, but when you keep breathing in you will find yourself breathing through your nose easier. Why? The cold air you breathe in shrinks the blood vessels thereby opening the airways in your nasal passages. Let me tell you something, friends of mind have tried it and it worked for them, so what do you have to lose except being perceived as weird by people who catch you doing it.

Without a doubt, there are certain television shows that helped in one's learning process, but they also demonstrated how to implement what was built/made. One such show that you would never really think of being an educational type show is MacGyver. The main premise of the show is one man using his mind instead of weapons to get out of sticky situations. It's in this show you learn that everyday items such as a hershey bar and a stick of chewing gum can be made into an explosive device. Plus, it also made a simple adhesive popular and it was practically used in every show...duct tape. Hey, you not only learned something but you also got a lesson in chemistry, science, and physics as well.

Growing up there was one show that kids, as well as, adults watched and it involved painting with a man that sported the biggest afro for a white guy. The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross partly influenced many kids' lives including my own when it came to choosing art as a subject to focus in the future. Of the many painters in life, Bob Ross was one of a kind as he taught you to paint in a soft exuberant tone which pulled you in. It's with that type of speaking voice that, in a way, mesmerized which is the reason his show was popular back in the day. We've all at least tried to paint with him or like him and to be perfectly honest, it never turned out quite right when I did it. In any case, it was not only a learning experience but fun to watch as well.

In retrospect, life is one big classroom as we learn things that are either trivial, semi-important, or really important that it may or may not help you grow personally, physically, and most of all intellectually. Essentially, you would be amazed at the knowledge each of us have attained over a period of time to where it sticks in our minds. Whether it's knowing the migratory patterns of the Water Buffalo watching the Discovery Channel or learning that country music calms a group of hyperactive kids you use that knowledge to unknowingly teach others. So, if anybody wants to share anything interesting the floor is open to you and if not, then class dismissed.