Personal development is more important than ever to me as I am approaching my 78th birthday! I’ve listened to and read about the statistics of not doing personal development all my life. I can now attest to the fact that the old adage declares: “Use it or lose it!”
My husband and I have always been very independent and very active people. We always were at the front of the pack in any new sport we undertook. But now, we have found that age does cause one to fall back and “just keep going.” Early life injuries come back to haunt us. Jim is paying for making excellent money by working on the railroad in his summer months to help pay his college tuition. Pain in his ruptured disks remind him every day of the backbreaking work he put in carrying and replacing train rails that summer.
I took pride in always dressing professionally for school. So, I wore high heel shoes every day of my career in the public school. I also competed in ballroom dancing contests with my husband – still wearing those high heel shoes! Now, I pay for it every day…with tired, aching feet. However, I have learned that now, more than ever, I must be faithful with my physical exercise program. If I let that exercise go, I get stiff and hurt even more.
My professional personal development has been a little different. I always read and try to pay attention to the new jargon in education. I have seen cycles of education throughout my life. Yes, history does repeat itself…even in education. Some of the “latest discoveries” have actually been around some time…they just received a new face lift!
One of my faculty members did suggest I take time to update my brain research. All of a sudden, I realized how much time has passed since I was doing workshops and training teachers in techniques which help children learn. WOW! So, I immediately found updates to my research basis for A.B.R.A.I.N. To my surprise, the brain scans that have been taking place the past twenty years is validating the techniques I prescribed. But more importantly, it has been found that technology usage has changed the way our brains are processing information. My warnings about too much exposure to technology interactions are being cast to the forefront of the latest research findings.
As I spend time reading up on these new findings, I will make alterations as they may be necessary. However, the major decrease in attention span and the increase in ADHD diagnosis in children today is not a positive outcome I expected. Now, I must update my expectations and methodology as the research nudges my thinking into new areas of learning. As I learn more, I will pass it on to others who can go on making strides in educational practices. So, I conclude once again, personal development is a necessary part of life! Kay