Lucy’s Adult Learning Blog

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.  

- 2 Timothy 1:7

God has blessed me tremendously over the past few years! Numerous doors have opened for Hannah’s Women in the form of partnerships, funding, and a wonderful group of Board Members, who are willing and passionately working for the cause. While this is so, I have hindered myself from realizing how blessed I truly am; fear has hindered me from recognizing that I am blessed and that God has placed me in a position to prosper despite of certain circumstances.

Fear for so long has hindered me from reaching certain heights. Fear had placed a limitation, a cloud over my life that I am and have removed. Do not get me wrong, the concept and the notion of fear attempts to reposition itself in my life from time to time, but the difference is now I am equipped with the strength to overcome it. Before I realized the hold that fear had placed on my life, I was afraid to fly! My siblings and I did not live in a world where educational, economic, or social status was a part of our up brining. In fact, the revelation that my father never graduated from high school used to embarrass me; but now I am open and honest to tell my story, because my story is Who I Am! I had to remove certain fears in order to see that I had a blessed life all these years; abundantly blessed!

It was not until I realized, accepted, and faced my limitations that I begin to fine order in my life. My challenge to you today is to look truth in the face and accept it! No matter your age, gender, race, or socioeconomic background, face the truth; recognize the things that have limited you for so long, deal with it, and watch your life change! Remove those limitations, stop making excuses, and begin to love yourself and everything that creates and surrounds you!

This semester has really been a challenge; a juggling act. I feel like a circus entertainer as I attempt to balance both school and work. I feel like I am lost in a whirlwind; balls thrown, balls come down, balls thrown up, balls come down; all I have to do is ensure that I am able to catch each ball to remain effective. Sometimes I wonder if my supervisor who is “pro-education” feels differently or comments in my absences when it pertains to classes. For instance, I had to ask to reschedule an important budget meeting in order to ensure that I was doing my part for our consulting project! Who am I to ask to reschedule a meeting! I felt so bad! On top of that, I missed class because of the time swap…the meeting was originally scheduled for 2 PM (same time as the consultation meeting) and the rescheduled budget meeting was at 4 PM (same time as class). So, once again I felt bad! Well like my grandmother always say, “No need to cry over spilled milk!” I can only continue to learn to balance both and understand that sometimes we have to take one for the team. I am an adult learner now and being an adult is a juggling act…balls thrown up, balls come down…the cycle continues!

We still do not have a client for our consulting project and it is very frustrating. I am concerned over my grade and the class more than ever. I cannot seem to concentrate or focus on my other class because I am so concerned about the consulting project. What are we to do, especially when every grade in the course is dependent upon finding a client? What are we to do? My partner and I are still attempting to locate a client, but it is getting down to the wire. It seems like every road we travel only leads to a dead end. God, I know you are listening, what other options we have. I am so concerned that my body was stressed and I missed my ADLT 601, due to a minor personal incident. I am going to pray and seek guidance over this course. I am determined to defeat the adversary, not allowing it to overtake my partner or myself this semester. We tried and that does count for something!

“We must be the change that we wish to see…” –Ghandi

To transform means to change. A change in our mind set. It is a change in our body and soul. Over the past few years, I have witnessed the transformation of my “lil sis.” Although, she is not my blood sister, she is my sister in Christ, in spirit, by connection. For so long, she was bound by the thoughts of her family…sheltered, structured, and not allowed to pursue her own perspectives; closed minded, so to speak. When I met her three years ago, she was a fragile, soft-spoken, individual with a story to tell. Now I smile because she has blossomed into an intelligent young woman, who is standing on her own, speaking on her own, and gaining a better understanding for life and what it has to offer; besides she will be graduating from college in May.

Her transformation to become herself did not begin until her third year of college, when she finally said, “I am away from home. I am on my own and it is time for me to learn and live.” Her decision to become “herself” did not come without harsh criticism. There were times when her family shunned her and all she had were the individuals here in Richmond and an aunt. There were times when she would cry because she did not understand why her family was reacting in such a manner. There were times when she even dreaded visiting home due to the actions of her family. Throughout this time we prayed, we sang, we PRAISED her way through. She began to lean on God for “herself” and not because her family anticipated that she do. She began to gain an understanding for life for “herself.” Although every action, every event, every circumstance was painful, it was the beginning of her transformation.

It was the beginning of her transformation from dependent to independent. It was the beginning of her transformation from young adult to adulthood. It was the beginning transformation of “lil sis” becoming “herself” and for this, I AM PROUD! She is now embarking upon the journey to ensure that her very own “lil sis” does not fall into the same sheltered, closed trap that she faced. Her new perspectives and actions are in line with who God has destined her to be. She now views life as a revolving door, knowing that the world is bigger than what her family sees. She has become the change that she wishes to see in her family and in the world. Besides, “we must be the change that we wish to see;” if we wish to see others change, something in us has to change, as well.

Since last Thursday, I have pondered over the Philosophy of Practice Assignment that was due. I just don’t know! I wonder if it was what Dr. Carter expected. Although, I received an e-mail response in which I was told that my religious perspectives are part of my philosophy, I wonder if I clearly defined what I meant by this. I wonder if I even clearly defined my way of teaching and educating. I wonder if my grammar and style was correct. I feel as if, I left out important aspects of my philosophy. Oh, gosh…I have become a panicky adult learner!

I guess this is the world of adult education! At times, we may not know the outcome we just have to try. No matter how we feel, we must always show passion and have the will to overcome any obstacles that present themselves before us. We must always believe that we can achieve and overcome. I guess it is true that “growth” is a major part of being an adult learner; for instance, last year this time I would have been a nervous wreck even after the paper was due, but now I am calm and patiently waiting for the results. I am almost there….

As I begin to embark upon the journey to completing this assignment, I have no clue if I have one defined philosophy. As an instructor, administrator, or motivational speaker, I tend to navigate between four: behaviorist, humanist, cognitivist, and social, because for me the learning pattern can change for each individual, depending upon the learner. For example, when interacting with the youth I tend to be more social and behaviorist; when interacting with adults I tend do be more humanistic. It is hard to place yourself into one specific category. I never even thought about developing a philosophy…Man the life of an adult learner.

When completing this assignment, I wonder could I gather my perspective based on the responses that I have received from individuals whom stated that I have influenced their life in one way or another. Should I generalize my scope based on how I view past or future learners? On the other hand, does this philosophy really define who we are as a person? Or, is the philosophy of practice really a broader glance into our morals, values, and the other ideas that have shaped us over time, rather than a definition of our teaching patterns? In other words, based on this concept our teaching patterns is based on how we see ourselves and is a compilation of ideas developed overtime. This is a mouthful! Geez!

Last week Dr. Carter told our consulting class, “don’t ever be afraid to start the process.” While the statement was to comfort the class to go forth with our consulting projects without reservations, it surely vibrated across every spectrum of my life. I have been deathly afraid for the past few months to truly jump-start Hannah’s Women. I have a wonderful support system of volunteers and a family who supports the vision, but I was still afraid. I was afraid of failure.

Dr. Carter’s statement truly ignited a fire within my being and now I am not afraid anymore. I am not afraid to embark upon a journey into the unknown world of nonprofit and business. I must remember to “put God first,” allowing Him to enter the boardroom, conference room, and meeting room, before I do. I have to remember that everything will not always go as planned. Storms will come and when they do, I must learn and endure through them. I must allow the purpose of the organization to be the fire that keeps me going. I cannot allow the fear of failure to stop the vision. Now, I am not afraid of the setbacks or downfalls that we may incur. I am not afraid to leap into a world that I do not totally understand; I am able “to start the process!” Besides, I am an adult learner! Thanks Dr. Carter

Don’t be afraid to start! At times, we can be our own stumbling block!

According to the Teaching Perspectives Inventory created by Daniel Pratt, I am a nurturer. When teaching or mentoring, I always observe an individual to develop a sense for who they are. My intentions are never to overall change them, but to develop in them a sense of strength, honor, and courage. My intention is for an individual to develop a sense of self, by knowing and believing in what they can accomplish. I can recall a time in my life when I was afraid to speak. I was in elementary school and I stuttered when speaking. I was deathly afraid to talk in class, until my teacher and my brother, who also stuttered, begin to speak life into the situation. They surrounded and nurtured the fear and in due time the impediment was only a memory.

I believe that we all have the ability to conquer any task or obstacle set before us. I believe that people fail only when they allow their situation to consume them. I believe that people are afraid to step out and develop their minds because of possible ridicule from others. However, an individual can conquer this fear when given the opportunity to be in the presence of an individual who values their sense of self over academic achievement. I am a nurturer because I believe in people, because someone, one day believed in me. All it takes is a simple whisper of a few words of wisdom to ignite the fire. However, you must believe in them and them in you!

I am still getting the hang of blogging for two courses! Yikes! I feel like I need a personal consultant to provide insight on course organization. While it is hard to balance work and school, I am finding it even harder to change being to direct. Last evening in ADLT 610, I discovered that a process consultant could not be direct. The duty of a process consultant is to teach the learner how to complete a process for usage during a later situation. This is so hard for me because over the years I have developed a more direct approach. What is a girl to do? This will take much practice. Does this mean that I have to work on my facial expressions and gestures, as well? I wonder how other consultants are able to hide their feelings and not reveal during the course of a project.

Maybe Michelle and I will have to practice before entering the meeting, so I can learn how not to show my feelings of confusion and frustration. Gracious…instead I am going to pray about this…that always works!

Am I a self-directed learner? A self-directed learner is an individual who has the ability to teach oneself a skill; or has the ability to learn on his or her own. A self-directed learner is creative and takes the initiative to research a task without aide. A self-directed learner is an individual who reaches back into their life experiences, reflects, finds meaning, and then proceeds to handle a situation or a task. Is life considered self-directed? If so, would this qualify me as a self-directed learner? I mean there is not a script involved!

 We learn everyday. Each day we can learn something new; whether it is a new technological advancement or you discover something new about a friend, there is always an opportunity to learn something new. Isn’t that what a self-directed learner does? I mean there is not a script involved. As a person, we go through situations and encounter circumstances in which our very life can change in an instant. In these times, all we can do is recover, regroup, and begin to live again, while learning a valuable lesson from the encounter.

 We as individuals must take the initiative to unleash the power in us to experience new horizons and learn what we have been afraid to learn. I am afraid to explore technology, but I am slowly learning how it can enhance my life. A self-directed learner is not afraid to learn. Being a self-directed learner can allow an individual to discover that life is a journey, with sharp turns and small hills, leading each individual to discover that the world is ever changing.