fontman
08-04-06, 11:08 AM
Experience Teaches
by Lt. Robert Jones
Headquarters Battalion HQMC Chaplain
Aug. 4, 2006
It is a thought worth thinking, that experience is the best teacher. It is a concept worth investigating, that experience can be gained or earned. Whichever you prefer and whichever works for you, we can safely prognosticate, that experience does something for us. What exactly it does, is the question. Does experience make us better at what we do? Does experience make us more thorough in our preparation for assigned tasks? Does experience go beyond the bounds of "book learning" and classroom scholars and find its finest hour in those who actually do the teaching in the moment versus those who give PowerPoint presentations or stand at erasable marker boards and lecture?
I would initially deduce that experience is most definitely a teacher. Experience is an excellent teacher who composes fine compositions of real learning. Real learning is actually the goal that the experienced teacher hopes to get across to the learning audience. Webster stated in the 1828 Dictionary that experience is when, "You try a thing...by use...by suffering or by experiment." Herein lays the crux. We as the experiential person in the moment come into full contact with the phenomena we are experiencing.
If it is life-changing, we are touched. If is life-threatening, we are moved and if it life-altering, we may never be the same. Once we have "gained" experience, we now become an expert, first-hand witness to what we encountered. In so doing, we are now persona grata to those who may be interested in our unique and relevant perspective. Our words are now applicable to the hearers and the transfer of information, of knowledge and of real time events makes the impact far greater.
I offer three experiences that we may be available to share from. First, is our personal experience in life. The way we have lived and the way we have loved and the way we have approached life, can have many teachable polarities that can help those who are learning as they live. Our life's work may be an inspiration to someone else. Our passion may be infectious and encourage others to go for the gold. Second, our professional experiences allow for the mentoring and the nuggets of wisdom shared, to help those traveling on a path similar to ours.
They get our Mark one, Mod zero eyeball input. Coaching is a meal best served hot. When we dish it out in edible amounts, the partakers go away full, satisfied, encouraged and learned. They can now apply quickly what we taught and even use it over a long haul. Finally, our spiritual experiences bring the sacred, the mystical and the religiously relevant significant moments to the fore. We share from an intimate place. God places a powerful Hand in our midst and something good happens and all are blessed. Words from the heart lift all the hearers. Our experiences teach and learning gets done.
by Lt. Robert Jones
Headquarters Battalion HQMC Chaplain
Aug. 4, 2006
It is a thought worth thinking, that experience is the best teacher. It is a concept worth investigating, that experience can be gained or earned. Whichever you prefer and whichever works for you, we can safely prognosticate, that experience does something for us. What exactly it does, is the question. Does experience make us better at what we do? Does experience make us more thorough in our preparation for assigned tasks? Does experience go beyond the bounds of "book learning" and classroom scholars and find its finest hour in those who actually do the teaching in the moment versus those who give PowerPoint presentations or stand at erasable marker boards and lecture?
I would initially deduce that experience is most definitely a teacher. Experience is an excellent teacher who composes fine compositions of real learning. Real learning is actually the goal that the experienced teacher hopes to get across to the learning audience. Webster stated in the 1828 Dictionary that experience is when, "You try a thing...by use...by suffering or by experiment." Herein lays the crux. We as the experiential person in the moment come into full contact with the phenomena we are experiencing.
If it is life-changing, we are touched. If is life-threatening, we are moved and if it life-altering, we may never be the same. Once we have "gained" experience, we now become an expert, first-hand witness to what we encountered. In so doing, we are now persona grata to those who may be interested in our unique and relevant perspective. Our words are now applicable to the hearers and the transfer of information, of knowledge and of real time events makes the impact far greater.
I offer three experiences that we may be available to share from. First, is our personal experience in life. The way we have lived and the way we have loved and the way we have approached life, can have many teachable polarities that can help those who are learning as they live. Our life's work may be an inspiration to someone else. Our passion may be infectious and encourage others to go for the gold. Second, our professional experiences allow for the mentoring and the nuggets of wisdom shared, to help those traveling on a path similar to ours.
They get our Mark one, Mod zero eyeball input. Coaching is a meal best served hot. When we dish it out in edible amounts, the partakers go away full, satisfied, encouraged and learned. They can now apply quickly what we taught and even use it over a long haul. Finally, our spiritual experiences bring the sacred, the mystical and the religiously relevant significant moments to the fore. We share from an intimate place. God places a powerful Hand in our midst and something good happens and all are blessed. Words from the heart lift all the hearers. Our experiences teach and learning gets done.