edu180atl: maddie schroeder 2.15.12
Many days, I accidentally learn life lessons. Today was one of those days. In math, we’ve been learning the order of operations and the process P.E.D.M.A.S. In class, I worked on my practice problems, some in my head, and finished my classwork. We checked our work and saw that one of my answers was wrong. I did the problem time after time, and still came up with the wrong answer. I realized that I wasn’t following the process. I needed to. As I tried the problem again, using P.E.D.M.A.S., I got the correct answer! Now, I am comparing the “process” to life. Sometimes, when people have a problem to solve or a job to accomplish, they think, “let’s do this really fast, and get it over with.” They rush through the task and then are not happy with the result, or have to do the job over to get the right answer. You must be organized, do one thing at a time and follow a process to correctly get jobs done and problems solved. I realized that I have a process for getting ready in the morning, doing my homework and lots of other stuff in my life. Today, I learned to be aware of what you are learning and use that knowledge in your life. Life is all about the process and the decisions you make. I know that using a process to solve a problem is not only useful in math, but in life!
About the author: My name is Maddie Schroeder. I am 11 years old and live in Atlanta, Ga. with my mom, dad, sister and two dogs. I’m a 5th grader at Trinity School. I’m a swimmer and basketball player who is very optimistic about life.
Great lesson learned Maddie! Some people live a lifetime and never make the connections you have!
Maddie, your post reminds me of the adage, “Haste makes waste.” When we rush, we end up wasting time, forced to do things more than once to get them right. Being organized and having systems certainly make life easier! I think my favorite part of your post, though, is, “Today, I learned to be aware of what you are learning and use that knowledge in your life. Life is all about the process and the decisions you make.” Awareness of what we learn and can impact our lives. Making wise decisions rests in paying attention along the way.
Your post also reflects the value of transfer. Learning the order of operations caused you to think about the “process” of life. The first lesson – PEMDAS – is certainly valuable for solving equations, but your ability to use this lesson to make connections to something else in your life is imagination at work!
Maddie, what a great insight. When I first read your post I thought about how journaling or blogging can be a useful tool to being a “process-oriented” learner. When you say “you must be organized, do one thing at a time and follow a process to correctly get jobs done and problems solved,” it’s important to understand that the “process” may be different for each individual and each task.
I look at journaling as dropping breadcrumbs along a learning path. If I rush through something and get the process wrong (sometimes that happens even when I’m not rushing!), if I journal throughout the process, I can always look back in my journal, figure out where I might make a change, and proceed, hopefully to a successful conclusion.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts yesterday. Anyone would benefit by reading your post before embarking on their next “to-do.” I hope that they’re fortunate enough to do so.
What a wonderful, thoughtful, and useful post, Maddie. I both need to take and to offer the advice you give here more often. Great work!
Incredible, Maddie! How wonderful to learn this lesson so early in life. I am in awe of your maturity. Awesome post!