This knowledge, that learning is a continual journey, is something we need to instill in our children.This idea forms a large part of my philosophy behind my teaching. (I came across this great graphic on the website the image is linked to.)
It’s Thanksgiving this weekend in Canada. It’s a time to reflect on the year that’s just past and a time to consider what we have to be grateful for. In the Galloway household it’s been a big year of changes both in our personal circumstances as well as in our professional lives.
To recap. In May of 2013 we decided that our photography business was no longer viable (ironic also that ISIS is now the scourge of the world – it was the name of our photography business) in the long term and that we needed to change direction in life. My aim was to return to teaching while Christa wanted to stay with photography but get closer to her photojournalistic roots, and so started our saga. We sold our house, moved in with Christa’s parents, moved to Whitehorse in the Yukon, then relocated to Red Deer in Alberta all in the space of a year. While we were in The Yukon I returned to the classroom as a substitute teacher, and Christa became a flight attendant for Air North while our little guy started at a new Daycare. In Red Deer Christa has the challenge of being a full time mum while I am a full time student.
So what then does the Never Stop Learning graphic have to do with all this? When I was younger, I never imagined that at my age I would be studying as hard as I have been. It has been a bit of a revelation not only how much I have enjoyed it but also how the notion of continuing my studies once I have a job will not go away. Christa’s learning has been different but equally revelational as she spent an intense, and I mean intense, four weeks with Air North learning how to become a Flight Attendant. This not only led to knowledge about the job but also personal growth which has given her a confidence that she didn’t have before. And of course the little guy is a continual learning machine. He’s learning numbers, letters, as well as pushing his boundaries as far as he can. Most of all it is in him that I wish to instill this Never Stop Learning idea because in order to succeed it is and will be more and more a necessity of a life fulfilled.
Finally then what am I thankful for this Thanksgiving? Many things if truth be told.
- First and foremost family. Both Christa, my son, as well as Maggie – as well as my family back in the UK and Christa’s family in Ontario. It is very true that without their support things would have been much harder than they have been.
- My health – having seen first hand the consequences of bad health it’s nothing to be taken for granted.
- For friends. Without friends life is not much fun. Friends add colour and depth to your existence. They also help you out when you need it without asking anything in return.
- The people who have helped me so far on my journey back into the classroom – my tutor from Athabasca University, my tutors from University of Alberta and the countless others who helped me get there.
- For Broadstreet (the company who we rented our apartment from) without these guys it’s a possible we’d still be in a tent… they bent the rules a little so we could move in with our dog.
- Our vehicle which over the last year has driven us almost 50,000kms in safety, 10,000kms of which it was pulling a fully loaded trailer.
- And as is my want leaving the best until last, I am thankful for my good fortune in meeting Christa – she’s awesome and I can’t imagine my life without her.
So there it is, my list of things to be thankful for. Sometimes it is good to reflect on what is good in your life because life can become heavy at times. Not today though, not today.
