Becoming A Learner

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Pages: 3

I am going to college because I desperately want to become an urban planner. That is the reason why I study, that is the reason why I pay attention in class, that is the reason why I still somewhat care about school. While that is my ultimate goal, there is a lot of time, tuition, and training that must occur before that can feasibly be my life. The main point of the book Becoming A Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education is that learning has a much deeper purpose than simply acquiring a degree, as much as I may want it. While I do have an end goal, I often do enjoy the process of learning. Much of what Sanders says about learning makes me naively optimistic. I'm excited to go to college to broaden my horizons and become a better community member, I'm excited to have …show more content…
Both the education and experience will allow me to live and be a learner. Even then, my active learning and passivity have fluctuated this year. Even with the classes I care about, I get so caught up in my own life that sometimes I simply cannot be bothered. Often I procrastinate or do not give my best effort, leading to work that is subpar. I don't fit firmly into either the learner or student box, my identification with each statement truly depends on my interest in a given subject. If I were to evaluate myself by APUSH I would say that I learned to understand, sought out opportunities, was internally motivated, sought challenging situations, and saw learning as an opportunity. If I were to evaluate myself in my current College Algebra class I would say I learn for the test, see learning as an obligation, and wait to be directed. I still have some weaknesses as a learner. Even then, I often ask clarifying questions in math and seek extra help, whereas I would not do that in APUSH if I needed to. I would say that I agree with Sanders' claims about the purpose of college