Born to Learn

“Birds fly, fish swim; man thinks and learns.”​—JOHN HOLT, AUTHOR AND EDUCATOR.

A NEWBORN deer has an inner drive to stand erect on its long, wobbly legs and follow its mother. A human baby, on the other hand, may not walk for a year. Yet, humans are gifted with a truly amazing brain vastly superior to that of any animal. This superiority is reflected in a child’s insatiable curiosity and passion for discovery and knowledge.

In order to satisfy that curiosity, normal, healthy babies turn their world into a type of laboratory. Hand them an object, and they will study it with every sense, including taste! And the experimentation does not stop there. As every parent knows, babies will bend, bash, shake, and break things​—often with glee—​in their quest to understand and experience their environment.

Children’s appetite for knowledge becomes even more evident when they begin to speak​—an amazing feat in its own right! Overnight, it seems, children become the embodiment of the question mark. Questions, such as ‘Why this?’ ‘Why that?’ shoot from their lips in an endless barrage, testing many a parent’s patience. They “do much of their learning in great bursts of passion and enthusiasm,” said author John Holt.

Then, a few years later, children in many lands step into a new world of learning​—one of teachers, textbooks, desks, and perhaps hundreds of other children. Sadly, after years at school, many young ones become less eager to learn in that way. Some even come to view school as stressful or as a drudgery. Maybe certain subjects or teachers fail to inspire them. Or perhaps the pressure to attain good grades causes them unbearable anxiety.

 Acquired negative attitudes toward such learning may persist into adulthood and even old age, making those affected shy away from anything involving deep thought, study, or research. Elderly people have an additional obstacle to contend with​—the belief that advanced age automatically impairs learning ability. But as we will see, that view is unwarranted.

Do you want to enhance your ability and desire to learn, regardless of your age? If you are a parent, do you want your children to be better students and to enjoy learning throughout their school years and beyond? If so, then please read on.

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Children love to learn

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Sadly, many youths face stress and anxiety at school