I have always loved literature and I leapt at the chance to continue studying it at university – it seemed like the perfect place to satisfy my voracious appetite for both fiction and new ideas. When I look back at my time at school, it is difficult to pinpoint where my love of learning originated from. However, there is one overwhelming memory: I remember all of my English teachers. Crucially, I have positive memories of all my secondary school English teachers even though they were all very different in their teaching styles and personalities. Digging a little deeper, I realise that they all had one thing in common: they all inspired me to keep learning.
It seems like it should be part of a teacher’s job to keep you learning, but my teachers went the extra mile for me by recommending books that I would never have picked up otherwise and suggesting new concepts for further independent research. My teachers motivated me to keep learning beyond the boundaries of the curriculum by having patience and recognising my potential.
I realise now that learning is often a difficult and isolated journey to commit to on your own – especially without the right support structures. I have been very fortunate in my academic experiences and I want to share that good fortune with someone else. This is what CoachBright has taught me how to do. Not only have I developed the skills to show someone how to keep learning, but I now have a greater understanding of what made my teachers so inspiring.
Learning is not about getting everything right or checking things off a list, it is about nurturing an attitude of perseverance and resilience. Learning demands patience; it is the courage to ask questions and seek out answers, even if those answers lead to more questions. Making a commitment to keep learning is made easier by inspiring role models; they show us how to keep trying, how to work our problems out and how to re-evaluate our situation when things still are not going our way. CoachBright has allowed me to reflect on my own passion for learning and it provides its coaches across the country with the skills to build this foundation for someone else, so that their journey becomes easier as they grow older.
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Blog Post by Amirah Muhammad, Coach in London
“Learning is not about getting everything right or checking things off a list, it is about nurturing an attitude of perseverance and resilience.”