Saturday, December 29, 2012

Learning

In Kindergarten the teacher wanted to hold me back because I was "immature." Given that I was only 4 years old (October birth date) I'm guessing she was correct. My Mom wouldn't have it, so I moved forward.

In First grade I did not know how to read. When it was time to assign "reading groups" I was left out. The teacher scheduled the obligatory parent/teacher conference with my then 25 year old Mom. Testing was conducted and alas I was not "slow" or "challenged." Second grade is a blur, Third grade too, Fourth grade I just remember the space shuttle crashed. Fifth-Twelfth is a blur. I do remember I always had very bad grades and rarely even went to school. My senior year in High School the principal told my parents that I would not graduate. I did and six months early too.

The only reason I went to Junior college is to be with my boyfriend at the time. We had been dating 3 or 4 years and were inseparable. I took a million useless classes and 6 years of sporadic attendance I graduated with an AA and an AS. (dumb) Then to undergrad- This is where I blossomed. I was surrounded by like minded, driven, smart, people. I got heavily involved in politics and had a blast. My grades were almost straight A's. Then to Law School.

Through all of that I did believe I may have a learning disability. It took me longer to learn what others seemed to pick up easily. What I did have going for me was tenacity. Giving up was not an option.

Here I am procrastinating the inevitable (bar study) thinking of an effective way to cram this shit into my brain. This is what I came up with.

Active learning is the way! People who study learning will tell you that being engaged in the learning process is how you keep it with you. At night I think about Evidence and I imagine scenarios to reference later. Also when reading MBE questions (multiple choice) I actually imagine the hypos. Then I try to link it with something I have learned by being a law clerk for so many years. I remember things my boss has told me, the mock trials I have been in, and the trouble with the law that I have had personally.

Learning is a very personal experience. Each person has a different way of absorbing information. It is not a passive exercise. You must be all the way "IN IT" especially when you got a 200k debt riding on your success. If I do this, If I pass, I will be practicing law in May 2013. Just thinking of that possibility makes me tear up. It's a shame that there are thousands of people who do this and pass even though their heart is not in it and then there are thousands who want it SO BAD that fail. Some people equate passing the bar to winning the lotto. There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to who passes.

Moral of the story, learn how YOU learn and give it your heart and soul. Wish me luck, endurance, peace, and patience with myself. Getting 6 of 18 questions correct is a huge morale killer but you gotta keep moving. Here's to academia and learning and knowledge. KNOWLEDGE REALLY IS POWER.

1 comment:

Paragon2Pieces said...

you can do it! also, i think you totally have the right idea here. during the bar exam, i was really surprised that a lot of my recall was coming from lecture, reading, conversation, etc., that i had experienced _outside_ of bar prep.