learning

Tag Archive for learning

Lesson Learned On A School Bus

March 14, 2022 John Uncategorized No comments

Often the most important lessons you learn are outside of the classroom? And they can double as stories you tell again and again throughout your life.

Today via GenuLines I share one of those with you.

Lesson Learned On A School Bus

It was sort of a side hustle. A job that would back up another job that would fund my college tuition.

I was a 22 year old school bus driver.

Most of my driving consisted of extra curricular activities and outings. One of those involved a field trip for kids from an inner city school in Pittsburgh.

Off we go

This group was like most. Talking, laughing, happy for a break from their stuffy classrooms.

We headed for the park and its wide open spaces. As I wheeled toward the entrance there was an anticipation that was palpable.

Everyone piled out of the vehicle full of happy expectation- with one exception.

The boy

He stayed in his seat, saying nothing and sort of staring into space. I wondered why he wanted to stay inside and miss a chance to enjoy the day with his friends.

I made an attempt to open him up a bit. It didn’t do much good.

He mumbled his responses and I couldn’t make them out. I did convince him to get up and go outside and I was sure he was going to run to catch up with the group.

But he didn’t.

He stood there in the same quiet state that kept him entranced during the ride. I thought the best thing for me to do was go back inside the bus and leave him to his thoughts.

But after a minute or so I heard, and felt, a loud bang on the side of the bus. Then there was another.

Ready, aim..

Outside the bus I saw this boy picking up chunks of dried mud from the parking lot. He was breaking off pieces and throwing them at the bus.

And I mean throwing them with a gusto a major league baseball scout would have admired.

This time I thought it best to get him back to his seat and away from any people who might be in the area. And now I questioned him in a more persistent way.

But his answers didn’t shed any light on why he would target a 72 passenger bus for a shelling. I did manage to keep him engaged in conversation.

And then the talk switched to movies.

Scene and heard

He volunteered that he had recently seen the movie Jaws. As he took me through the scenes of the movie he became more upbeat and animated.

I hadn’t yet seen the movie. But I didn’t mind hearing about the final scene without a spoiler alert.

The rest of the kids came back from their visit and we headed back to the school. I felt glad that I could diffuse the situation.

But I started to wonder what kind of a life this boy might be going back to.

Is he ignored in a dysfunctional house? Do his needs go unmet?

Is he a victim of violence?

Learning curve

Would this experience change the boy’s life? Probably not.

But it taught the driver the importance of listening and caring. And that lesson would never show up on a college syllabus.

JohnK 3-14-2022

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Overheard: “Some people come in our life as blessings. Some come in your life as lessons.”

~Mother Teresa

Stop Focusing on Your Past Mistakes and Failures

June 14, 2021 John Uncategorized No comments

Reminiscing and thinking about the past can be a great exercise. It’s always good to have a healthy respect for things that have come and gone.

But you don’t want to live in the past, and GenuLines can help you adjust your view of days gone by.

Stop Focusing on Your Past Mistakes and Failures

They say that learning from history is how you best ensure a good future. That said, if you’re living in the past you’re doing more harm than good.

And if you’re replaying negative events in your mind it’s even worse.

It’s also a surefire way to temper your boldness. And it lessens your resolve when you face future challenges.

So how do you stop doing that?

Learn to Value Your Mistakes

The first thing to do is to value your mistakes. Remember that mistakes teach you things.

They make you stronger and wiser. And they give your personal narratives a more interesting and more unique bent.

It’s not our successes that cause us to grow and develop but our mistakes. And each failure brings you one step closer to being the person you want to be.

Realize that your mistake has merit and value in itself. Then you can be a little more comfortable accepting it as part of your story.

Looking Forward

The next thing to do is to look forward and to remember that things are going to get better now. You’ve had your mistake, so how are you going to learn from that and use it to drive you in the future?

Don’t think about how your last relationship was a failure, Focus on how you’re going to make the next one a success.

Forgive Yourself

Many of us focus on our failures. We obsess over them because we’re frustrated with ourselves or we even feel guilty.

The key then is to stop aiming for perfection. Remember: you’re only human and mistakes are par for the course.

They’re acceptable and in fact, you can expect them. Know this and let your missteps go.

Ask yourself: would you beat someone else up if they had the same failure?

Learn to Let Go

Letting go in itself is something of an art form. If you’re an obsessive personality this is a skill that’s well worth learning.

You might consider seeing a cognitive-behavioral therapist. Besides learning to let go you’ll re-work your thoughts in a more positive way.

JohnK 6-14-2021

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Overheard: “The past is never dead. It’s not even past” ~William Faulkner

Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

June 4, 2019 John Uncategorized No comments

Parents want to shelter their kids from adversity as much as possible. They see the world as dangerous, and going into protection mode is understandable.

But kids need to learn how to deal with adversity. Sheltering them can prevent this from happening.

Below are some GenuLines suggestions for showing kids the way through adversity.

Teaching Kids to Deal with Adversity

Can you teach kids about the difficulties ahead of them? It’s a delicate balance between knowing what to tell them and what to keep from them.

After all, many societies use movie rating systems to limit certain children’s viewing.

But they learn a lot from older siblings. And they learn from classmates in school (who also have older siblings).

They also take cues from parents who let profanities slip out, as hard as they try not to.

ids know more than we give them credit for, and they can handle much more than we want to believe. They watch the news and see stories of violence, terrorism, and other horrific events.

Even if you keep them from watching, they hear about the events in school. There is simply no way around it.

When kids know they can talk to their parents, they can handle most situations. It’s better to learn from the source, i.e., parents, rather than from outside sources such as friends.

Chances are the information from friends is not reliable. That’s one reason kids tell outrageous stories when they get home from school.

To help kids deal with adversity, be sure the set the stage for their behavior. If you lose it during your own challenges you can be certain they’ll do the same.

Stay as calm as possible and look for solutions. The kids will take your lead on this behavior as well.

Kids should also learn to help others at an early age. This way, they won’t be afraid to rely on others when they need help.

When they get older, they may be willing to reach out to friends or family members. Of course, they should try to take care of certain situations on their own before reaching out.

Again, it’s a delicate balance and a learning process.

Every family situation is different. Each may call for different ways of handling them.

The variety makes a step-by-step process tough if even possible. Early exposure to life’s situations is key.

This will pay dividends for them when they’re adults.

JohnK 6-4-2019

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