So what does this really mean? Why do so many people carry this heavy belief that they “can’t” or “won’t” learn? The truth lies not in their ability but in the experiences and environments that shaped their relationship with learning, especially those early years in school.
I’ve been reflecting on this as I’ve moved back into the education space, and it’s made me think deeply about how our memories of school, both good and bad, how they influence how we see ourselves as learners today.
We all have those memories of school and they really shaped our future in some way. We have strong memories of school, good and bad but are those memories that you look back on fondly or with fear?
I have worked with a lot of young people and adults that look back on their time at school with fear and anxiety. The feeling of not being good enough comes up the most, feeling daft, struggling, not understanding things and generally not feeling safe in some way. This then meant that they avoided going, zoned out when they were there, created distractions or caused problems to get themselves removed
When a person is told that they are not good at something, or not meeting the mark, we can hold on to that thought, that feeling and it can stay with us throughout our life. That memory gets played over and over again, it starts to influence reality and it stops you from doing things, learning again, taking qualifications, doing jobs that you dreamed of, avoiding jobs that have a lot of training involved or jobs that seem hard.
You told yourself you are no good at learning and therefore you can’t learn, when really you just didn’t fit into the system at that time, fit the way that a teacher taught, the way the subject was presented to you, the mood of the teacher that day, the classroom environment, the noise, the other things that were going on at home, there will have been so many reasons why you felt you couldn’t learn well that day, month, year or throughout school. None of those reasons will have been because you can’t learn or you can’t learn well or you are not good enough but that is what you felt and thought. All you have to do is find your own way and feel safe to do that.
Feeling safe to learn and learn your way is the key element. We need to feel calm and safe in the environment but also in ourselves, trauma, stress, anxiety can affect the way you learn, how much you take in. Your mind is full of keeping you safe, there is or was no space for anything else. When you feel safe, calm, ease the stress and anxiety, there becomes space in your mind to learn, to take in information and hold on to it. I want to create those spaces with Holistic Education, work on feeling safe, releasing the stress that is unknowingly holding you back, the anxiety. Increase your self-belief in your ability to learn and feel confident in your unique way of learning. You can do it, they can do it, you just need the space, time and a different approach.
So, are you or someone you know fearful of learning again? Or getting back into learning after a break or trying a new environment?
I will be releasing a Connect Don’t Panic handout that will have some tips to help you, watch this space or drop me a message for a chat.
Thank you for reading and remember, you can learn, let’s find your method together.