Some years back I would often write “blog” articles on my LinkedIn page. Here is one from July 2015 that really stands the test of time and I believe extremely relevant to one of the many missions of Matthias Academy. All of us learn every day and that should not stop simply because we age out of school. For the population of Matthias Academy, the opportunity to learn is so limited. That is until Matthias became a reality and part of their lives.
LEARN: To gain or acquire knowledge of or skill in (something) by study, experience, or being taught. This is the definition of learn. Read it again slowly and in chunks. GAIN or ACQUIRE | KNOWLEDGE OF or SKILL in SOMETHING | by STUDY, EXPERIENCE, or BEING TAUGHT. I chose today to write about this because for my entire career I have been a believer that I LEARN something every day. It is a fact. This past week something happened that renewed my feeling that we are LEARNING every day and will for the rest of our lives.
I’m a Dad, I have 4 kids who are all very different. If you ever raised kids you know that the concept of daily learning is part of the deal. It never stops and after 24 plus years of fatherhood I kind of felt like I had this topic covered. Boy was I wrong. My situation may be a bit different than yours because as part of my reality I have a son with a developmental disability called Angelman Syndrome. Andrew is 14 years old and he has added to what I have had to learn. For 14 years, my wife, other kids and I have learned how to meet his needs and care for him. I’ll just say it has not been a cake walk by any means but as a family we had this. We have our routine and things work. Now for the reality check. Last week I attended 2 1/2 days of the Biennial Angelman Syndrome Foundation Conference. For two and a half days, there was not one session that I left feeling like I was a good dad. It was eye opening to hear from the experts on how we should be helping foster communication, how we should deal with anxiety and behavior, what should we be doing to assure a safe and productive future when we are no longer able to meet Andrew’s needs, the importance of taking time out for ourselves and our spouse, how my typical kids are affected, what the science is doing to help, and the list goes on. The whole process has completely overwhelmed me and I really don’t know where to begin. Now add to this the daily grind of my work life and you can understand how and why some people crash. Then I remembered that I have always had the philosophy that I will learn something every day. This simple concept is what will help me to tackle my reality going forward. Reminding myself that each day I can do something that addresses one of the issues that I need to address.
I shared the above because it illustrates the importance of learning and the dangers of being satisfied or complacent. When we stop learning and think we have it all under control we allow the opportunity for the world to leave us behind. When we wake up in the morning and simply go to work and get through the day without evaluating the processes and systems we use, we give our competition the opportunity to leapfrog us. When we ignore real issues and solve them with a band-aid approach, we are not providing our best to our clients. When we write off investigating alternative relationships, we are missing opportunities to improve our own success. LEARNING is a daily, lifelong process. It requires effort, research, open-mindedness, failure, fortitude, discernment and most importantly a commitment to the reality that we will NEVER know it all and that we have to continually improve ourselves.
Now, think about the reality of not learning, not having your mind challenged, not experiencing new things. Would you be happy? Would you be healthy? Would you be productive? The answer to all of these questions is NO. Matthias Academy makes certain that our most deserving are not subject to this kind of reality.
If this or any of the other stories on this blog move you, please act on the good feelings and click here to by a brick. Buy a Brick!
So very true! I am so amazed at all the fun activities that Tommy participates at Matthias. I too love the concept of learning every day. Lately, I am learning the importance of connecting with others on this journey. Prior to moving to Wisconsin, I was more introverted and less inclined to reach out and participate. Since joining Matthias, I have learned so much from other parents and look forward to connecting with what I now refer to as "my tribe". Thank you for sharing and for creating this blog!