Learning and Education

Essay Question:

How have people in your family learned the things that matter the most to them -- in the classroom, on the job, from loved ones or mentors, or by making their own mistakes?

To support your argument, get some family stories about learning and education. The following questions should elicit family stories that will be useful to you. Composing your own questions might be even more successful, especially if you base those questions on your knowledge of your family chronology and history.

• Who was the best teacher your informant ever had? why? what did your informant learn?
• What difference has education made in your informant's life? What would be different if he or she had made different choices about education?
• What has been the most financially valuable thing your informant learned? (a job skill? an investment tip? a way of saving money at home?)
• Has your informant ever learned something valuable by making a mistake and then figuring out how to make sure it never happens again?
• Which has your informant valued more, learning how to do something (like knitting or plowing or applying solvents) or learning how to think/act (like writing well or being punctual or paying attention to detail)? Who taught your informant those things?
• What did your informant learn from his or her mother? what from his or her father?
• What has your informant taught his or her children and other younger family members?

More general questions for further conversation:

• Does your informant follow college sports? professional sports?  When and how did your informant decide what teams to support? Just how loyal is your informant?
• Did your informant play sports when he or she was younger? why or why not?
  
• What advice would your informant give you about participating in sports and athleticism?