Thing #1

     The habit that is easiest for me is #1, beginning with the end in mind.  I cannot remember a time when I didn't naturally think this way, it's in my DNA.  When I started the MAT program, I began with the end goal in mind.  I thoroughly investigated the pros and cons, why I wanted to do this, the hard work involved, the money involved, the impact on my family, the impact on my free time, and the rewards at the end.  After much soul searching, I decided that the reward would be worth the sacrifices and so here I am.
     The habit that is the hardest for me is #4, having confidence in myself as a competent effective learner.  I have 30 hours completed in this program, all A's, and still I question my abilities.  I don't worry so much about learning in the classroom but my ability to apply it in the elementary classroom.  I lack confidence in this area because I lack experience in the real world classroom.  I can learn all day, but can I translate what I have learned in a competent, effective way in my future classroom?  I learn by doing and need to volunteer in some classrooms to become more comfortable with that. I need to quit procrastinating about that and make time to do it.
     Lifelong learning means that we are constantly learning through our experiences.  I believe that there is a lesson to be learned in everything that we do, be it in a learning environment or everyday situation.  We learn from our mistakes and we learn from our successes.