Ending with New Learnings
“Each affects the other, and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one.”
Mitch Albom, The Five People You Meet in Heaven
As I look back on the entirety of this course, there is a story that I remembered, which is The Five People You Meet in Heaven. This story came to my mind as it highlights how each person we meet and each circumstance we encounter are all interconnected and it all comes back to us. Throughout the duration of this course on the Psychological Foundations of Education, I learned and realized different thoughts of which I do not usually ponder on. Being able to take time and reflect on how we have developed throughout the years is not an customary thing that most of us do. However, since the start of our eJournal writing, I was able to appreciate the fleeting things that lead to our personal development, may it be in our physical, cognitive, social, or emotional domain. In the beginning of this course, we tackled about how there are various perspectives in the human development process and as I studied this lesson, I was able to acknowledge how our lives should be celebrated as it is formed not merely by our own efforts but also by the external factors and relationships that we have with our friends, family, and environment.
With the discussions in this course, I was also reminded of how people are diverse in terms of the various domains of development. Respect, patience, and understanding should be exercised when interacting with people similar and dissimilar from us. Some people may be experiencing physical complications and instead of belittling them, we should respect and support them in times of need. When it comes to the cognitive domain, patience should be present in dealing with people who do not necessarily have a similar cognition level than of the usual. Just as how our parents or educators are patient in guiding us whenever we have a hard time understanding certain topics or lessons, we should also be patient and lend a helping hand to accommodate the needs of those who do not easily catch up when using their cognitive skills. While on the topic of our socio-emotional aspect, understanding should always be practiced, just like the two domains stated. In cases wherein we are the ones with some complications, on the other hand, we must show other people that this is not a hindrance for us to be successful and serve as an inspiration to others.
Last but not the least, I found motivations interesting and considerably beneficial in explaining the different tendencies of people in various environments. I really found this topic engaging in the sense that I became more perceptive on why people act and behave the way they do. When it comes to the contexts, diversities, and individualities, I was able to voice out my personal experiences both negative and positive. This made me feel that my sentiments are heard and that my uniqueness as an individual can and should be acknowledged. We should keep in mind that there is beauty in diversity, individuality, and exceptionality. I also realized that the members of a system, whether at home or at school, should function as expected of them so as to avoid lapses on others’ performance and beliefs of their own capabilities. As I end my final eJournal, let me leave you a quote that sums up the learnings we obtained in this course.
“We come into the world alone and we leave the same way. The time we spend in between —time spent alive, sharing, learning together— is all that makes life worth living."
- Jean Grey / Phoenix (Uncanny X-Men Volume 1 Issue 303)
