Tag: Abigail Adams

BORROWED VS OWNED

Abigail Adams by Benjamin Blythe, 1766
Abigail Adams by Benjamin Blythe, 1766 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Borrowed knowledge versus ownership of knowledge. Why do parents send their kids to school? Is it so they will become smarter? Let’s face it, children are born with a natural ability to learn and soak up knowledge. But  at the end of 12 years of conventional education do they own the knowledge or did they just borrow it? There is a huge difference: Borrowed knowledge is when you are given facts by a teacher or from a book and you are required to memorize it so that you can then regurgitate the information on a test in order to pass you to the next level. Most of us who went to public school borrowed the knowledge; that’s why when you look back at so much of the information you supposedly learned in 12 years of school most of us draw a blank.
When you own knowledge on a particular subject, it stays with you for life and you will use it through out your whole life time.  Look at our youth today, why is it that they are barely graduating high school and they don’t know much. Could it be the difference between borrowed  and owned knowledge?
EVA SANTIAGO copyright 2011
“Learning is not attained by chance, it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.” – Abigail Adams, Letter to John Quincy Adams (May 8, 1780

Keep on Keeping on

Abigail Smith Adams (Mrs. John Adams)
Image by cliff1066™ via Flickr
My decision to home school was not an easy one. Before I met my husband I was looking out for number 1 just like everybody else. I wanted a career because I thought it would fill in all of the voids in my life back then. But one day God came into my life and turned my whole world up side down and I’ve not regretted it one bit. My perspective changed when I started living for others instead of being so focused on me; when you are able to do that then you are on your way to your destiny. It is through helping others achieve their dreams that God comes in and helps you with your own dreams. Before when I was full of self ambition, there weren’t enough hours in the day to do what I wanted to make ME happy. Now that I look after my kids and I’m helping them go where they need to be, that in itself makes me feel complete and accomplished.There is a sure reward for perseverance and I encourage you to keep on keeping on!
 
“How difficult the task to quench the fire and the pride of private ambition, and to sacrifice ourselves and all our hopes and expectations to the public weal! How few have souls capable of so noble an undertaking! How often are the laurels worn by those who have had no share in earning them! But there is a future recompense of reward, to which the upright man looks, and which he will most assuredly obtain, provided he perseveres unto the end.” – Abigail Adams, Letter to John Adams (July 10, 1775)