Writing Down What You Are Studying

When I was in fifth grade, I had an excellent teacher named Mr. Beebe. He was a strict and old fashioned taskmaster. He taught us from a stack of worn,  hard covered books. They were used to educate children in the 1930's. I loved his method. Each day, one of us would stand at the chalkboard and write out the lesson  as he dictated it from his book. Every child was required to take a turn. I loved it. It made me feel so important. We  learned how to listen to the teacher and how to write in front of the group. The rest of us would copy the math problems or grammar lesson on to a piece of lined recycled paper. We wrote in pencil, that way we could erase and correct our mistakes.  Mr. Beebe always had me write two papers, one for myself, and one for the person who was up at the chalkboard. We would start the lesson in class, and then finish it later that night for homework.

The math lessons were multiplication, division, and fractions. He demonstrated and explained everything. It was so clear and concise. I loved how he taught. Every one of us understood what he was doing. By writing out the problems, we had a group unity. If a student was sick, Mr. Beebe had me copy an extra sheet, and one of us would deliver the homework to that student after school. They were expected to do the homework and return it. Whoever lived closest to him or her would volunteer.

My favorite lessons were the ones where Mr. Beebe taught us how to diagram sentences. We would make notes and dissect each word in the sentence. We underlined it and labeled it as either a noun, a verb, an adverb, an adjective, a preposition, etc. It really taught us clearly. It made us better writers, too. We knew exactly what we were doing.  There were several things going on at once. We were listening, following direction, analyzing, and sketching. I loved how the finished sentenced looked. Each word had a specific place and a precise definition. 

Every Friday we would have a spelling bee. I looked forward to those days. For some reason, I nearly always won. It was a thrill. I'm not sure why; but spelling  just came easily to me. My parents and aunt were always big readers, and so was I.  I read books voraciously. I think maybe that trained me subconsciously how to spell.

By the end of fifth grade, Mr. Beebe proudly told us that we were doing 8th grade work. He was very pleased, and so were we. It was exciting at that age to feel so smart. Mr. Beebe gave us confidence in our abilities because he was such an excellent teacher. He possessed an extreme  focus and discipline.

Since then,  I've always loved working from a syllabus, whether it was in school, music, ballet, or yoga. The detail and progression is so grounding. You build upon the previous lesson. It's logical and doable. The consistency is calming.

I still use this method when I learn anything. I write out my knitting patterns on binder paper. I know that I will remember the pattern better if I have written it out with my own two hands. I make notes of where I am and add in the details. It's much easier to find your spot if you've recorded where you left off carefully.

I still write out recipes on recipe cards, and instructions on paper. I feel more comfortable when I have detailed, clear notes. I especially have to write things down when learning something for computers or technology. I keep my passwords in a little book. My mother did the same thing, and she was very capable with the latest electronics. It takes me some practice to catch up, but I am learning. What exciting times these are. Do you write things down and take notes?