Nicole Eulberg
January 27, 2009
Memory Vignettes
“Error marks the place where learning begins” (Rose in the Lives on the Boundary pg.88). While growing up and still to this day, I have made many mistakes, some big, some small, and some that I think back to and say “wow really I must have not had a brain that day”. Thinking about this more, I am positive that I am not the only one who has and still does make mistakes; I am also positive that I along with many others have learned a life lesson or something about myself through making that mistake in the first place.
I agree very much with Rose’s quote because there is no such thing as a perfect person. Everyone in a way needs to fall down because if we do not we never learn how to get back up or how to not make that same mistake again. I remember when I was young, my mom and I were walking through what is now Macy’s. I loved touching everything I saw and when I say a beautiful crystal bowl, I knew I just had to touch it too. I went up to the stand and touched the rime of the bowl, in doing so I knocked it off the stand and it shattered right in front of me. My mom turned to me furiously, grabbed my hand and spanked me, not lightly, on the back side. From that point on I never touched anything in a department store again. I learned from my error and gained the knowledge of what touching crystal objects can result in.
Making mistakes is virtually unavoidable and I personally am thankful for that. Without falling and making mistakes, I would not have grown and matured into the person I am today and without future mistakes, becoming the person and the teacher I want to be could not be attained either. The people that continuously fall and learn how to pick themselves up after doing so are the people who learn the most about themselves and at the end of the day can touch others lives because they can relate to similar mistakes. For me, knowing that gives me huge inspiration to become a teacher and help coach students through the mistakes they will make. I want each of them to realize it is okay to mess up because at the end of the day that mistake will have made them a stronger person.
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Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI really like your vignette. I also like to touch everything in the store, except that I have not stopped at nearly 20 years old. The fact that I am able to relate to this makes it really wonderful and I think it is great that you could end your story by relating it to how the experience will help you with teaching.
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it". We have all heard that quote before. The first time I heard it I was indifferent toward the message, because I was in a history class (a resisted subject on my part). It is and will always remain true. We must learn from our own mistakes as well as others around us. As teachers we will (hopefully) be accepting of mistakes made by students. We have the opportunity to demonstrate how to learn from your own mistakes as well as others'.
ReplyDeleteI agree with everything that you said. It is amazing how much you can learn from the mistakes in your life, whether it is a pretty miniscule event or a huge event you can always take some life changing from it. I am very thankful for everything I have been through in my life and the mistakes I have made have helped me more than they have hurt me. I think that is a very worthwhile lesson and skill to be able to teach our future students!
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