If you ask people what some of their biggest dreams or goals are in life, a common answer you will hear is to travel the world. An answer you will not come across too often? Sitting in a classroom.
Of course there are exceptions. People going into the medical or political field benefit greatly from the classroom. When we’re younger, however, I believe there are better ways we can learn. I often wonder if traveling or gaining working experience becomes the new “norm” for education, or if we will always be locked in the classroom studying whatever the Common Core wants us to.
When we travel we are able to open our minds to new perspectives, scenarios and overall makes us more open-minded. We are able to gain wisdom and lessons from all around the world and fit them into our own work and lives as a way to learn and improve. We are able to self-reflect and promote creativity, which makes us more resilient.
An example I often think of is languages. We can sit in a classroom and have someone teach us a language and the conjugations for as long as we want, and sometimes still not fully grasp or remember what we’ve learned. I took Spanish in high school for four years and I could not tell you more than a few words and sentences.
If people traveled and were forced to face a language barrier they would be forced out of their comfort zone and forced to learn from the native speakers themselves. Not only would the language be picked up easier, it would become a habit that would be remembered.
I have recently been learning about Emotional Intelligence in my Professional Seminar class, and one of the things we learned was that there is no point in having a high IQ without a high EQ. Sitting in a classroom, studying and taking notes for hours may boost your IQ, but not your EQ. Your EQ is crucial to not only your job, but your life in general.
What is EQ? EQ stands for emotional quotient, also known as emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence fosters the self-awareness and resilience, goal-setting and confidence that builds high IQs. Traveling helps with this significantly.
So are classrooms still useful or sometimes crucial? Yes, but there are so many other ways of learning we do not tap into as much as we should, because it’s not societally acceptable. If able, everyone should travel in any way possible or indulge in first person, hands-on experiences as an additional way of gaining knowledge.
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Hi! I’m Hannah Planey, A Magazine’s editor-in-chief. My staff and I are committed to bringing you the most important and entertaining news from the realms of fashion, beauty and culture. We are full-time students and hard-working journalists. While we get support from the student media fee and earned revenue such as advertising, both of those continue to decline. Your generous gift of any amount will help enhance our student experience as we grow into working professionals. Please go here to donate to A Magazine.
