“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – M. Gandhi
I love to learn, to grow, to be better. Education. I have had a passion for it since I was young, both teaching and learning. My goal to learn a little about everything and master what I love, drives me to be better. The goal while ambitious, is not only possible but is a great summary of me, the bigger the goal the stronger my drive. To make my goals more realistic I have made this plan to help me execute them. In this post, I will be revisiting prior knowledge from when I was practicing to become a teacher. In this, I will be covering the basic essentials of how to properly learn and process new skillsets and information. My education in both philosophy and psychology has helped me effectively break down my goals into sizable objectives that will assist me with reaching my targets. In the following passages, the skills I wish to expand upon my knowledge, will be discussed.
In university I had classes on the philosophy of education. This is where I learned about the history of philosophy and the thoughts and lives of the founding philosophers. I really resonated with Plato’s and Rousseau’s humanist approach to the philosophy of education. Specifically Plato’s Tension I “Turing the Soul” and Rousseau’s Tension II “All forms of knowledge are valuable if young people are interested in them”. Tension I in this form of philosophy refers to ‘extension’ which focuses on the actual thing that the term applies to. Tension II in this form of philosophy refers to ‘intention’ which focuses on the characteristics to make something a member of a category.
“Turning the soul” is a part of Plato’s vision of education, it defines the purpose of education as to ‘turn the soul’ away from the world of becoming, which he viewed as illusion and opinion, to the world of being, which he viewed as reality and truth. He saw subjects such as music theory, astronomy and mathematics as subjects that assisted with turning the soul.
This metaphor of education really aligns with my draw to education. I have always excelled in and sought further education in science, mathematics and IT, specifically the sciences of psychology, philosophy and biology. Plato’s philosophical vision of education made known that the development of philosophical thinking by separating being from becoming in the complex world of human society stabilises the soul of a young person. I passionately agree with this sentiment as my enjoyment of these subjects has not only made my education easier, but more enjoyable and motivating for me to keep pushing myself in these fields.
Rousseau’s belief that “All forms of knowledge are valuable if young people are interested in them” well encapsulates my attitude towards the encompassing art of education – both teaching and learning. I have always been one to struggle in my classes where either I was not interested in the way or what I was taught.
Mathematics has always been a strength of mine and ever since my switch from a career/ education in the education sector to cyber security this has only grown stronger. ‘Amour de soi’ – French for ‘love of self’ was a term coined by Rousseau in his philosophy of education specifically the learners aspect of his philosophy. Rousseau detailed humans as being born with healthy amour de soi. Rousseau’s take on this term really aligns with my personal views and values as a human in society, being that humans are born with healthy amour de soi. Meaning: curiosity about the world, basic capabilities to learn effectively and continuously, confidence, resilience, generosity.
Rousseau also made emphasis on the negativity one can have of oneself due to society and social constructs others can see them as. This transforms the wholesome self-love (amour de soi) into unhealthy, divided self-love (amour-propre). This transformation from healthy self-love to negative self-love/esteem is something that will affect all of us in our lives at some point and was a major turning point I my life where I lived by the term “If I cannot love myself, why should anyone else”. This term helped me almost take a third person perspective on my life and was when I first discovered my internal drive, determination and motivation to not only help me become the person I am today but help me continuously develop into a better person day by day.
Mohandas Gandhi was a lawyer, a leader, a political ethicist. A align with a lot of beliefs he has, two quotes in particular, “An education to be revolutionised as to answer the wants of the poorest villager, instead of answering those of an imperial exploiter” and “Real education has to draw out the best from the boys and girls to be educated”.
When I was going through the process and learning and developing my own teaching philosophy that I wanted to bring to my classroom I would always align myself with Gandhi’s beliefs and values. He encouraged self-sufficiency and freedom for all which I believe is traits needed for one to learn and grow. The creation of my website and my blog was really influenced by Gandhi’s stance on education and on the fact I have always believed that to fully master a subject or topic you need to be able to effectively teach it. I created this blog to be as a useful resource to any seeking information or struggling in the fields that I study. I understand that IT specifically cyber security comes with more questions than answers and for those that don’t know where to look struggle to find the right fit education. I not only want this blog to be about my studies but to help motivates and entertain those that read along.
What is the best way to learn? Unfortunately its different for everyone and sadly I am yet to discover what method works best for me. When I was a practicing teacher I learned about many different ways and methods to teach and learn. One method that has worked for me in the past was experimental learning particularly Kolb’s experimental learning model. Kolb’s was a leading psychologist that proposed this model and broke it up into four stages:
- Concrete Experience Actively engaging in a task (e.g., solving a problem, participating in a project).
- Reflective Observation Reviewing and reflecting on the experience to identify patterns or lessons.
- Abstract Conceptualisation Developing theories or conclusions based on the reflection.
- Active Experimentation Applying what was learned to new situations, leading to new experiences.
Some amazing benefits of this experiential learning model include practical skill development, deeper engagement with a topic or skill, better retention, and adaptability. I will be using this model to push my knowledge to the limits and will plan each week using its structure. The four stages I will break each week into will be:
- Starting with a guided question (i.e., how or why) to frame my exploration.
- Documenting and analyzing my experiences, tracking successes, failures, and insights.
- Researching and refining my understanding by studying theories, expert insights, and best practices.
- Applying my knowledge and findings through a blog post, finalizing my learning while leaving room for future exploration.
I especially want to make known the fact that with each skill or topic I am aiming to master I will not end the week with closing off the cycle. I am using the blog post to not only tie off the skill or topic but to end on an open ended question/s to ensure that if/ when I come back to the skill or topic I can continue the cycle from there. Essentially my blog post at the end of each skill or topic falls under step 4 and the start of step 1 in a new cycle.
My topics of the four weeks, I don’t want to explain the idea of any of the weeks as i want to leave mystery and intrigue into my future weeks posts. This journey isn’t just about learning—it’s about transformation. Each week, I’ll push my limits, dive deep into a new skill, and document my successes and failures. But the real challenge? It doesn’t end when the week does. Every blog post will leave an open door, a lingering question, a new mystery to unravel.
Will I master these skills in just one week? Probably not. But mastery isn’t the goal—progress is. Each challenge will plant a seed for future growth, and every post will mark both an ending and a beginning.
So, are you ready to follow along? The first challenge is right around the corner, and I promise—it’s one you won’t want to miss.
Thanks for reading!
