MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

My journey as a learner has been wonderful! I am only just

beginning to identify myself as an adult learner, because my first real
encounter with this term of an adult learner has been in this course.
Until recently, I would have told you that I was simply a university
student. The notion of being a lifelong learner is a much more eloquent
term and I think it holds a deeper meaning. The connotation I associate
with the word student is one where someone else is directing my
studies for me and I am mindlessly following along in the path they
have cleared for me. Conversely, when I think of an adult learner, a
self-directed and motivated learner comes to mind. By identifying
myself as an adult learner, I am viewing my education in a positive
light. I am learning because I want to be learning, not just to get a
degree, which will set me in a good career. However, my attitude
towards education has not always been this way.
I can relate to Colleen and Janet as they talk about their previous
life experiences affecting them as adult learners. Similar to Colleen, I
am fortunate to have grown up in a happy, healthy, Catholic family
living in North West Calgary; however, there were never financial
worries present in the house. I had the opportunity to learn French, go
to great schools close to my house, develop amazing friendships that I
have maintained since elementary school and play any sport I wanted.
I always had support and love at home. My family travelled lots
through my childhood, which has left me with innumerable memories.

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

Looking back, I can see that my upbringing was amazing and I have
been blessed with the life I have. Our own life narratives are
intertwined and influenced by the narratives of our parents, the
families we grew up in, the communities where we lived, and our
childhood friends (Groen and Kawalilak, 2014, p. 57). Without realizing
it, my entire life and the people I have surrounded myself with have
contributed different factors that make up who I am today as a learner.
Unlike Janet, my extended family has always been present in my life
and my parents never had to move to escape war torn countries or to
provide better lives for their kids. My mother and father both
completed high school, excelling in academics and athletics. They then
went on to receive university degrees in education and engineering,
respectfully. There was always an unspoken understanding that my two
older brothers and I would follow in my parents footsteps.
Throughout my life, my parents always told me that I was smart
and that I would get a degree, which would allow me to get a good job.
They strongly pushed us towards academic greatness, and did not
accept anything less. My two older brothers excelled intellectually and
athletically, and there was a lot of pressure to follow in their footsteps.
My parents encouraged me to play sports and volunteer with various
clubs at school, so I could get scholarships to pay for my postsecondary education. I always believed that by being smart my life
would be easy and university would be a breeze. In first year

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

university, I quickly realized that everyone else was equally intelligent

and it would take a lot more than relying on my smarts to get me
through the year. It was a frustrating time because I was not getting
the marks that I had previously been getting in high school. I was
overwhelmed and discouraged going into my second year and was
reconsidering if I was capable of completing a General Mathematics
degree.
I spent the year working incredibly hard in all of my courses
while balancing two jobs. I attended all my lectures, extra tutorials and
went to office hours offered by my professors. I devoutly studied the
entire exam break, and had a confidence going into my exams that I
had never before encountered in my career as a student. When our
final marks were posted, I was ecstatic to find out I had scored one
hundred percent on my toughest exam. It was in that moment that I
learned so much about myself as a learner. I discovered that all my
potential is in my own hands; without realizing it, I was accepting that I
was an adult learner. For the first time in my life, I did not simply
believe that my intelligence was responsible for my academic
achievement. Rather, I was a hard worker who had earned the marks
that I had received. This realization has helped me immensely in two
categories. First, I know that when I devote time and energy towards
anything, I will flourish. Secondly, as a future teacher, I can draw on

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

this experience to help understand my students and their attitudes

towards learning.
We interweave bits and pieces of ourselves that reflect the
effects and influences of culture, family, gender, and socio-economic
and cultural status to understand who we are as learners and how we
arrived at this juncture in our lives (Groen J., 2014, p. 7). This quote
from the textbook and insightful conversation within my Community of
Practice have helped me understand that all my past experiences have
contributed to who I am today as a learner, and that I am unique from
everyone else in my opinions, study habits and ideas. I think all
learners can greatly benefit from evaluating what inspires them to
learn, how they learn best and what goals they wish to accomplish
while learning. It is fascinating talking to my peers and hearing their
stories about moments that have defined them as learners. It excites
me for the future when I will have a classroom filled with amazing
individuals who are just that: individual. Emphasizing that each student
is a one of a kind learner could be a radical tool to use in a classroom,
and could transform how students approach learning.
My decision to become a teacher did not arrive with bells and
whistles or anything outstanding. My dad was an engineer and my
mom was a teacher, so for most of my life those were the only two
careers I was trying to decide between. There was a lot of
encouragement to follow in my grandfathers, fathers and both older

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

brothers footsteps and pursue engineering. For a few years, I believed

that engineering was the road I was set to follow. Then it dawned upon
me, in grade eleven, that I had no interest in working in the field of oil
and gas. The more I thought about it, I concluded that my strengths
were in communicating, leading and identifying with other people. I
have a passion for working with children and that line of work brought
me joy and gratification. When it came time to apply for postsecondary, I was most excited by the prospect of the concurrent
General Mathematics and Education degrees over any other degree.
Now that I am in the faculty of Education, I am presented with so
many opportunities to learn or explore deeper a vast selection of
topics. These topics are wonderful resources that help take an ordinary
teacher to extraordinary. Looking back, I was fortunate to have many
wonderful teachers who went beyond the job duties to make a
difference in my life. The effects they had on me definitely make up a
portion of the puzzle outlining my decision to be an educator. To be
honest, I am excited, yet a little nervous, to actually begin working as a
teacher. But when I reflect on my journey as a learner and the
obstacles I have worked to overcome or adapt to, I know I will be okay!
The story I shared above describing my transition into university and
the discoveries I made about myself as a learner reinforces this notion.
No one is expecting me to graduate a perfect teacher. In fact, quite the
opposite is true! As a new teacher, I will need to rely on my past

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751

experiences as a learner to guide me into this new chapter. I can use

experiences like the one I shared to relate with my students and
encourage myself that I am indeed a lifelong learner!
Reflecting on my journey from elementary school all the way
through to post secondary today, I can say that I have always enjoyed
school and the different experiences of formal education that I have
encountered. However, as I begin to identify myself as an adult
learner, the informal and incidental learning experiences are becoming
more beneficial and educational. The expansive math knowledge that I
have gained over the course of my math degree challenge me to push
myself as a learner. Despite the excitement of a good challenge, the
bulk of this knowledge is immediately forgotten after writing the final
exam. Contrarily, skills I have acquired through informal and incidental
learning such as learning how to read peoples emotions, how to bake
or picking up Spanish while traveling in Mexico have provided me with
more fulfillment as a learner. Groen and Kawalilak (2014) define
incidental learning as what we come to know accidentally or
unexpectedly (p. 18). It is always exciting to stumble upon
opportunities to expand my mind, and these experiences leave a much
more profound impact than most of my formal education. As Colleen
and Janet emphasize in the textbook, it is more than just individual
learning experiences that shape us as learners today. It is the
collection of every experience, relationship and learning moment that

MY LIFE AS AN ADULT LEARNER

Monique Morin, ID#10100751
come together to influence us as the amazing, unique individuals we
are. And as a future teacher, I cannot wait to have a classroom full of
students who are embarking on their journey as lifelong learners and
have the honor of being woven into part of their stories.

REFERENCES
Groen, J., & Kawalilak, C. (2014). Pathways of adult learning:
Professional and education narratives. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian
Scholars Press.