Learning and Teaching - Teaching and Learning

Parents and children, children and parents -- the teaching and the learning goes back and forth both ways. Parents attempt to teach their children to have manners, be respectful, eat your green vegetables - the boring stuff of life. Children remind parents to have fun and sometimes teach them the latest and greatest 5th grade math.

But there is something darker that children, my children, have taught me, sadly. My lovelies have taught me to yell. Sad but true. Many a time I start a request with my indoor voice, not to gain cooperation or compliance. So to get the attention required, I raise my voice. Not all the time, but enough of the time that I learned if I really want quick action I must yell.

Happily when I pointed this out to my lovelies, they are helping me unlearn this behavior by listening to my softer requests the first time.

Now, take this learning out into nature. Specifically the Vince Lombardi rest stop on the New Jersey turnpike. There we witnessed some incredible learning when a flock of 10 gulls flew into a man carrying a breakfast sandwich from the rest stop's fast food restaurant. The man, nearly knocked to the ground, dropped his food, and instantaneously the flock devoured it.

Shocked -- We witnessed the entire event. Unbelievable learning...