This is my first post about Learning That Never Ends, but it has been 20 years in the making.

You see, I had the privilege of living in the district where I taught.  Because of this, I got to see many of my students grow up around me. I began to notice something over the years; the students who valued learning and saw it as important in my class as sixth graders were the same students who experienced great success as adults. I discovered a pattern. These children, although coming from diverse backgrounds and family situations, all held common traits. I came to describe these commonalities as the qualities of a proficient lifelong learner.
Over the next ten years, I continued with my observation and research on what it takes to become a lifelong learner.  I identified certain qualities that all proficient lifelong learners possess.

Lifelong learners share the following common qualities.

1.      Lifelong learners are tenacious.

2.      Lifelong learners are reflective.

3.      Lifelong learners are metacognitive.

4.      Lifelong learners are divergent thinkers.

5.      Lifelong learners are self-efficacious.

6.      Lifelong learners see learning as valuable.

7.      Lifelong learners are collaborative.

I have always been a proponent of the idea that “the best defense is a strong offense.” I needed to broaden the focus of my teaching. Even more, if students are not aware of the qualities it takes to become a lifelong learner, their capacity to become one is obviously limited.  I was back to the drawing board. What could I change in my instructional practices to instill these qualities in my students? 

That was ten years ago. During that time, I tested hundreds of ways to promote the qualities of a lifelong learner. Little by little, my students began to embrace these qualities and with the use of the ideas from this book, they began to use them more instinctively. I discovered that the qualities it takes to become a lifelong learner can be developed in all children, with proper guidance.  This was ground breaking information and at that point I knew I needed to share it with as many teachers as possible.

I then shared my discoveries on empowering all students with the qualities of a lifelong learner with a friend and well respected administrator, Mary Dunwoody. The end result is our new book, Learning That Never Ends, published by Rowman & Littlefield Education in September.

This work is a result of many years of determination and research. My passion is to empower all of our children with the qualities it takes to be successful. My dream is to level the playing field so everyone has a fighting chance regardless of the limitations forced upon them and my belief is that if teachers, parents, youth group leaders use these techniques, they are giving our youth a fighting chance to have what it takes to be extraordinary!