Teaching and Learning at the Same Time

Having a great inward disposition helps tremendously towards learning, even more so than outward circumstances. We think about learning at times as being in a certain place or in a certain atmosphere, yet we limit ourselves when we do that. Each and every day brings us a new experience and so many different ways to learn, if we just take the opportunities that arise. We can practice language skills in so many different ways.

I have a friend who has been teaching his 5 year old son to speak Spanish. He began about a year ago. Now, you may think that is because he can speak Spanish himself, but he can not. He is learning Spanish along with his son. He takes the time to look up certain words and phrases and then uses them with his son throughout the day. In the kitchen he may ask his son what he would like to drink. "Que quieres tomar?" At bed time he may ask his son if he wants to read a book. "Quieres leer un libro?" (he also reads books in Spanish to him) and then he teaches his son to respond in Spanish. Instead of just one word answers, he teaches him how to respond in the full sentence. So instead of just answering milk, or "leche" he tells his son to say "Yo quiero leche."

I spent one afternoon just recently in their home with them and was amazed at how much Spanish the little boy had picked up. I was also amazed at how much the Dad had learned since he began his experiment to see if he could teach and learn at the same time, and the best part of all was that his wife and their daughter who is 8 years old have both picked up so much Spanish just from listening to the father speak to his son, that they both are answering questions and asking questions in Spanish now too. It really is amazing how much we can learn if we take each opportunity to do so.