The Path of Learning

For this final blog post on educational metaphors, it never occurred to me until now, but education is a lot like a path or road (or should be like a path). When one first enters school, which tends to be preschool or kindergarten. They start at one end of the path, the beginning. The one thing that really characterizes paths are the many different things you can see and find along the way. You can also experience a flush of emotions and memories as you travel down the path. Education is a lot like path. As one learns they see and find all sorts of new concepts from learning to count numbers to Shakespeare. Another thing that relates education to a path is that you don't tend to stop on the path. You can stop to examine things along the path, but you never really stop walking on the path until you reach the end. Same goes for education. Education never really stops until you reach the end of your educational career and even then you can still go on to learn more and will continue to learn more everyday on different paths. 

Along the path you may also encounter other people. These people may help, hinder or just ignore you, but you know that they are there. The path of education also has people who may help, hinder or ignore you. Pathways also have shortcuts where you can run through to get ahead. Education also has many shortcuts from skipping grades, being gifted or otherwise. Pathways also have days when they are less traveled because of bad weather or other factors. Education has the same factors. Learning disabilities can hinder the path of education, but never stop the path of education. 

When you think about it. It's impossible not to think of education as one giant metaphorical pathway. Food for thought for this final blog post.