African Poetry and Lifelong Learning

In my Google Alerts this week, I found a rare gem. I've been soliciting info about continuing education around the world, so any news about lifelong learning in foreign lands jumps out at me.

Tips for Students Writing African Poetry by Anis Haffar, founder of GATE Institute (Gifted And Talented Education) for Teacher Education & Methodologies, appeared on myjoyonline.com on August 19, 2008. Myjoyonline.com is Ghana's leader in news and information.

Mr. Haffar's article is a beautiful look at studying poetry, but more than that, it offers advice on how the study of poetry is like life and lifelong learning. This, for example:

Even where a particular Poem may seem difficult at first, do not be shaken unduly. Begin to think, state, and share reasons why it is unclear. And then be assertive and creative: Suggest ways in which that piece could be amended, adapted, or made more accessible.

And this:

With Poetry, we learn to think, be ourselves, and be reflective. As Albert Camus, the Nobel laureate, put it, we are “obliged to understand rather than to judge”. That is the key to lifelong learning and satisfaction.

As you begin school this fall as an older student, a lifelong learner, remember Mr. Haffar's words of encouragement:

Bottom line: As you develop the mindset to meet any passage undaunted, you can’t possibly lose.

Whatever your continuing education goals are, develop the mindset that you can do it, and you will. Good luck out there.