by Victoria M. Johnson
A few years
ago, Compass Point, an organization
specializing in nonprofit leadership skills, took a poll of its website's visitors,
asking them to identify what skills they learned in elementary school that they
continue to use today, and what features of grade school they wished carried
over to adult life. The results
were nostalgic:
Of skills most
often used in adult life, 50% of respondents said spelling and grammar skills,
28% said learning how to play nice with
others, 11% said how to calculate percentages, 6% said how to dodge things coming at you, and 6% said how to stand up for
yourself and what you believe in. On
which feature of grade school respondents most wished carried over into work
life, 59% want recess, 18% want field trips, 6% want bake sales, 6% want
slumber parties, 6% liked knowing when their work was finished, and 6% liked
the more structured exercises in personal affirmation that took place in
school, but that don’t happen in real life.
Field trips
and recess—I loved those days. Didn’t you? And I’m surprised only 6% identified
‘like knowing when your work was finished’ as a feature they missed. Today my
work seems never to end. Projects just kind of blend into one another to seem
like one long project. Only my writing and the grantwriting work I do has a sense of
completion. That is unless I have overlapping deadlines.
What about
you? What grammar school skills do
you use most in your adult life? Which feature of elementary school do
you wished carried over to adult work life? Let us know in the comments below.
(Note: I
searched the CompassPoint.org site to
find the poll, but it is no longer there).
Victoria M. Johnson knew by the time she was
ten that she wanted to be a writer. She loves telling stories and she's
happiest when creating new characters and new plots. Avalon Books and Montlake
Romance published Victoria's fiction debut, The
Doctor’s Dilemma. Her other fiction book is a
collection of romance short stories titled, The
Substitute Bride and a novella, Hot
Hawaiian Christmas. She is also the writer and director of four short films
and two micro documentaries. Visit Victoria's website at http://VictoriaMJohnson.com for inspiration and tips
and find her Amazon author page or connect with her on Pinterest and Twitter.
I'm not sure my memories are sharp from elementary school. Too long ago to remember! I'm sure writing and being creative came from those formative years. I love to spend time painting when I'm not writing so somewhere along the line, a teacher inspired me. Thanks to those lovely ladies.
ReplyDeleteHi Fran--
DeleteOh, yes, encouragement from teachers to write and create art were indeed a very nice element of grammar school.
Victoria--
Great post, Victoria. I think so much of how I view life is based on my experiences in grammar school. Probably the most significant lesson I learned is that although people don't always say it, they know if you're good at your job. Just as I knew in my class of 64 who was the smartest and who worked the hardest, in any office I've every worked in, I've always known that about my colleagues. I wonder if everyone else has the same experience.
ReplyDeleteHi Deborah--
DeleteYou're right, that is something we learn very early, and it is something we continue to observe in adult work life. Good one.
Victoria--
Grammar school skills are the foundation of everything we learn later. One of the most important, I think, is learning to relate to others.
ReplyDeleteHi Sandy--
DeleteI agree. Such an important skill for life.
Victoria--