Educating Rita - Reflection Paper

At age thirty five, I find myself being able to relate to Rita more than ever. One summer morning I found myself gazing into the ceiling wondering what I would do with my life. I had contemplated returning to school but found it too much work just to inquire on what it would take for me to attend Azusa Pacific University. Like Rita, my thrust for knowledge continued to grow and I found myself determined to return to school and complete my degree program. Rita's constant hounding of Frank to help stimulate her mind became apparent once Frank realized Rita's hunger for knowledge could not be suppressed. Through my experiences, I have learned that four key concepts essential to becoming an adult learner are having a unique view point, establishing principals of learning, exploring a person creativeness and possessing a motivation to learn.

One unique quality Rita possesses is her ability to go after the things she views important in life. I myself being a very shy person would have never been able to barge into a professor's office and demand that he or she educate me. Rita's focus on becoming a scholar had simply taken over her ability to function in her current marriage and social environment. Similar to Rita I myself have gone through the same process. Realizing there is more to life than sports, hanging out and wasting quality time when in fact I could be reading or studying to help better educate myself.

Using principals to help learn has become the most important concept in my life today. Surrounding myself with individuals I view as educated has not only inspired me but opened my mind to an entire new world. Rita also found that surrounding herself with educated individuals not only raised her self-esteem but gave the confidence to continue her strides towards education. Fortunate for me, friends and family were in my corner and provided unconditional support towards my return to school. Rita seemed to have an uphill battle when it came to getting support from her husband. Rita's husband had expectations of starting a family but when he realized that Rita in fact had never quit taking her birth control it caused a strain on their marriage. Rita's relationship with her husband had clearly come to the point of separation. Deep down both clearly had different ideas regarding each other's future.

Using a thinking process that stimulates an individuals mind builds confidence when studying a new subject. Frank not only introduced Rita to poetry but provided a higher level of self-discipline dedication and of personal responsibility for learning. Frank refused to provide Rita simple non-challenging assignments. This also helps me recall a similar situation. I have never been a technical computer person but as I gained assignments regarding repairing or replacing computer systems my confidence increased tremendously. It is through my mentor that helped me develop