Editor's NoteStephanie Stroud
I had a progressive English teacher once in high school that had us writing stories using vocab words, analyzing Blade Runner, acting out murder plays, and, his finest work, having us students act as teacher for a day. We had to take over the whole class period and teach a lesson plan about something we had covered in the class. This was uncomfortable for most, terrifying for some, and an overall brilliant way to get all to do their homework. My teacher knew the rich benefits of the protégé effect: how one learns from teaching others. Having to teach our classmates about the concepts in the stories we read suddenly activated different areas of our brains. We turned what we learned into a language that we teenagers spoke, making it more real and relatable. It made the course material cement in my mind, which still remains a dozen years later. Teaching not only helps us learn our material more, it helps us grow as we see our work through another perspective. It makes everything feel fresh and exciting. It helps us remember why we do what we do. Perhaps there is an opportunity to reach out to someone in your office, in your family, or better yet, a student: This month there are opportunities to provide a mentorship for students at both University of Washington and Washington State. Just imagine the possibilities! You can also create a PARK(ing) Day parklet with someone who is learning landscape architecture. A quick and fun event, the preparation provides a great way to learn design and construction techniques with the added bonus of seeing your creation function ‘in the wild.’ See our announcements for more details! Until next time, Steph Stroud
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