{"componentChunkName":"component---src-templates-story-js","path":"/story/my-childhood-education-r/","result":{"pageContext":{"data":{"id":"-5bbd4f5c-8aa8-5727-93bb-abbe358e211a","authorFirstName":"Ryan","storyTitle":"My Childhood Education","photo":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/images/nr9digz2/production/073a1cfebe18ff80317c0c8b970ceb17a986bfb8-1500x1000.jpg"}},"audio":{"asset":{"url":"https://cdn.sanity.io/files/nr9digz2/production/d5db6fd649a8242d5e812f8c064843efb85f0aab.mp3"}},"secondLanguageAudio":null,"school":{"name":"2nd Nature Academy (SNA)","city":"Nashua","location":"New Hampshire"},"tags":[],"_rawText":[{"_key":"4dc55a760424","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"78605d1382570","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"My childhood education was by far one of the most valuable times in my life. From the day I entered pre-school to ending my 9th-grade year at a local Montessori School, I found enjoyment and value in going to school each day. As I sit here writing this story, I am imagining myself sitting on the rug surrounded by friends. To me, friends weren’t a few people who I spent time with outside of school; my friends were everyone in my class, including my teachers."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"2222caab69a4","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"9cb0f88d52a00","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"I never quite understood the importance of this mindset until I graduated from 9th grade to go to a public high school, but being exposed to this culture for over 10 years made it part of a natural habit. I can remember sitting in the hallway sprawled out over the floor doing a long division problem. This wasn’t any ordinary long-division problem but rather a long-division problem that spanned the length of 15-20 college-ruled papers. I was the type of ‘go big or go home’ person, and turning something ordinary into a big project was my type of fun. I still look back upon this moment and admire how I turned something that might not have been my favorite activity into something I enjoyed."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"1c7923fd10d3","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"695b0e3f6ed90","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"My 10+ years of attending a Montessori school also proved to be valuable in other ways. In a Montessori classroom, you are surrounded by materials that teach you by using physical objects. Through this learning style, I learned not only what the materials taught me but also what ways I learn best. Entering 10th grade, I gained a real appreciation for knowing how I learn best. As I was surrounded by peers and teachers, I began to realize that despite preparing as much as I could, there were going to be times when I still wouldn’t get everything right. It was the step I took after that, the act of self-teaching and self-motivation, that pushed my learning and set me apart from my peers."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"ec8597970c0b","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"c4e0034203b60","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"In 8th grade, I took a big step in self-understanding. 8th grade marked a time when I first got a glimpse of my future and adulthood. Apart from being a curriculum that focused on the use of objects as teaching tools, Montessori education was also based on fostering self-motivation to learn. On a school robotics team, I decided to try my hand at robot design. From the moment I began using design software to create robot parts, I knew I had found my clique. I was introduced to a tool that allowed me to create what I envisioned in my head. After school and on weekends, I spent the next few weeks learning how to use the design tool through trial and error. I designed parts, 3D printed them, woke up in the morning with multiple new design ideas, rinsed, and repeated the process. Some days, I would go to school and find ways to use these new skills to put my own twist on projects."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"},{"_key":"7770e5368ac7","_type":"block","children":[{"_key":"e957dad0a37f0","_type":"span","marks":[],"text":"Above all, learning more about myself through Montessori education is what made my childhood so valuable. I know my strengths, I know my weaknesses, and I found ways to use my strengths to make learning enjoyable. Knowing how I learn best is one of the most important and valuable lessons I have learned, and it is this lesson that I will carry with me for the rest of my life."}],"markDefs":[],"style":"normal"}]}}},"staticQueryHashes":["3309388390","890781507"]}