What is “Back to School” when you are an “Adult Learner”?
Here we are! It’s the September 2021 IAE Blog post, from me- Robin an Esthetics Instructor and Spa Industry Enthusiast!
As mentioned, I am currently an Instructor at the International Academy of Esthetics in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
September is here and “Back to School” is in full swing in our area. Parents have planned, prepared, and prepped to get their kiddos off to school. We change our mindset for, earlier mornings, school lunches, indoor shoes, and daily agendas. Our kids are fresh and bright like an Old Navy campaign as they excitedly head off to meet their teacher. So, we take care of our kids but what if we are the kid?! What if we are young adult learner whose parent isn’t coordinating our success. What if we are the parent heading back to school?! What if we haven’t been in a classroom since high school and that was when Fleetwood Mac topped the charts?! Maybe it was when Madonna made her debut, or a little later when Britney was the biggest pop princess of the decade. It doesn’t matter when it was, it just could have been a while since you had to prepare yourself as the learner!
My motto in this is “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” The key here is that preparation is key to your success. As an adult learner you need to think about the following things:
- Have a clear goal.
- Prep your schedule.
- Get your finances in order.
- Set realistic expectations.
- Have a positive attitude.
In considering these five points you are already on the path to success. It is important to give yourself room to adapt to the changes in your schedule and the demands your learning will take on your time. As an adult learner entering Esthetics school there are some things you can do to help you feel more comfortable on your first few days. Here are my personal suggestions to Esthetic students:
- Remove your nail polish, buff and file your nails.
- Iron your clothes and choose clean, flat, non-marking, quiet soled shoes.
- Make sure you have a binder & pen on your first day.
- Get enough sleep before your first day.
- Make a list of questions you have, perhaps they will be answered in orientation, if not you can reference back and ask your instructor.
When you are in an environment to learn something that interests you, the learning and retention comes more easily than when you are being told to learn something that is of little to no importance to you. “Every student can learn, just not on the same day, or the same way.” -George Evans
IAE ~ learn what you love, love how you learn. Best of luck to our incoming September students!
Sincerely,
Robin Tamboline
