I sat in the testing center yesterday taking my last exam of the semester. This was my first one back after a long break. It has been really amusing to me how the brain learns differently as I have gotten older.
High school's learning tactics for me were no strategy at all really. I was blessed with a good memory and preparing for tests was no huge challenge. But somewhere in my adult life, I began to pick up tricks of association that helped me remember certain things..that is, when I remembered to apply them.
So I recall smiling several times yesterday as I tackled the 110 multiple choice questions that were my final. One answer specifically involved the mental image of a dog and a potato. Another image was fireworks and a flag, go figure.
I'll admit that I was more than a little apprehensive at the beginning of the semester. Would this old brain be able to keep up? Would this former A student crash and burn when put to a new challenge? I got a really good feeling after finishing this one semester. Working "smarter not harder" is the blessing of experience.
