This is my video essay, about the importance of relationships in the learning experience.  I have added the text of the essay below the video, in case of technical difficulty, or more accurately, for souls like me who prefer to read along.

It was odd and unusual for me to make a video like this, so it may be a little rough.  But hey, I think I may have learned.  I’m better at it today then I was yesterday, at least I can say that.

There is nothing to learn from an empty classroom.

We need teachers, we need classmates, we need the relationships that exist within the classroom.

We need to have relationships with our books, relationships with our movies.  Learning is built on the basis of relationships…

And if anyone says different, they can stick it.

Learning occurs in the presence of those you trust, in the conversations that last a lifetime.  Learning occurs not in the hour thats tests one’s memory, but in the moment that tests one’s character.

Life is like a comically sized chocolate bar.  It makes you smile, but in order to finish it you have to share it with the people you love.

So give a hug, make a friend.  Reach out and learn from everyone around you. Develop relationships that will last forever.  And don’t be afraid to look stupid, because when your around the people you love, looking stupid makes memories that last a lifetime   .

And whoever said never look back, well, they didn’t know how to learn.

Because you learn from looking back on every relationship you ever had.