Blogs - Chief of Pray Blog

How does a bad student learn? I come from a long line of smart people who were not good students. Misbehaving in school or being invisible in a classroom is a trait in four generations of Zimmerman-Diamonds. Our family was gathered at the dinner table recently. My Dad shared one of many favorite stories about his education. A Jewish boy becomes a Bar Mitzvah when he is thirteen years old. Traditionally, that means he recites special prayers in synagogue and is responsible to take on the commandments of being an adult. It also means; he must learn Hebrew. In 1939, my Grandpa arranged for my Dad, Lorry and his best friends Freddy and Leon to take Hebrew lessons from a Rabbi. Every week the three boys greeted the Rabbi from the 4th floor with a water balloon. One week they didn’t miss.

My son called me last week very excited. He got a hold of a CD from business expert Jim Collins; Good to Great. He loved it. Craig always struggled with the curriculum in school. As soon as he finished his “formal education” that’s when he began to learn. He found mentors among successful people he knew and introduced himself to the business leaders he wanted to meet. Craig now has a top team of teachers who are helping him accomplish remarkable achievements in learning.      

I’m the same way. I took work-study classes to get me to high school graduation and completed only a couple of semesters of college courses. Yet, I never stopped learning. My interests are many and I intentionally find the best teachers to learn from. I take a current events class from Joyce Schrager, most weeks you’ll find me at lectures from the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and now I’m learning about Google AdWord advertising from Stasia Holdren.  I am blessed to be able to pursue what interests me and learn it from the best. How does a bad student learn? Find a great teacher who teaches interesting things. 

Career Steps

I am at the very dawn of my career.
I know exactly where I want
this journey to lead.
You know, too;
time and again I have asked You
to take me there and now
I ask You once again.

I also ask that You grant me
wisdom in the journey.
Teach me to embrace each challenge
as a new lesson learned.
Help me recognize the joy of the work
the unexpected truth
that there is as much delight
in the process as there is in the result.

Open my eyes that I might recognize my work
as a service to those around me,
teach me to cherish my career
for the good it enables me to do.

And when I have at last reached my goal,
remind me that I did so with You at my side,
so that I may offer you my gratitude
not only for what I have accomplished through You,
but also for who I have become.

-Abigail Wurdeman

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