Studying habits in my childhood

For the past few years I've had quite a few parents approach me to teach them on the art of studying.  I guess some people assume a particular way of being raised will foster excellence in academia.

So, I will share the secret of my youth.

I never studied.  I don't even remember ever doing homework until 7th grade.  Throughout most days in my youth I would come home, drop my backpack off on the couch, then run off with my friends to the park.  We would play at the park until the early evening, then head home.  I would come home, eat dinner, read a novel (usually the Ramona or Redwall series), practice 5 minutes of cello, listen to my parents talk, go to bed, memorize basketball player statistics for 20 minutes (Michael Jordan's highest season ppg average was 37.1), then go to bed.  Wake up in the early morning to play some video games in bed, eat breakfast, then head to school for another day of fun.  Now, there are a few key things that I must mention.  I had no internet, no cable television, no pressure from parents, and no extracurricular commitments other than Awana.    I lived in a safe neighborhood, had lots of neighbors my age, had a great library near by, and was given a lot of independence.

I will admit that things changed drastically in middle school due to unforeseen events, but that is the subject of another blog post.