Time always is on go. It never stops. Not for me, not for you, not for anyone or anything. As time goes on we learn so much and memories build up. We have moments that are unforgettable and that hold so much value because we learned so much from them. Teachable moments are a part of everybody’s lives. We all have learned one thing in common to one, whether it be the ability to read and write, or for some of us the ability to drive. These teachable moments apart of our lives hold so much value and are so significant to every one of us. Time is uncontrollable and you cannot get what has happened back. As time passes, memories pile up and all have meanings, some even have left lessons behind them that we take on forever.
Teachable moments begin from the day your memory begins and the day you learn to remember things. You learn something new every day, and sometimes you learn unexpectedly.
As a child, your teachable moments consist of learning how to eat and drink, how to talk and walk, and how to get over fears like the dark. As a kid growing up and being in a Punjabi household, the sport I played growing up was cricket. I played cricket every day and I felt as if that is all I knew. However, one day my best friend and neighbor back in Queens decided to switch up on cricket and go play basketball at the park. This took me by surprise because we never could have imagined ourselves on that side of the park inside the basketball courts. There it began, my best friend was teaching me the basics of basketball. We began with dribbling and bouncing the basketball to shoot right near the hoop. From that day on forward, we never looked back and played basketball every day since. From hot sunny days to days where there was literal snow on the ground we would walk to the park regardless of the weather and improved day by day. Years go on and I moved to Long Island, then came basketball teams and tryouts at my new school which was from grades 7th to 12th grade. It was 8th grade, in November, the day the team got announced for the junior high team and I didn’t make it. I was devastated and I really believed that I was good enough to make it. That was a teachable moment for me because I thought I was ready and built for it however I had to work harder. I didn’t make the basketball team because I had no official game practice and I had no idea how a real officiated game was played as all I did was play in the streets as a child. The following summer I joined an outside basketball program where they developed skills and played games locally and nationwide. I put my head down in the summer and came back harder than ever. The following year, my freshman year of high school, I made the Junior Varsity team. The first few games I went absolutely insane and we were destroying teams left and right. On the way home one night after a great game, I received a phone call to attend the Varsity practice as a freshman. Wow! Basketball and the journey I had with it created so many memories over time and it led to lifelong lessons and teachable moments that I will never forget.
Teachable moments can occur anywhere, anytime, and these moments can be correlated to anything. Prior to the outbreak of covid and the shutdown of in-person schooling, I had to take an AP World History DBQ essay that counted as a test grade. I was not prepared for the exam, the whole day I was worried about having no idea of how I will pass this exam. I asked my friends and all they could tell me is study in my classes before, watch videos and read all I can in that short period of time. However, in the back of my head, only negative thoughts would come repeatedly. The thoughts overtook my brain and I decided to take action. Action but not action I would ever take again, I made a cheat sheet as if the teacher allowed it. I wrote everything I needed to know about the exam on the paper. Then came the time of the test and I decided to slip the paper under my seat. I sit in the back of the class and the test is handed to the first person in the row to pass back, so I thought the teacher would be unable to see. I was wrong. 10 minutes in the test, my teacher comes up to me and simply exposes me in front of the class. I was embarrassed and all I wanted to do was cry. That was just the beginning, the following day my parents came in for a meeting with the head of the Social Studies department and my teacher. I had to leave the AP class and join the regular classes. I learned so many lessons in this one moment, I learned to not procrastinate, to study, and to do everything I can to make my parents proud instead of disappointed.
A teachable moment is a particular period of time when a person is especially open to learning something new or developing a deeper grasp of a subject. It is a chance for mentors, parents, or educators to grasp the moment and offer a pertinent and worthwhile learning experience. These moments have a significant impact on people, including improved learning, increased motivation, enhanced critical thinking, and personal growth. Nobody is excluded from having teachable moments, they can occur to anyone, regardless of age, background, or experience. These moments can happen at any time and can be brought on by a number of things, such as a recent occurrence, a life experience, or a curious query.