28. Self-Directed Learning

If the judge sentences you to prison, you should know what to expect when you arrive. I encourage you to expect many obstacles and frustrations. That’s part of the journey. Our website offers a lot of insight on how to get ready. The main focus you should have, in my view, is on your personal development. And that will require a commitment to self-directed learning.

You may have heard that the facility offers a particular class. Yet when you arrive, you may find a long waiting list for classes. You may find disruptions because the facility doesn’t have sufficient staff, or resources. Sometimes the facility has a lockdown. Other times, the system may transfer you to another facility.

Expect obstacles. Politics, budgets, staffing, weather, security concerns, and other factors influence how prisons operate. You will have limited control over those circumstances. A comprehensive mitigation strategy should anticipate disruptions and include ways to continue preparing when your original plan becomes impractical.

Your commitment to lifelong learning should not be dependent on what administrators of the system do.

Take Responsibility for Your Education

While in solitary, I learned from leaders such as Frederick Douglass, Viktor Frankl, and Nelson Mandela. I also learned from reading about business leaders. They helped me consider my circumstances. Their experiences prompted questions about how I could respond to the problems I had created and prepare for the years ahead.

Reading became useful because I connected the ideas to decisions. I could consider what another person had learned, examine my own thinking, and identify something to do differently.

Self-directed learning follows that process. You identify what you need to understand, locate resources, study, apply what you learn, and evaluate the result. A classroom and teacher may or may not be available. But you can always learn by reading, writing, practicing skills, and learning from other people.

That responsibility continues after prison. The world will keep changing, and your ability to learn will influence how you respond.

Consider Who Will Evaluate You

A person reviewing your request for an opportunity may begin with considerable skepticism. A judge, probation officer, employer, or potential supporter may know about your conviction before knowing anything about your preparation. Some will have heard many promises from people who failed to follow through.

Broad statements give those readers little to evaluate.

“I took every course available” does not explain why you selected the courses, what you learned, or how your decisions changed. Certificates can document participation or completion, but those don’t always tell the story. Your explanation should connect the learning to the life you intend to build.

Show that you are intentional, then use the record of your preparation to build trust. Specific examples give others reasons to have confidence in you and may improve your prospects for better results.

Consider a hypothetical person preparing to manage household finances after release. That person could study budgeting, create a sample monthly budget, identify expenses that exceed projected income, and revise the plan. A written explanation of those decisions would show the application of a concept.

The person could then identify the next learning need: improving earning capacity, understanding credit, or planning for financial obligations. Each step would give direction to the next.

Use a SWOT Analysis

Your release plan can organize this work through a SWOT analysis: strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.

• Strengths: What knowledge, experience, habits, or relationships can help you?
• Weaknesses: Which gaps in your skills or judgment could interfere with your goals?
• Opportunities: What books, courses, people, assignments, or other resources could help you improve?
• Threats: What circumstances could interrupt your preparation, and how could you respond?

Be specific. “I need to improve my education” gives you less direction than identifying difficulty understanding contracts, writing clearly, or calculating business expenses.

Suppose your goal involves starting a service business. You may already know the trade but lack experience estimating costs or communicating with customers. Your learning plan could include arithmetic practice, reading about business operations, and drafting sample proposals.

If computer access becomes unavailable, some of that preparation could continue on paper. Other tasks may require postponement. Record the limitation, revise the sequence, and pursue the work that remains possible.

Document Learning and Adjustment

A useful record explains what happened between setting a goal and reaching a milestone. Write about the concept you studied, the questions that arose, and how you applied the lesson. Include difficulties and changes in your approach.

For example:

• A book report could explain how an author’s experience changed your understanding of responsibility.
• A journal entry could describe a decision where you applied that understanding.
• Your release plan could identify the next step and a date to review progress.

Those documents allow another person to follow your development over time. They also help you recognize where your plan needs attention.

Build a record that may help persuade others to offer greater responsibility, support, or liberty.