How I choose to learn

I believe education is a choice.

There were 55 people in my graduating class. We were in what was called a school of choice geared toward getting us ready for college. I choose to go to that high school. I could have gone to my high school which had sports and no uniforms. Instead I choose to attend a school that started earlier in the morning and that had one basketball game a year. Small class sizes and one on one environment was something I wanted to continue in choosing a college. That is how I settle on Western Carolina University. My friends at larger universities marvel at the fact that I have 20-30 people in a class when they have hundreds and that my professors know my name and don’t identify me as a number

Education is not just a choice in deciding where to go to school but how much you take out of it. It amazed me today as I sat in class and heard classmate after classmate say that they had learned nothing in high school. I raised my hand to tell a different story. While most kids felt like they were only taught to pass a test I feel another way. There were numerous lessons taught to us in school but it was up to every student what messages to take away from those lessons. What I mean is that maybe you didn’t have to pay attention in an elective course like art or library science to pass but in choosing to give it your undivided attention anyway you could learn something that would end up being vital in life. For me it was learning Modern Language Format in library science, something that has saved me numerous times in college. Maybe it has something to do with where I went to school but mainly I think it has to do with the choices I made.

I choose to pay attention. Day after day I still continue to guilt myself out of bed and go to class. Most days I don’t want to listen to a professor ramble about something that will mean nothing to me later in life. However, I choose to spend money and time investing in my education so I choose to make the most of that.

I’ve chosen poorly too though. Year after year I choose to be a mediocre student. It really isn’t enough just to go to class. I choose to do the minimum amount of work necessary to get by. I’m certainly not the only one to choose this path. Perhaps that is the true beauty of education though. We are allowed to choose and possibly choose wrong but at least in making a choice it is still certain that you will learn something. In believing that education is a choice I know that I will always be learning.