Still A Caterpillar, But My Eyes Are On The Sky
"Hey Dad."
"Hey Rachel. How are you sweetheart?"
"Fine. Can I come walk with you?"
"Sure."
Walking with Dad always meant deep conversation over a wide spectrum of topics including faith, the media, forestry, creative writing, history, and sometimes boys. Essentially, we went on a journey together, not knowing if we would discover anything incredible, but open to the possibilities.
If you ask me to define quality education, I think of those walks with my father. With him, teaching was more about imparting wisdom than it was imparting knowledge. In fact, much of my education was like that. Don't misunderstand me. I had to memorize grammar rules, multiplication tables, and the whole Christopher Columbus story just like everyone else. But the staff at my school were more often concerned with preparing us for the world we would face after graduation. They taught us things we would need to know to pass the SAT and expected us to be good students, yet they also sought to help us focus on God. Often, we were not so much students as we were disciples learning from their years of experience. They made themselves a part of our lives, and gave us a quality education.
In his article called "Why Learn? What We May Really Be Teaching Students," John Tagg likens some students to caterpillars who do not know they are capable of growing wings. I believe quality education will involve teachers who help their students realize there is more than just the here and now. My teachers taught me that I was capable of doing a lot with my talents, like music, and helped me to develop the discipline to pursue new possibilities. Real quality education is about producing students who, as Tagg says, know "they are still caterpillars, perhaps, but their eyes are on the sky." I realize I have a lot to learn yet, but even though I am a "caterpillar", I know that with a lot of hard work I will someday have wings.
Pursuing a quality education means that I will have to learn new ways to think and develop my talents. It is tempting to look at the next four years as a lot of toilsome drudgery that I have to get through before finally achieving freedom. However, if I make it a priority to view my teachers as people to gain wisdom from, instead of just head knowledge, the next four years do not look as tiresome and boring. The different parts fo my education, from History of Western Civilization to Elements of Musical Theory and Wellness, become places for me to pursue quality.
Someday, I am going to be out in the wide world. Right now, though, I have the opportunity to be not just a student of my teachers, but a disciple. I don't know if I will discover anything incredible, but I am open to the possibilities. This is what pursuing quality and, as Tagg might say, being a good "caterpillar", is really all about.
"Hey Rachel. How are you sweetheart?"
"Fine. Can I come walk with you?"
"Sure."
Walking with Dad always meant deep conversation over a wide spectrum of topics including faith, the media, forestry, creative writing, history, and sometimes boys. Essentially, we went on a journey together, not knowing if we would discover anything incredible, but open to the possibilities.
If you ask me to define quality education, I think of those walks with my father. With him, teaching was more about imparting wisdom than it was imparting knowledge. In fact, much of my education was like that. Don't misunderstand me. I had to memorize grammar rules, multiplication tables, and the whole Christopher Columbus story just like everyone else. But the staff at my school were more often concerned with preparing us for the world we would face after graduation. They taught us things we would need to know to pass the SAT and expected us to be good students, yet they also sought to help us focus on God. Often, we were not so much students as we were disciples learning from their years of experience. They made themselves a part of our lives, and gave us a quality education.
In his article called "Why Learn? What We May Really Be Teaching Students," John Tagg likens some students to caterpillars who do not know they are capable of growing wings. I believe quality education will involve teachers who help their students realize there is more than just the here and now. My teachers taught me that I was capable of doing a lot with my talents, like music, and helped me to develop the discipline to pursue new possibilities. Real quality education is about producing students who, as Tagg says, know "they are still caterpillars, perhaps, but their eyes are on the sky." I realize I have a lot to learn yet, but even though I am a "caterpillar", I know that with a lot of hard work I will someday have wings.
Pursuing a quality education means that I will have to learn new ways to think and develop my talents. It is tempting to look at the next four years as a lot of toilsome drudgery that I have to get through before finally achieving freedom. However, if I make it a priority to view my teachers as people to gain wisdom from, instead of just head knowledge, the next four years do not look as tiresome and boring. The different parts fo my education, from History of Western Civilization to Elements of Musical Theory and Wellness, become places for me to pursue quality.
Someday, I am going to be out in the wide world. Right now, though, I have the opportunity to be not just a student of my teachers, but a disciple. I don't know if I will discover anything incredible, but I am open to the possibilities. This is what pursuing quality and, as Tagg might say, being a good "caterpillar", is really all about.
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