As we reach the end of the semester, in the weeks sandwiched between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we see and hear a lot of students lose their motivation to follow through. Granted, the faculty could do a better job of spreading out responsibility through the semester rather than allowing it to stack up at the end when the students are all nostalgic for holidays, gifts, and gaiety. There is a problem here that needs addressing.
For those of you who consider quitting, first of all, I appreciate your honesty. Many people are not willing to admit their shortcomings, but that is the first R of Reform, to Recognize. I can only imagine why. Winter was always a rough time when I was a student because there are so many other things revolving around fun, family, and festivity, that it's hard to focus on the hard and often monotonous work that stacks up just before you celebrate Christ's birth.
As a College employee, I'm a little sad, but I won't take it personally. You have already paid them for the classes, and so now it's entirely up to you if the money spent was money well spent. Along the way through college, I remember many classes or portions of classes that I either hated or for which I saw absolutely zero need. As far as work goes, sure, I don't evaluate fractals or integrate functions from zero to infinity, but math taught me order and to calculate things, and I learned other valuable lessons from Jane Eyre, McTeague, and The Jazz Singer. Let's face it that life is about routine and conflict, and if we know how others dealt with it, we can either avoid their mistakes or follow their successful strategies.
One of the most valuable things you can get from education is to get an education. Although your degree might not be something you ever actually do, it shows things that you can do. It shows commitment to goals and follow through on difficult, monotonous, and repetitive duties and assignments. It shows that you can finish something. It demonstrates aptitude to succeed. It shows us that you were able to assimilate, integrate, and at least regurgitate a large body of information on subjects ranging from the mundane to the transformative. Also, knowledge is the only thing you take with you from this life as a guarantee, and so the person who gains more does better. Notice that I said 'gain' and not 'receive' because whether it gets into you depends just as much on the learner as it does on the teacher.
Your teachers may not be the greatest, but for those who really care, you owe them the service of being a good customer. For those who got into the subject and got the subject into themselves, please do us the favor of getting it into you, even if you just can't quite get into the material. As someone who has sat on selection committees for the hiring of employees, although grades do not matter per se, completion does. Plus, you've already paid a great price, and I would like to see it well used.
For those of you who consider quitting, first of all, I appreciate your honesty. Many people are not willing to admit their shortcomings, but that is the first R of Reform, to Recognize. I can only imagine why. Winter was always a rough time when I was a student because there are so many other things revolving around fun, family, and festivity, that it's hard to focus on the hard and often monotonous work that stacks up just before you celebrate Christ's birth.
As a College employee, I'm a little sad, but I won't take it personally. You have already paid them for the classes, and so now it's entirely up to you if the money spent was money well spent. Along the way through college, I remember many classes or portions of classes that I either hated or for which I saw absolutely zero need. As far as work goes, sure, I don't evaluate fractals or integrate functions from zero to infinity, but math taught me order and to calculate things, and I learned other valuable lessons from Jane Eyre, McTeague, and The Jazz Singer. Let's face it that life is about routine and conflict, and if we know how others dealt with it, we can either avoid their mistakes or follow their successful strategies.
One of the most valuable things you can get from education is to get an education. Although your degree might not be something you ever actually do, it shows things that you can do. It shows commitment to goals and follow through on difficult, monotonous, and repetitive duties and assignments. It shows that you can finish something. It demonstrates aptitude to succeed. It shows us that you were able to assimilate, integrate, and at least regurgitate a large body of information on subjects ranging from the mundane to the transformative. Also, knowledge is the only thing you take with you from this life as a guarantee, and so the person who gains more does better. Notice that I said 'gain' and not 'receive' because whether it gets into you depends just as much on the learner as it does on the teacher.
Your teachers may not be the greatest, but for those who really care, you owe them the service of being a good customer. For those who got into the subject and got the subject into themselves, please do us the favor of getting it into you, even if you just can't quite get into the material. As someone who has sat on selection committees for the hiring of employees, although grades do not matter per se, completion does. Plus, you've already paid a great price, and I would like to see it well used.
What thou dost, do well.
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