I've found that we college students, in our anti-establishment, cynical way, tend to view learning as uncool. We generally don't get excited by the prospect of going to class, and rarely do we speak with enthusiasm about all the really interesting, awe-inspiring things we learned at school today. Instead, we moan about all the work we have to do and complain about how our TAs are ruining our lives. The educational component of the college experience seems to get relegated to the back burner, and class becomes a distraction. But why do we adopt this too-cool-for-school attitude? Whatever happened to the "Sesame Street" promise that learning is fun?
Since the beginning of time (i.e. kindergarten), we've learned reading, writing and arithmetic, memorized the periodic table of elements and obscure mathematical formulas, filled our brains with a litany of historical dates and crammed for the standardized tests that got us into college. So given the fact that we've spent the past three-quarters of our lives in the classroom, it's understandable that the burn-out factor seems to take over in college.
But I don't think our ostensible aversion to intellectual engagement can be attributed solely to the brain reaching its saturation point. Perhaps the problem is that so much of the knowledge we receive, especially in college, is esoteric and impractical. While I am thoroughly proficient in reading and writing in both English and Spanish, I am utterly devoid of life skills. It's quite alarming to think that I've spent the past three years learning about Shakespeare and the imperfect subjunctive, but I have no idea how to cook a piece of chicken.
Now, lest you think me "anti-college" or "anti-education," let me assure you that indeed the opposite is true. I am, in fact, a huge proponent of learning, but what I'm advocating here is learning for the sake of learning and acquiring the sort of knowledge that cannot be validated by a grade.
It's been said that in college, we can learn just as much outside the classroom as in it. It's been my experience that the most fulfilling educational pursuits are those undertaken outside the classroom. I've found that I learn much more when I'm not forced to. Such no-pressure learning is highly effective, for I'm much more inclined to absorb the information and actually enjoy learning it because I know it's not going to be evaluated in a paper or quantified on an exam.
I firmly believe the dreaded Grade Point Average has sucked all the joy out of learning. Our indefatigable quest for the 4.0 has made education a chore. We're so pressured to absorb the information and prove our knowledge accordingly on exams and in papers that the act of learning cannot be considered even remotely enjoyable.
My quest for life skills, which I've recently undertaken as graduation looms in the not-so-distant future, has made me embrace this notion of learning for the sake of learning. In the past week, for instance, I've acquired a multitude of skills that are sure to take me places in life -- or at least help me pass as a competent adult -- including: how to bake salmon in the oven, how to operate a food processor and how to properly apply specialized cleaning agents to various household surfaces.
And acquiring such knowledge has reminded me that yes, learning can be fun. I think it's telling that I derive a greater sense of accomplishment from a successful cooking endeavor than from acing a Spanish exam, or that, on the contrary, I feel a sense of failure like no other when a culinary experiment goes awry. I'll never forget how good I felt when I pumped my own gas for the first time (I'm from New Jersey) or when I learned how to repair a particularly troublesome, paper-jam prone copy machine during a recent summer internship. I think part of the reason why I'm so obsessed with newspapers is because they offer a ton of new things to learn about the world every day.
Don't get me wrong -- a college education is not something to be taken for granted, and needless to say, we are very fortunate to be Cavaliers. But there's also a lot to be said for the educational opportunities to be had outside the Academical Village.
There is pleasure to be had in learning -- it's just a matter of finding it. I recommend starting in the kitchen.
Lauren's column runs bi-weekly on Thursdays. She can be reached at pappa@cavalierdaily.com.
Read More
It’s okay not to be okay
By Mai Hukuoka | 4 days agoWhether talking to a friend, a loved one or a professional, it is so necessary, and human, to need more than you can provide for yourself.
Taking a break at Tangerines Kitchen
By Charley Thomas | 5 days agoWhat the restaurant somewhat lacks in ambiance, it compensates for in tasty dishes and prompt service.
Virginia Policy Lab — a hub for student-led policy action
By Katherine Haden | December 9, 2024Students propose their own projects and collaborate with other members to research their issues of interest, brainstorm solutions and write policy proposals.
