“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.”—Benjamin Franklin
Intellectual.
As schools are a critical part of strong communities, the “infrastructure” of our intellect is critical for growth. As an educator, I believe strongly in continued learning. Reading, it is said, is fundamental. More important than having knowledge is the desire to learn. In all honesty, one of the greatest frustrations of being a college professor is the dearth of students who sincerely want to learn the material being offered. It is unfortunate that a diploma has become a commodity to be purchased.
To gain knowledge is to question existing knowledge. An Intellectually “well-centered” person questions everything. It is not a matter of disrespect for the person delivering the knowledge. Rather, respectful discourse is the heart of a liberal education. A number of years ago, I had a student challenge me on a point I made to the class. He had been taught something different in another course and what I was presenting was quite different. The discussion, to an outsider, might have seemed contentious, but there was a mutual respect between student and teacher and a level of comfort that gave the student permission to challenge me. I considered that I might be wrong (I was not, however), and the discussion was of mutual value. It bothered me, however, that the rest of the class was less engaged. One student even commented: “Dr. Armstrong, just tell us what you want us to know.” No! She was missing the point. This was an expensive private college. I did not take my responsibility lightly. I sought to educate not just to deliver information. Disagreement if necessary for the advancement of knowledge. Where would we be, for example, had Pythagoras not questioned that the world was flat? Question everything. The Universe does not progress, otherwise.
I do not propose that college is necessary or for everyone. Nonetheless, knowledge and understanding is for everyone.
Critical to an educated population is the foundations of education—the so-called “three R’s”–Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic (apparently, Spelling is of lesser importance!). With a good foundation, anyone can continue to learn.
Desire to learn is of critical importance. Skills of inquiry are often underutilized. In an age of social media and questionable “news reporting”, it would be helpful to have a population that is capable of discerning fact from fiction. Instead, we often accept everything we read or hear without question. In addition, we are seeing educators forced to “teach to the test” and standardized content. It is no wonder to me that the most common question I get from students is: “Will this be on the test?” It would be better that a student ask, “How does this relate to the world around me?”
Daily reading should be a part of our daily growth routine. It matters less what we read than that we read. Of course, like with computer programming, “garbage in, garbage out.” A solid “infrastructure” comes from reading from a diverse content. Read what expands your comfort zone. Read what challenges your current understanding. Dare to question your long-held beliefs.
As a professor, I have observed that, like I was when I first graduated and entered the field, my former students seem confident that they know all there is to know. Personally, however, I am grateful to have realized that I know less at 53 years than I did at 23 years. I am of the mindset that an education does not lead one to a place of knowledge. Rather, it leads one to a place of ignorance. In other words, an education should reveal what we don’t know. Ignorance, then should lead one to want to learn more. I believe that the moment I come to believe that I know all that I need to know (or worse, that there is to know) is the time when I become no longer useful as an educator. Likewise, the moment we stop learning is the moment we cease to be a productive member of society.
Society’s investment in schools has a compounding return. We all benefit from an educated population. Likewise, we owe it to society to seek to be educated. Degrees serve a purpose, but the strength of society is not in the number of diplomas that hang on walls. Rather, a society is measured by the extent to which knowledge is used to serve others.
The well-centered individual is a learner. Lessons are found in books and classrooms. Moreover, the greatest lessons come from experience. Carpe momento!
“The goal of education is not to increase the amount of knowledge but to create the possibilities for a child to invent and discover, to create men who are capable of doing new things.”—Jean Piaget