A form, intensely marked, worn, stained, and wrinkled at the edges sits atop a deserted table in the library. It’s a typical course request form and its aspect leaves traces of the curiosity, passion, and courage which students have for learning at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. What this form does not capture is the daily struggle to recall why one is so passionate about a particular subject or ideas in general.
We lose sight of our passions because of pressure to perform. Teachers encourage the mastery of their curriculum because they know firsthand that mastery is enriching. However, this unspoken truth is not universally understood by students, leading them to miss the forest for the trees, the beauty of the subject for the grades, if you will.
Yes, that English assignment was intended to expand the mind, but for many students, this translates directly to “expand the grade.” The purpose of learning- to mentally and spiritually enrich-often gets lost in translation between students and teachers. In the end, it’s the students who must remember that what’s more awe-inspiring than a lifeless A on a paper is the richness of the subject addressed by the paper.
Grades are good and good grades are good-they’re a practical necessity. But grades should not be the sole driving force to learn, as the deepest, most fulfilling motivation comes from a sense of curiosity which is universal to humans. It’s not enough to simply tell ourselves that grades are less paramount than we make them. We must feel this is deeply true.
So how do we tap into our intrinsic curiosity when passion is waning? We must keep one foot in a world of measured study and grades, and the other in a world of wonder at the truths which study illuminates for us. When we get frustrated, we can take a deep breath, step back, and persuade ourselves to see what’s so fascinating about the very thing that’s frustrating us.
We must use our strength to try to see the beauty in what’s boring, even if it’s just for a short period. We only gain by trying.
The steps which make up the process of learning are each uniquely fulfilling when we take the time to enjoy them by living in the present.
So, preserve your passion for learning by pausing, literally and figuratively, to recognize what’s good and validate what’s bad or hard. Invest your time in the subjects that make you happiest and honor with work and openness to discovery the subjects for which you have no passion.
Let’s convert the curiosity we expressed in our course request forms into even more passion in the classroom.