Finals

As much of a headache as finals can be, they still intrigue me. For me, finals represent a challenge- a game to be played and won. How far can I push the boundaries of my memory? This is always the great task at hand come every December and May, and I welcome it. However, it also poses a deeper issue that concerns me with education (my own and education as a whole).

Take note that I said, "How far can I push the boundaries of my memory?" Not, how much useful knowledge can I retain and actually apply to something meaningful. Memorizing. Anyone can do that. Some better than others. But with enough practice and hard work, more or less, I suspect that most people could score extremely well on exams that involved memorization and very little synthesis of ideas applied to real-world scenarios. To me, the latter is true education. The latter is exponentially more difficult and time consuming to accomplish, yet, it is infinitely more valuable.

I may be a hypocrite in saying all of this, because there are certainly courses in which I seek only to memorize facts and processes in order to regurgitate (almost in a robotic manner) them on an exam to successfully "play the game" and get the points. But, maybe I am not a hypocrite. Because there are, more times than not, courses in which I seek to apply concepts and skills to scenarios that are relevant.

Maybe I'm starting to figure out what college is all about. To me, college seems to be about finding those courses and fields of study in which one grows to care more about the quality of  learning and less about the ultimate grade earned. Fortunately, in my experience anyway, quality learning, effort, and good grades coincide quite frequently. Yet, at the end of the day, am I more concerned about what I have learned and how I have applied it or made it meaningful in some way, or am I more concerned about repeating facts on a paper and which might as well be an abyss of thoughtlessness never to be retrieved again. What is my intrinsic motivation to study? It used to be to earn the grade. But lately I have been dissatisfied with that- I am learning to appreciate knowledge and that is what excites me more than accolades from a high GPA. It is this intrinsic motivation that is starting to drive me, and I suspect that it will be a fire with an endless hunger for fuel and oxygen.

I will admit, as I said earlier, I participate in both memorizing and learning. The opportunity cost of my time is a very real thing, as it is with most everyone, and I can't afford to be so idealistic that I forget to have fun and not waste ridiculous amounts of time on courses about which I have no passion. I will stick to memorizing and getting the grade in these cases (like statistics and accounting to name a few). But I appreciate these courses like I appreciate cold weather. I hate them because I love their antitheses, and experiencing them makes their opposites (courses I actually do enjoy, or "warm weather" if I am going to continue with this stupid metaphor...) all the more enjoyable.

To sum up, and to be completely honest, I have been more concerned with memorizing and "getting good grades" for most of my life, but recent courses and finals this semester have helped me take a step back and realize that memorizing is a baby step on the long path to a legitimate education. Grades are certainly not meaningless, but they are not paramount. Clarity of thought and the ability to analyze and synthesize are what challenge and intrigue me the most; and I am forever grateful for the professors in my life who have pushed me to do this.

These are the true educators.

And they all have one thing in common:

They are all still students. Always pursuing new challenges and avenues of thought.

So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

John Houser
Martin McRory
Jeff Sprinkle
Jonathon Weinberg
Steven Kreft
John Maxwell

And to my favorite, and most influential teachers of all:

My parents, Don and Nancy Williams

You have all influenced me in taking the road less-traveled in my rigorous pursuit of true knowledge.