Two More Months

I recently got a job at the City Pool. As a lifeguard, you ask? No, as a cashier. Why? Because I get to send all the joyous little kids in to an excellent day spent at the pool, and don't have to yell at them for breaking the rules. I also (so far) have gotten quite a bit of time spent just waiting for latecomers or mothers buying family passes for their many die-hard, go to the pool every day children. I'm not the biggest reader, but it has been nice being able to bring books to read during that down time. I had forgotten how much I loved reading (I was the CRAZIEST most socially uncomfortable book nerd from about 3rd grade until 7th).
Well, I started reading an excellent book called Brave Companions. I used to be all about the fiction, but now I absolutely love learning about real people places and events, instead of unicorns, fairies and wizards.  Well, Brave Companions, written by two-time Pulitzer Prize winner David McCullough, is a compilation of "portraits" of figures in history. I am not all the way through the book - but the first few portraits that I have gotten through amazed me. I am in the "Phenomena" section of the book - in which the people written about are those who have made significant contributions to science or literature. The thing that jumped out at me about two of these people - Alexander von Humboldt and Louis Agassiz - is their incredible passion for learning and knowledge. Humboldt and Agassiz were earnest teachers who did not simply teach their students facts, but actually how to learn. Aggassiz, for example, would give his students a fish upon first becoming their teacher. He told them to look at it, and would leave. For days, even weeks a student would have to look at a dead fish, until they learned how much they could learn by simple observation.  They would get excited at what they would find - sharp teeth, the amount of scales or the interesting shape of the fins. Having graduated from high school a few weeks ago, I fear that these passions are very contagious, but unfortunately terribly rare. I think nearly every peer who graduated with me could say that many teachers these days do not legitimately have an earnest passion for what they teach. Many teachers do have a passion for teaching - but that is entirely different from a passion for learning.
Reading these portraits made me realize just how excited I am for BYU. I think in high school it is easy to get caught up simply doing the required work - because that is all the school and teachers really care about you doing. Most teachers don't really care about what you actually learn - they care about you passing. In college, teachers don't even have to care about you passing! However, one of the things that continues to impress me about BYU is the university's outlook on education. If you look at the "Aims of a BYU Education," the main statement says, "BYU seeks to develop students of faith, intellect and character who have the skills and the desire to continue learning and to serve others throughout their lives." I am so proud to be attending a university where not only are solid facts important, but the experiences that will matter more than knowing the difference between eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Things like service opportunities, the Honor Code, friendships, passions, and most importantly, faith in ourselves, the world around us and a Higher Power.  There is so much more to education than worksheets and comparative essays and book work. While part of the reason I'm going to BYU is to gain experience and learn facts so I won't have to be a City Pool cashier for my whole life, there is so much more that I have to look forward to. I leave in two months, and can't wait to be in an environment that will foster a true passion for life-long learning.