Editor's note: Due to an editing error yesterday's feature column \Find yourself this Valentine's Day"" attributed to Peter N. Long, was actually the work of Amos Posner. Today's column is what Long intended to run Tuesday. Posner's column can be found on our Web site at http://www.dailycardinal.com.
Last Tuesday afternoon was a benchmark day in my collegiate career, my very own educational ""enlightenment,"" and, very frankly, it was about time.
The setting for my scholastic illumination was during one of my two history discussions this term. I've been incredibly fortunate thus far in college, as each and every one of my discussions over the past four semesters has been fantastic, marked by top-rate teaching assistants and engaging material-and this particular discussion section is no different.
As section began last Tuesday, after everyone found their seat and roll had been taken, our TA asked us to break off into smaller groups to converse about the assigned readings for the week. Just as the barely-audible collective groan of disinterest permeated the air, a hand shot up and its owner, a young man named Barry, proceeded to ignite my educational renaissance.
Barry asked our TA why we had to break off into smaller groups to discuss the readings when we were already in discussion.
""What's the point of breaking discussion down even further,"" Barry respectfully pondered, ""when the whole purpose of discussion [section] is to discuss with the whole group?""
Barry made it known to both the TA and the rest of the section that he simply did not see the purpose of needlessly bureaucratizing our class to an even further level-and by doing so, woke me from the zombified daze that had afflicted my schooling for far too long.
Whether you agree or identify with Barry's point or not is immaterial. The real value of Barry speaking up in class about something he disagreed with was what really enthralled me.
Never before, in discussion or lecture here at UW-Madison, have I been witness to someone openly questioning the instructor. Barry was completely polite and respectful in his query, and it wasn't a result of some personal conflict between he and the TA; it was simply a matter of detaching from the system and voicing his opinion.
As college students, we oftentimes view ourselves as youthful, cutting-edge, culturally and socially-riotous rebels, when in reality we unfortunately do not live up to such a romantically idealized self-image. More often than not, we let the weight of our busy lives bog us down and transform ourselves into faceless cogs of the machine.
The problem as I see it lies within the current collegiate mindset-everyone is living for the future, not living in the now and enjoying the present. We are mired in the system where everything we do in school, whether it is sitting in lectures, studying for tests or writing essays, is construed as being preparation for the future, building toward some ""greater"" aim.
We don't want to do well on a midterm so we can test our knowledge and enhance our learning; we want to do well on a midterm so we get a good grade in the class and maintain or improve our grade-point average, which will in turn allow us to gain admission to graduate/law/medical school so we can get a high-paying job. Sometimes I feel like ""learning"" is the last concern of students in college today.
Barry's actions in discussion last week struck a chord within me, reminding me that, above all else, I'm here to learn-to question and challenge life whenever the opportunity arises.
Peter is a sophomore planning to major in history. He can be reached at writePNL@yahoo.com. His column (usually) runs every Tuesday in The Daily Cardinal.
