Passion for Education

It’s interesting to me how the distractions of life can tear us away from our passions. A few years ago my mom started to fizzle and wane from what she was always known for, a joyful teacher of music.  It concerned me that she had lost something that she wouldn’t know how to regain, and I think she feared, in a sense, that it wouldn’t return.

As much as she needed it, I needed her to shine again too; to find that love all over again and even deeper than before. I believe a passion in one’s heart can illuminate like little else, but the difficulty is recognizing it. What was put in her heart as a child, the kid who started conducting choirs at twelve years old, was now renewed at fifty-four.

My mother recently graduated with her Masters in Music Education and I was the kid sitting in the bleachers choking back tears. The achievement of a college degree is undoubtedly a milestone in life worth celebrating and boy did we!

To dedicate a length of time in one’s life to a specific pursuit shows determination, fortitude, and a desired path for the future. My mommy has found her passion again and I am grateful:

“The experience stretched me… to reexamine dormant talents I had not had opportunity to pursue in many years and to regain lost self esteem…by being with like minded professionals. Yes, my dream was to attain a Master’s degree.”[1]

Thankfully, passions cannot lie dormant for long. I think this was intentional on God’s part. No matter where we are in life, or where our children are in life, I believe that the pursuit of a passion is of the utmost importance. And when presented with an opportunity to focus on that passion through a means such as college, it is invaluable to pursue what might otherwise go unnoticed and fizzle away.

I recently polled 30 friends and family members, ages 21-84, male and female, about their educational experiences. I wanted to know what they felt about their educational pursuits, specifically if the timing of those pursuits helped or hindered their passions? Did they even know what their passions were when they invested in higher education? Because although my mom knew her passion, I think the timing of her Masters was completely the direction and timing God intended for her. He knew she would need this boost now and not thirty years ago when she tried starting the program, before having kids.

“I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did right out of high school, I wasn’t ready for that responsibility. It took a four year break to experience the real world to appreciate the college experience, and I don’t mean parties, I mean the ability to devote all of your time learning something you really want to learn.”[2]

Of the eighteen that responded, eleven did not go straight to college after high school. I was surprised at this number (61%) in one respect because it was higher than those who did attend college directly after high school (39%). I expected the numbers to be reversed, because the philosophy in our society is to go to college after high school. Is there a lesson to be learned here, that the point of higher education is not necessarily in its supposed inevitableness but rather the effectiveness comes, in part, through the timing?

I think helping our children to decipher their passions now will be crucial for when the opportunity for higher education is present they know which path to take. Hopefully then they will feel a freedom to be catapulted into that passion, either through college or another avenue if that is the better fit. College should elevate and support rather than what it often can do, weigh down through debt or regret because there wasn’t time given to find direction. As much as parents push for their kids to excel and become well rounded, it is necessary for us to take a step back. To be careful that we as parents are not influenced adversely by what we think is best, but haven’t taken the time to apply to our specific child(ren)’s passions.

“The most meaningful aspects occurred after my undergrad education when I found out that I possessed areas of skill or talents that aligned with my hobbies or passions. Sadly, none of this was realized earlier in education, probably because I didn’t really know what my passions were.”[3]

So how do we help our children, or ourselves for that matter, know what is the best avenue in support of a passion? I am sure that there are many things to guide us, but what I have learned through my own experiences and through the responses from those polled is that education, formal or otherwise, is fundamental to developing not only the mind, but also the heart of each of us.

Opportunities obtained now (music, web design, photography, dance, sports, etc.) will likely spark a passion otherwise hidden. But equally as important is releasing our children to show us what is of interest to them, even if that means a delay in formal education or none at all.

“I went to Europe for 18 months between my freshman and sophomore years in college – a fine arts major I was able to see first hand the paintings, sculpture, prints and drawings I had studied in art history class – it changed the way I approached the rest of my studies as an art major, ultimately getting my BFA in sculpture.”[4]

My goal here is not to minimize the importance of higher education, but rather to challenge the approach and the support through which it is obtained. “There is no one way or one answer – but there are options and I don’t think that is communicated enough.”[5] Our society is changing. Our world is becoming smaller. But neither of these statements is harmful or negative to me. Rather, they are exciting because the avenues of education are widening because the world is searching again for creative thinkers, entrepreneurs, and passionate doers. My desire to obtain a Masters in International Politics was specifically sought out but absolutely thought through at each obstacle and milestone.

It was not necessarily the finish line that was important, but the ability to navigate along the way and adjust as necessary to align with the passions in my heart, to be a leader for this nation in a larger capacity some day soon.

“I think just the experience of going to ODU and being in the ‘real’ school environment made me feel like I had accomplished something and I was capable of tackling my fears of going to college and doing well at it.”[6]

Do I want my kids to learn and eventually tackle higher education like some in my family have achieved? Yes. But I am realizing that the timing of each opportunity is just as important. “Make everything you do a learning experience. …Be amazed at what a good attitude and patience can afford you.” [7] Right now I am teaching my children about the bible, about being respectful, about numbers and letters and calendars. These things are of interest to them now. The passion Ryder has for letters might take him to great heights in reading or writing or a place I cannot even fathom. But the goal is not the highest achievement possible but rather the process in which he continues to have opportunities to love what he learns.

I was recently given the opportunity to speak to my Grandpa about his educational experiences, formal and otherwise. He is 84 and at the sweet place in his life of reflection. He revealed to me that although he only formally made it through the seventh grade, leadership later noticed him in his military career that encouraged him to get his GED at 37 years old. Ironically at the time he was instructing a professional development course on counseling and leadership for military personal in a higher rank than he. Yet, because of his character, fortitude, and passion for teaching my Grandpa spoke with such pride and equal humbleness at this opportunity to get his GED. That milestone was meaningful because it represented what he already was and is, a student that loves to share, which makes him the best type of teacher around. 56 years and counting as a Sunday school teacher, there are many witnesses to his passion of teaching regardless of a higher degree earned.

None of Grandpa’s six other siblings went to college either, but that doesn’t mean they didn’t learn or find ways to succeed. One brother, Jonah, has a thriving orchard in the North Carolina mountains and teaches at a community college every year on the secrets of grafting apple trees. His best student last year was 82 and was a magician with a pocketknife who still had a passion for learning.

Ultimately the point of this is to encourage us all, parents and children alike, to continue to value all educational opportunities we encounter. That the ideas of society about the highest level of education obtained is what’s best might not be for each individual or it might be exactly what is necessary to reveal what we already have a passion for.

“I also have found throughout different aspects of my life that having a degree has given unspoken clout in certain situations. It’s not that my knowledge had come through but rather a social status that came with it.”[8]

Two of the responders polled were either in a doctorate program or had just completed it. Surprisingly, both responded similarly, that the purpose of a formal degree is not to make you who you are, but to enhance who you already are, “…  to gain experience, credentials, and critical thinking skills necessary to support oneself while developing a deeper understanding of calling, purpose, and desire for life.”[9]

Education is a gift and like many gifts the timing of opening it can make it all the more special. I believe that God orders our steps, every individual, and the steps we all take to grow our minds to higher heights is as diverse as a beautiful musical score. There will be moments of pause, moments of excitement, and ultimately it will be measured by the beats of your heart. What passions for education have you experienced that have arrived right on time?