Emerson and I didn’t get along at first. Reading his essay was like reading Chinese. This second week of Emerson was easier than the first. I have become more comfortable with his style and I understood better this week than last. I do not pretend to understand all or most of what he writes about but I definitely see an improvement in my comprehension.
This week a disturbing truth was revealed to me, “In the right state, he is, Man Thinking. In the degenerate state, when the victim of society, he tends to become a mere thinker, or, still worse, the parrot of other men's thinking” (Emerson). I have been a parrot of other men’s thinking. I never thought of myself as a scholar; I considered myself a student. Now, I don’t know if I could even be called that. I have been parroting back information to try and earn high grades but I haven’t really been learning anything. I definitely haven’t been using the things I learn to spark unique and individual thought. I am ashamed of myself. I know I am capable of more than I have been doing. I was proud of my accomplishments so far but now the bar has been set higher. I want more out of my education and Emerson has opened that door to my personal greatness.
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Hill,
ReplyDeleteYour insight into parroting back to get the grade and how this isn't being a student or a scholar is a very important one. The banking model of education sees knowledge as a kind of coin. The teacher deposits knowledge into the mind of the student, and the student demonstrates s/he has learned by taking the coin back out and depositing it on a test. If the student makes enough deposits, they get a certificate of deposit in the form of a course grade or a diploma. A good digital recorder and computer can do these tricks.
True learning begins with an ability to use what you learn to build a better life for yourself. You find connections, and you discover meaning in what you learn. In the sense Thoreau talks about being awake, learning is being awake to what the world can show you and what resonates with what you already know and know how to do. I grew up among potters, and living with craftspeople taught me that one never masters one's craft. All you can do is learn and add to one's craft, so there is always more to know and more expertise to gain. This doesn't mean that you don't learn enough to produce a masterpiece or, for that matter, a thousand masterpieces. The difference between the master and the beginner is in practice and attitude. The master expects and revels in every chance to add to her craft and knowledge. The master pays more attention to every detail of the process and less to the product. The master practices every day and looks forward to failure because it indicates something new to be learned. Eventually, if the beginner has the patience, learns the right attitude, and practices enough, they become a master.
This is a very different model of learning than parroting to get the grade. Having learned this of yourself, you've taken the first steps to becoming a scholar and toward being a master of yourself and of life.