When I was in middle school, my mom and teachers encouraged me to apply for a scholarship funded by Dr. Ben Carson, the famous neurosurgeon and (now) politician. I read his book called “Gifted Hands” and watched a movie about him and basically, he became a hero to me. I was 12 and it was 2008, I didn’t know his political views until much later but anyway it wasn’t relevant (to me) at the time. I got to meet him as part of the scholarship program. There was a banquet, and I got to shake his hand and I gave him a letter I wrote telling him how he had inspired me and really changed my life. Somewhere I have a picture of me with him and his wife but I couldn’t tell you where it is now.
The essay for the scholarship application was regarding a particular quote by Dr. Carson- “No knowledge is ever wasted.” I can’t remember what exactly I wrote about, but I do remember and still feel the impact of having reflected on that idea at that age. So much of what I learned in school seemed irrelevant to my life and I failed to see how such knowledge would ever serve me. But I came to realize that knowledge doesn’t always have to serve a practical purpose. It’s more about the change in perspective you get from the act of learning. I believe in the idea that the more you know, the more you realize you don’t know. There’s this idea in Daoism that it is the emptiness of things that makes them useful. It’s not the actual vessel itself that is useful, but the emptiness it contains that makes it a practical object. I feel this way about learning now, that having an empty open mind is the key to educating yourself.
Reflecting on this experience makes me think about how I will approach teaching. As much as teaching is about content, I also think it’s about broadening perspectives. For example, I am less concerned that a student would be able to tell me how to calculate elasticity of demand (I want to teach economics) than I would like them to be able to think about the concept itself and how it affects the world and their world. I also would like to inspire students to learn for the sake of learning, not for the sole purpose of getting a good grade. This seems like a challenge when a central part of our education system is based on grades but I would like to make sure my students know that grades are not the sole determinant of their futures and certainly do not define their worth.
I called my mom this morning to talk to her about the Carson Scholars program. She asked if I had become disillusioned with my middle school hero after he became involved in politics. I thought about the quote “no knowledge is ever wasted,” and told her that while he might not be the person I thought he was when I was 12, he was right. I was not going to disregard what I had learned from him because I had different opinions. Knowledge can come from anyone and anywhere and if you’re open to receiving it, it will never go to waste.
Sarah Sykora 