Becoming Educated through Love of Learning

College education does not make us educated; love of learning does.

I found this out years after a tourist asked me how many of us locals ended up going to college. Back then, I proudly told her that most of us do. She took that information with her and didn’t bother me anymore, but I realized something interesting. I realized that our little town was constantly being evaluated by strangers on whether or not we were “educated.”

But there is a problem with asking a question like, “Did you go to college?” and assuming the answer says something about who is “educated.” Because going to college and becoming educated can be two very different things.

Going to College vs. Becoming Educated

For example I have watched friends and coworkers waste time and money over earning the title of “educated.” 

On the other hand, some friends take a long path to becoming educated simply because they love to learn.

In practice these two approaches do not look very different. Both groups of people spend over four years taking seemingly unrelated courses while their families wonder what’s going on. But these approaches are so different when it comes down to actual learning. I’ve met two contrasting examples of this:

The first was a coworker I talked to every day at work. He liked to tell me all about the classes he hated before he switched majors. I asked this coworker what he would do if he could do anything with his life, and he told me he just wanted to play video games. His education didn’t seem to mean anything to him other than a box to check — a title to earn — and he never seemed to be able to find his passion.

The other example was a friend from some of my classes. He was different. Instead of complaining about classes, he soaked them in. Later, one of my teachers asked this super-senior to come back as a guest speaker. The young man excitedly explained to the class how he had built a flourishing national marketing strategy for his family’s company. In other words, this guy was way ahead of the rest of us. He could have left the university behind a long time ago, but he stayed in college because he loved to learn, and he saw value in that alone.

There is a huge difference between the experiences of these two young men. The first went to college — I assume he eventually earned the title of “educated” — but I am not sure he ever internalized what his education meant. The other could easily have left and answered “No” to the question, “Did you go to college?” But earning the title of “educated” did not mean as much to him because he just loved learning.

Benefits of Focusing Less on Grades

Unfortunately, students like my second friend are rare. Most do not go to college (and stay in college) simply for a love of learning. They go because they are chasing a specific job, or because their parents expect them to. And they learn because they want to get good grades.

Yet there are so many benefits to going to school because you love to learn! H. Lynn Erickson, author of the book Stirring the Head, Heart, and Soul, noted that “students and teachers who love to learn create positive tension and energy that ripples through a room with enthusiasm, curiosity, and creativity.” 

Another researcher, a Harvard professor, said, “If you love what you’re learning, if you find it beautiful and captivating, don’t worry about whether you’re going to be extraordinary at it.” He made the point that if you love what you do, you will find a way to contribute doing it.

Plus many studies show that when you are happy, you earn more, you have a better immune system, and you are more creative!

How to Become Educated through Love of Learning

So how can we foster a love of learning on the way to earning the title of “educated”? The answer is probably not what you want to hear. The truth is that finding a comprehensive curriculum to shift the focus to love of learning may not really be possible, but there are things that each one of us can do to help our individual education be more love-of-learning focused.

Here are some gems from people who have found a genuine love of learning:

1. Follow your curiosity. I like the story Steve Jobs told in a Stanford graduation speech. He talked about taking a calligraphy class in college — I know! What does calligraphy have to do with Apple computers, or anything for that matter? But he was curious, so he took the class. It wasn’t until later that he connected the dots: the things he learned in that class eventually played a role in the font design that made his computers so user friendly.
2. Be humble. Dr. Drew Gilpin Faust, Former President of Harvard, talked about this when she spoke to BYU in March of 2021. She encouraged students to open themselves to being a little disoriented as they explore cultures, opinions and times different from their own. Humility and education go together, she argued. And they are a lifelong pursuit because “what you don’t know will always exceed what you do.”
3. Finally, do not be afraid to leave your comfort zone. Jacob Barandes, a physics lecturer at Harvard, says, “Confronting our fears is how we build courage — it’s how we grow.” Getting out of your comfort zone could include asking real questions that might sound dumb. It might mean exploring different classes even if they don’t fit your plan. It could even mean pursuing job opportunities you are hesitant about because you are worried you are not good enough. I have found these things working in my own life.

When we look at education as an opportunity to love learning, our whole outlook changes. Becoming educated becomes less about earning a title, and more about being the best version of ourselves. 

With this point of view, is there ever really a point when any of us earn the title of “educated”? There are so many ways to become educated. Do not fall into the trap of simply judging people by the title of “educated” — like my tourist friend — and not by the love of learning gained along the way.

If I could talk to that tourist again today, I would encourage her to ask a different question, one that reflects a point of view of curiosity, humility and risk-taking. She might ask, “What are the things that are important to your community?” and “What have you learned from growing up here?” If she did, she might learn that becoming “educated” has more nuance than she previously believed.

Maybe she would learn something new about the people she is evaluating. After all, learning new things is what education is all about.

– by Abbie Call

Feature image courtesy Pixabay.

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