Fueling our Fires, Fueling our Passions
Imagine a kettle of water on a gas stove, waiting to be heated. Elsewhere, another kettle of water has a flame burning strong beneath it. The water boils. For some kettles, their fires are on a low simmer; others burn steadily on medium. Upon first ignition, the water goes an unsettling yet powerful transformation from tranquility to disruption. The water ripples. From there, the flame will grow or die. At a boil, particles disperse as steam, diffusing through the atmosphere. This phenomenon is representative of how our minds─ the water─ behave when finding our intellectual passions─ when our fires are lit. Sufficient conditions are critical to igniting that fire, whether that fuel comes from the support of our families and teachers or from within.
My fire ignited at a very early age. My parents told stories at bedtime and taught me the ABCs. The flame beneath me grew, burning steadily as I entered elementary school. I loved my teachers, classrooms, and friends. My middle and high schools continued to fuel that fire. As I neared the end of high school, however, people began to really embody their interests.
“We must breathe into whatever opportunities we have, no matter what our backgrounds are.”
Journalism students reported on the March for Our Lives rally. STEM classmates developed internationally-renowned projects, their water boiling. My water, on the other hand, was rippling at the same rate it had been since elementary school. Nothing I was learning sparked a true curiosity within me.
From my perspective, the education system is not designed to light that fire for students to explore their passions. Specifically, standardized curricula programs stymie curiosity. The Common Core is a widely adopted math and language curricula for students K-12. According to its developers, 41 states have adopted the Common Core. Though it may seem like an effective teaching tool, limited curricula produces limited results. According to Professor James Beane, the Common Core’s two main goals are college preparation and employability, rather than inspiring intellectual curiosity, critical thinking, or collaboration.
Other than the Common Core standards, most schools teach science and social studies and incorporate some language, music, art, and physical education. These subjects light the fires of some students, but for many like myself, our passions don’t fit these categories. It wasn’t until senior year that I took a course in Economics, the first subject that I truly loved. My water rippled the fastest it had in years. Coming to college has allowed that water to come to a boil.
Being here at WashU has ignited a flame beneath me stronger than I ever could have imagined. No longer can my interests be categorized into boxes. Not only am I able to study economics, but I can examine it through an interdisciplinary lens. I am able to criticize, analyze, and create new arguments. My steam is dispersing.
“The education system is not designed to light that fire for students to explore their passions.”
Although it took me so long to find my favorite subject, what kept my fire burning was that I loved going to school everyday. However, this can be a challenge for students who lack a positive learning environment. A beneficial education does not solely depend on the curriculum of a school. Both engaging, stimulating curricula and a positive environment are two very necessary factors in order to ignite a strong fire beneath students. The National Center on Safe and Supportive Learning Environments reported that both teacher and peer support in the classroom are crucial to student success and that a poor environment is strongly associated with “poor test scores, low graduation rates, low attendance rates, and student disengagement.” Many studies have found that low income students have worse quality teachers than their higher income counterparts, contributing to a learning environment not conducive to learning. Low income students are also more exposed to behavioral problems in the classroom. According to the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, social and emotional problems lead to acting out, impulsivity, and impatience, an environment much less conducive to learning. Nevertheless, many students are able to overcome these challenges and succeed academically.
That’s where our personal abilities to control our own fires comes in. Our environments and circumstances may influence our flames, but we must breathe into whatever opportunities we have, no matter what our backgrounds are.
In reflecting upon our own passions and interests, we must consider what got us here, what we have overcome, what opportunities we have had, and what roles we and other people have played in our lives. Could we be doing anything to fuel our fires even more? Could we express gratitude to those who have helped us along the way? And ultimately, what can we be doing to ensure that all people have fuel for their flames? Now is the time to encourage the fire beneath us all.