"Get a 6"

Alright folks, I'm currently in a couple classes that are challenging me, academically speaking. One of these classes in particular is a challenge, because I'm never sure what the professor is asking of me. We have daily assignments that are basically summaries and responses to the readings and these assignments get a mark out of 6. Now to be clear a 6 is not worth 100%, the way she described it is that as long as your responses get better each time you will receive a good mark. At first I was getting 4s and then I was consistently getting 5s. It seemed like no matter what I wrote about, how much I wrote, or how many sources I used I was stuck with a 5. I'm am in no way writing about a frustration, but more of an inspiration. The more 5s I got, the more I wanted a 6. I stopped trying to please the professor, I stopped writing what I thought she would like, and I stopped writing what I thought she was looking for. 

One day last week began with the pleasant surprise of a 6. On my last assignment I wrote about what really interested me. I took the assignment to heart and even though I only wrote a small amount, I wrote what I wanted to write, and that little bit of passion and effort was more than the lengthy assignments I had been passing in for the past 6 months. Through striving to get a 6, I discovered the importance of passion. This same professor delivered a lecture last week on the importance of passion in writing. She used the example of looking for a thesis topic. She advised us not to just choose one because people are pressuring you. She said to wait. Wait until one jumps off the page, and if one never jumps off the page, then you might be in the wrong field of work. What a wise woman! This got me thinking to the rest of the papers and assignments that I have done for the past three years. The ones that received the best marks really were the ones I invested the most into. The ones that actually interested me so much that I looked at the assignment as a trail maker for my learning. I was learning because I wanted to, and the assignments that were given to me were simply road markers to point me in the right direction, to structure my research and thoughts, and to give me credit for my hard work. 

Isn't that what university is all about? Discovering your passion? Sure you are paying thousands of dollars for so called "job training" in hopes that you will be prepared for the workforce (and the real world), but it is SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT. The relationships that I have made with peers and professors have not only helped me to find my passion, but they have inspired me and have helped to light my so called passion on fire. It may have taken me three years to realize this, but this makes me so much more excited and prepared for my fourth year! How cool is that?

Anyway, I got my 6, but with that 6 I received a whole heck of a lot. I received the importance of caring about my own education and the drive to map out my passion. Even though my professor does not give 7s, I'm going to strive for 8s, and it's okay if I never get there, and it's okay if I do, because there are not many numbers lower than 8, but there are a whole lot more that are higher! 

6

Did you get a 6 in your life recently?