AH, sorry guys! I haven't blogged in over a month. But, I will make up for it by blogging as often as I can, on more generic topics than myself (still using myself as a reference point though, cause gotta say, I know myself the best out of every person ever).
Once upon a time...no, that's not quite right.
Now, this is a story all about how
My life got flipped, turned upside-down
And I like to take a minute,
just sit right there
I'll tell you how I dropped a major known as Education...
I have no swag AT ALL.
Anyways, I remember way back at graduation, I walked proudly across the stage as Lisa told the crowd that I was going to Knox College to study Education. I imagined it perfectly. Getting my Bachelors from Knox, as a History and Education double major. Getting a job. INSPIRING AMERICA'S CHILDREN. Yeah yeah. You know what I didn't account for? Life.
Yep, that famous quote about life happening while you're making other plans? Very true. I've learned that having a plan rarely means anything in the grand scheme of things. Not to say going into anything blindly is a good policy (especially emergencies. ALWAYS HAVE A PLAN). What I mean is, my experiences during these last two terms have changed me in ways that my plan didn't account for.
Unlike some people, it wasn't that I came to abhor the major I was considering. In fact, some days my education class last term was my best class. I still have the greatest respect for teachers. Indeed, there are five groups of people I have utmost respect for: doctors, soldiers, firefighters, police officers, and teachers. Heck, I might still end up being a teacher five or ten years from now, cause I really like helping and teaching and learning and kids. But I am not going to major in it.
When I realized I didn't want to major in Education, I felt mixed. On one hand, I felt relief. The education program is very rigid, because they need to uphold Illinois state teaching regulations. I felt like at seventeen, I couldn't actually say I wanted for sure to be a teacher. I was overwhelmed by the tests I needed to take. Some might say I chickened out of hard work. I would tell them to see all the clubs I'm in, and then we can talk. But, really, I was a little freaked out. So, I had a compromise: Minor!
At Knox, everyone needs to have a major and a minor, two majors, or a major and two minors. So, instead of double majoring, I would just minor in education. The minor is called Educational Policy. Well, as someone who hates politics, you could say I was uneasy with this compromise. I still felt adamant though. I TOLD people I was majoring in Education. I didn't want to seem flaky. I was also scared to admit that I didn't have a plan. I mean, in like five years I have to actually sustain myself. I will have to file taxes as an independent. God, I will have KIDS someday. I have to have a PLAN RIGHT?
Wrong.
I am 92% sure I will not be majoring OR minoring in Education. Who knows, maybe grad school? It's very scary to admit that me, former PCC and blogger about college, hasn't quite figured out the plan yet. But that's okay. Every day I go to my history class, I become more and more sure that this is something I would love to major in. I have also considered staying in Spanish, and maybe minoring or even MAJORING in it. Yeah, the girl who can't physically roll her r's. Brilliant plan.
At the end of the day though, I am seventeen. I have a pretty good sense about what I love. I love people. I love trying to understand why people do the things they do, what their stories are, how they express themselves, and what they can become. I love kids especially, because the world is vast and wonderful to them. I love dinoflagellates and punnett squares. I love learning Spanish. I love astronomy. I love the clubs I am in, because I feel that HERE and NOW I am on the brink of tapping into the richness of my life. Guys, my life can become something beautiful and meaningful. I can make a difference. I am here, I am now. What I do not know, regardless of what people say, is where my life is going.
So, I am telling you all that changing your mind about what you want to study and about where you want to study is perfectly legitimate. Some people have known their entire lives what they want to be, and they go and do it, and it's wonderful. But don't worry if you're undecided, if you change your major. Sometimes we discover what we thought we loved doesn't capture our hearts, and sometimes we discover things we love that we never considered before. I took Spanish for my language requirement, only to find that I am actually learning the language, and that with time, patience, practice, and an uphill battle, I could become FLUENT. SO COOL.
Know that "the plan" is more like those first few directions on google maps that get you out of your neighborhood. It seems like such a good plan because it's what you know and what you're used to. College is like the REST of the trip. You never what detours come up :]
I'm IN Greek life and NOT in Education? College is weird guys.
Muchos love,
Celinda
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