Chapter 4

I loved this chapter. I have a strong feeling about education being a community. Many types of communities and have strived to do this in my own education. One part that REALLY stuck out to me was when Palmer says,

"We say that knowledge begins in our intrigue about some subject, but that intrigue is the result of the subject's action upon us: geologists are people who hear rocks speak, historians are people who hear the voices of the long dead, writers are people who hear the music of words. The things of the world call to us, and we are drawn to them--each of us to different things, as each is drawn to different friends".

I just loved this and felt like I could relate to it. Poetry called to me when I was dealing with the death of my mother and held my hand through it. Then, I found WATER and geography. This was a part when I truly felt connected to the subject that grabbed me and pulled me in. Many of you have heard me talk about the San Marcos River. It is amazing! Spring fed from a limestone aquifer right in the center of town. It does not meet another river for 4 miles, and that 4 miles flows right through the city. It is crystal clean, clean, 68 degrees year round and just the most beautiful thing ever. The great thing about it is that when you live there you are always near or in the river. I swam in it every single day from May-Sept. We also float in it. It is a major part of any San Martians life. Because of this connection and time spent not only near it but IN it, there is a great appreciation for the river. It makes people want to conserve and preserve it.

I wrote many times for classes that due to the fact that we can float and swim in the river, that there is a greater chance for education. People can connect with those waters. This is what got me so interested in water quality, education, and geography. This river and my connection to it made it come alive to me and I didn't want to stop until I knew it's story. I believe this is community. A community between people and a river. One that is protected by its citizen. A river that not only houses wildlife, but is a central part of a college and community.

Enough with that. I also like his feelings of community within education. Not that my last ramble, didn't touch on that. I feel like nowadays many people are disconnected from their education. We are told that it is something we must and should do. It is something that has become the norm. I have met so many people that are my age that really don't give one shit about their education. They are only doing it because their parents made them and they are paying the bills. This causes so much frustration and concern with me. I mean, we should be a part of our education. We should be challenging it. We should feel as though we are a part of a whole, not just a consumer or a child made to sit in a classroom because we are told that it is right. We should take control of our education. I think that this is not done because most people don't care.