Reflections on higher education

Thoughts after reading, "What is College For?" in the NYT:

I've heard increasingly over the years the argument that college is worthless, and that we can learn everything outside the classroom. It seems a symptom of our lazy intellectual culture, which has been exacerbated with the age of the internet where answers are a google away, so who needs to learn or retain anything?

I'm probably biased, having earned a doctorate and worked in a university setting for a short time. And I do agree my major life lessons were outside of university. But my years of education taught me to explore subjects which I knew I'd hate because they were required (and discovering I liked German, anatomy, writing, etc...). The critical thinking aspect of university and having a few years to be away from home with the security blanket of the university walls was a stepping stone to adult life and contemplation.

One of the greatest joys in life is a lifelong love and respect for learning. I am sad for those folks who think college is about memorizing facts and preparing for a job. It is about something entirely different. It is creating a foundation of learning and questioning for the rest of your life.

Discovery: Job hunting is like trip planning!

In the past few weeks, I've scoured the internet, skimming and diving into websites posting possible future employment. In the beginning I had to get my bearings, discovering which sites held truly viable leads versus those which were only trying to sneak my from my pocket for a glimpse at their listings. It felt overwhelming at times, but I carried on.

Like planning a trip, choosing a job and new locale involves planning and adjustment on a multitude of levels until the details gel into a vision that becomes reality. Of course, it'll be a reality that's different from the one imagined, but nonetheless, the planning gets you there.

I noticed growing excitement and anticipation as I conducted my job search, wondering where I might end up. What type of practice and mixes of personalities and specialties? It felt like I was in university again, perusing my college catalog, figuring which classes were needed for each major, dreaming of the possibilities, which felt endless and breathtaking. To re-evoke those feelings is a gift and a surprise, hopefully again ending in a situation which provides challenges and new experiences.

A day in the life... of Sara

6:24AM Wake up. Check watch. Not time yet.

6:30AM Mechanical greeting from cell phone, "It's time to get up! The time is 6:30." Repeats several times unless press snooze.

6:40AM "It's time to get up! The time is 6:40." Shut off alarm.

6:43AM Get out of bed. Stumble to bathroom.
What to wear? With only five outfits, the thought process goes like this: "Have I worn it yet this week? Does it smell?" Ok then.
Brave mirror (luckily can only see from chest up). Assess hair situation. If sticking up, apply water or hair paste as needed.
Insert contacts or select matching glasses for chosen outfit.

7:03AM Leave house. Walk to coffee shop. Meet same 60 year old lady on her morning exercise walk who wears cool metal magenta or red glasses every day, say "Morning."
Continue walking.

7:18AM Arrive at Kokako coffee shop. Greet Sam the skateboarder barista, "Morning, how are you?"
"I can't complain. Same as usual?"
"Yep."
Pour glass of water. Pick up New Zealand Herald. Select seat for the day. (Do not sit in same place every day, this would be dull.)

7:30AM "Long black" is delivered to my seat in small aqua-blue cup and saucer. (Long black is like an Americano with less water.)
Read paper, people watch, journal.

8:08AM Walk to street crossing. Push button. (If not on time, may be up to 5 minutes wait to cross street.)
While waiting, notice traffic piling up. Think how lucky I am to be walking.
Cross the street and walk up and down several hills through the Auckland Domain (a park) to the University. Admire beauty. Amazed again at lovely commute. Try to avoid psycho groundskeepers who drive riding mowers like Aucklanders drive cars. (Can they possibly mow any grass down at that speed?)
Wonder if I am getting into better shape with all this walking.

8:28AM Arrive at University. Enter building, use badge to get through security and walk up 5 flights of stairs, mildly wiped out. Wonder when it will get any easier.

8:30AM Pick up student/patient roster for the day. Greet front desk staff.
Debrief students. Read email, grade exams, consult, check patients, etc.

12:45PM Lunch. Walk across street to Domain Park. Sit under tree. Read. People watch. Sometimes joined by colleagues.

1:30PM Back at clinic. Walk up stairs. Still out of breathe.
Repeat morning schedule.

5:30PM Go home. Another walk in the park. Or lollygag around town, taking up to two hours to get there, sometimes with Ursula.

Evening Varied. Plop on couch. Read. Listen to music. Research travel destinations. Reflect on the meaning of life. Shower. Wonder what will happen in the next year.

9:30/10:00PM Crawl into single trundlebed. Bedtime.

The end of the work week; thoughts on students.

Working with students is an adventure in itself. There is a huge range of abilities and I never know who I will encounter on any given day. They are here to become optometrists, ranging in age from 21 to 35. I am supposedly imparting my wisdom on them, since I have seen at least 20,000 more patients than they have.

What I hope I'm teaching them is confidence in themselves, listening skills, responsibility and clinical thinking. I hope to be one of those to whom they can ask any question, no matter how stupid it seems. And I hope never to be the one to beat them down or treat them poorly. God knows most of us can point out our own flaws.

Last night after work, I realised my shoulders were not tight. In fact, I was not sore anywhere. I was relaxed. And it was nearing the end of the week. I used to carry so much stress that my fingers would go numb sometimes, or my shoulder would barely move.

The internal relaxation is something I have been feeling more and more of since I've arrived in New Zealand. There are things about this job that might seem to be negatives. Maybe they are just differences again.