I go through the same routine every day. That would be fine if I was enjoying my routine, but I am not. I have no idea what the aspirations of my "peers" are, but I would be willing to bet that I am the only one who wants a sustainable, and self sufficient life in a rural area. The students who are considered to be motivated probably want to hold a lucrative position, such as lawyer or something along those lines. I bet they give no thought to their own happiness or fulfilment, because the school doesn't allow them to think in such a profound way. The only thinking permitted by the school board involves circling an answer on a test.
In history class yesterday, we were discussing capital punishment. The substitute teacher asked us to guess what states outlawed capital punishment. I guessed Vermont as one of those states, and I was right. On the way out of the classroom, I made a comment about the beauty of Vermont. The substitute teacher agreed with me, but said that there are no jobs in Vermont. I replied that there are farming jobs. I was quite surprised when the substitute teacher replied "who would want to be a farmer? It's really hard work." I had to bite my tongue when hearing this, because I could have made a very sarcastic remark.
As I sit in a plastic chair, attached to a small desk surface, I want to be out in a field picking crops, or milking a cow, or even shovelling cow excrement. At least that would serve a real purpose. What gets accomplished when you memorize the periodic table, and can give the atomic number of any element? Nothing.
I would be willing to bet that most students will forget the periodic table, or Pythagorean Theorem.
I can't take the pressure and the judging. The only judgements I want are the fat and protein levels in the milk produced by my cows.
I am quite impressed with your future aspirations. Being a farmer is not encouraged by society. In fact, your teacher is right: there are no jobs in Vermont, if you are, in his or her opinion, looking for a Wall Street position. But once that illusion is dismantled, which you have certainly done, there are infinite possibilities in the state.
ReplyDeleteVermont is, indeed, beautiful. On my first day of class at Johnson State College, the mists hid the Green Mountains from sight. The sunlight gradually burned it away. I stood in clear morning, with dew drops suspended in the air, surrounded by the mountains in all their glory. A romantic notion? Perhaps. I had chosen well, for I was home. Ironically, I was born and raised in a rural part of Connecticut.
Though I currently live in Connecticut – I am helping with my mother’s care; she has MS – I still think of home.