Becoming


True or False: Learning is a becoming.

This week we have read a lot of stuff by people for whom the answer is to the above is "false."

Here is something for the rest of us:


Kurt Vonnegut is has been one of the beloveds for me since I was a high school student and the love and respect he had for these students and what he wrote in his letter is probably why.

When I was in Grade 11, I went to the head of the English Department because I was disgruntled with my English teacher and the curriculum. My argument was that, as English was the only thing I was any good at in high school, I deserved better. The head of the English department thought that as I was so good at English anyway, maybe I could take the opportunity to learn a little more about patience and compassion. He refused my transfer request and gave me five Kurt Vonnegut novels and two by Richard Brautigan to compensate for the fact that I felt I was spinning my wheels in English class. That was probably my best day in high school. The English Head probably helped make me a better person, Richard Brautigan made the whole world look different and in Kurt Vonnegut I found an ally. Reading those novels got me through Grade 11 and beyond. I carry Kurt Vonnegut wisdom with me everywhere I go. And now a whole other group of high school students can do that too.

See the letter here: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2013/10/make-your-soul-grow.html

No comments: