I have spent 5 years in CEGEP, 1 year was in Business Administration and the next 4 have been in Environmental Sciences. I have learned many things throughout this time; I’ve learned how to make friends, how to get rid of “friends”, how to study efficiently, how not to study efficiently, and most importantly how to feel like no one cares about you and that you have no impact on the people around you. There are a lot of things that play into learning, experience, observation, success, failure. I’ve experienced a good amount of things, succeeded here and there, even failed from time to time, and that’s all been added to the observations I’ve made not only about school but about people in general. It’s interesting to see the huge differences there are between people in academia; such as students, teachers, administration. Students are all different, some are outspoken, some are quiet, others are somewhere in between. Teachers; some are passionate, some are mediocre, some are somewhere in between. Administration: some will be there for students and work to better the schooling experience, some don’t.
I’ve had teachers that have changed my life and given me life skills or shown me complete different ways of looking at the world and understanding who I am and how I think. Other teachers just give me homework. I’ve had administrators help me get my schooling in order and give me a good direction that works fine. Other administrators just hand out forms and like decorating the office when Christmas comes around. As it easy at it is to see how school can be positive place of learning and optimism, it can be ten times easier to learn in a negative way and to become a lot more pessimistic than when you came to school. I learned pretty quickly to give up on principles because there are very little people who live up to them. The biggest effect coming from teachers. Don’t get me wrong, I have a very high respect for teachers I think they can be some of, if not the most, influential people in anyone’s life. A teacher that brings new things to the table or changes up how learning and evaluating is done can have such a positive effect on a students learning that it sticks with them for life. There are teachers that might not be the greatest at the job but still show that they try and that the job matters to them because it’s not just a job. Teachers make mistakes sometimes, every one’s human. But there are teachers that don’t try, that don’t listen to students or that will just do what is required and not budge on anything more. To them it’s just a job. In administration, these are the people that can really help a student figure what the next step is or correct something that they find is wrong and ease the stress of managing papers and forms and professionalism and studies on top of it. Others just hand out forms and show disinterest when they are presented with problem they can easily fix but just don’t want to.
I’ve spent 5 years in CEGEP, graduating next which will make 6. I’ve learned a lot about my studies, how to be a better friend, how to be more social, take more risks, take more responsibilities etc… I’ve also learned how little passion people have for jobs that affect almost everyone they interact with. I’ve learned how no matter how many times you try to stand up for the principle of something and try to maintain virtue, if people don’t want to change then they won’t. School has effectively and efficiently taught me that living without principles is really easy and that passion and motivation is void.
Adam Leal 