Dear Readers,

When I was in the tenth grade, my high school announced the controversial decision to eliminate Advanced Placement science classes in favor of “Advanced Topics” courses that would free faculty from “teaching to the test,” by limiting their curricula to a speed-run through the material in the final AP exams. The dispute came down to two competing perspectives: that the AP courses allowed students to apply the credits in college, while the new AT curricula would lead to a more enriching educational experience in which teachers could adjust their lesson plans to the interests and needs of each class. In other words, the conflict boiled down to the question of whether students were there to learn, or to pass a qualifying exam.

Though we know the steps we’re supposed to follow, very few of us have stopped to reflect in depth and to develop a clear and confident answer to the question, “What’s the point of education?” We follow the path set out for us because it’s what is done, but we are rarely given the opportunity to consider what it means to learn—or to teach—beyond those required check boxes.

When we dig a little deeper, we find—as Blake Whitmer did journeying from rural Arkansas to the Ivy League—that the opportunities provided by the oft-assumed grade-school-to-higher-ed path can shape us in ways we couldn’t previously have imagined, just as what we have learned growing up can influence the way we engage with our colleges. Our sense of loyalty—even duty—to such institutions, can direct and define the rest of our lives, in ways that Dr. Douglas Henry explores in his essay on what we mean by “alma mater.”

And there are many other paths through a formalized education that can open up different possibilities and serve unique needs. In a conversation about her work with CTE and vocational education, Vanessa Ramirez shares how integrating workforce training with academics can contextualize classroom learning towards the ultimate end of employment in a specific career, and equip students to be more successful as they navigate such fields.

Regardless of how we proceed through our formalized education, the truth is that most of us are lifelong learners. Brenda Holston, in a profile focusing on her work teaching art as both a tour guide on staff at a museum and an art teacher for elementary school students, reflects on the value of studying art—an endeavor that may serve both our academic development and our formation as human beings.

As you explore the perspectives and experiences of the students and teachers within this issue, we hope they challenge your preconceived notions of what a good education entails, and provide you the space to reflect further on your own ongoing journey of learning.   

Fare Forward,

Sara Holston

Editor