Quality

    I remember being in middle school and being told that I had to write a two page essay. I wrote with large handwriting and used as many words as I could in order to fill space. The first time that a high school teacher told me that she didn't care as much about quantity but rather wanted quality work, I was shocked. It was liberating, actually. My work ethic changed as I no longer had to worry about getting points marked off because something was too short; I could focus on making sure that what I was saying was important and well-said. I believe that this is an important aspect of "quality." It is focusing our efforts on doing an excellent job conveying important thoughts and concepts rather than reciting meaningless facts. Quality requires that we use all of our brain and not simply the memorization function; we must know the facts so that we can analyze them and apply them to current issues. Quality work cannot come about unless we believe that there is a reason for us to do it.

    College is not just a place for students to learn how to produce quality work – it is also a place for students to become "quality" persons. This happens through the disciplines learned during the college years. While individual classes are important, the skills and discipline that students learn because of the classes are most important. I can write a paper about the brain and while it may be good for me to understand how the brain works, it is essential for me to be able to discipline myself to write a good paper. In the process of that paper I would have to make decisions about time management, sleep, eating, and countless other things. The discipline that I develop in making those decisions is a very large part of making me a "quality" person. This is why even the core classes are important in college. I often allow myself to think that my cores are simply classes that need to get out of the way so that I can get on with my major. If I apply the concept of "education to become a 'quality' person" to my core classes, however, I must not have an attitude of inattentiveness, but must instead put my best effort into it. After all, this is loving Jesus with my mind.