Sometimes I wonder how much I've actually learned in college.
Sure, I know how to read a book, decide what's important, memorize and internalize, and I know that's a skill. But shouldn't every college student be able to read and think critically?
There are very few classes that I've taken (and this isn't to say they don't exist) that caused me to rethink the way I did something. These classes are the precious gems in universities that make me still believe in the system.
Though I take all teaching with a grain of salt and understand that all knowledge comes from perspective, those classes that taught me something I'd never encountered before excited me.
One of these classes was my photojournalism class in spring 2010.
Having never used a "real" camera, or an SLR, I felt intimidated going into the course.
What I discovered, lo and behold, was that it was a learning laboratory, a place where I could make mistakes, and it was OK.
We had one or two tests, but we were primarily judged by our work, our images.
After this class, I felt as though I'd actually, truly learned something -- a skill. I learned to do something I had never done before, and, unlike the things I committed to short-term memory, I could still remember how to do it!
Like any skill, ability comes with practice and time, and I knew my affair with photography would need more work.
Coincidentally (not really), The Plainsman needed photographers. It always does.
In the past year at The Plainsman, I have learned so much. The knowledge is invaluable, and most of it never happened in a classroom or the library.
It happened through the human interaction of a teacher, Chris Walker, and a student, me.
This interaction never would have worked if Chris handed me a book and said 'this is how you do it.'
I knew what was expected of me as a student. I was to go out in the community, get in people's faces and take some photos. If I did it wrong, I would hear about it, too.
Sadly, Chris won't be teaching at Auburn anymore. As the photo editor for The Plainsman in the fall, I fear what will become of the photojournalism department at Auburn.
But more than that, I fear what will become of students like me who didn't know they even were interested in photography.
I have had many professors, but few teachers, at Auburn. And I'm sad that others won't get to have my favorite one.
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