21 - Learning (and Jeopardy!)

ABC

When I look back at who I used to be, I’m startled at how different I am today. I suppose that’s true for most people - if you’re not growing as a person, you’re not doing it right - but it’s crazy to see someone who almost failed out of high school, graduate college summa cum laude. Someone who used to hate school with a passion, become so pro-academia. 

But it’s not the institutional aspect of it all. In fact, that’s something I still very much hate. Getting a college degree just shows you had the time and money to go to school. And that second part is optional, since even if people don’t have the money to go, they take out a massive student loan and go anyway, and graduate thousands of dollars in debt. 

I hate the classism and elitism tied to ivy league schools and prominent universities in general. I don’t care that you went to Harvard. It says nothing about your actual smarts, or how likely you are to apply what you’ve learned in the real world. Degrees in that sense, are meaningless. Getting them doesn’t mean you’re “better” or smarter than those who don’t have them. And higher education is inherently classist to begin with, so people in the working class have a harder time reaching it. So in that sense, fuck school.

But learning something new in and of itself is fascinating to me. And you don’t need a fancy degree to learn anything. 

I’ve learned more outside of schools than I ever did inside of them; and, at least in the case of high school, it was due to a combination of immaturity and a desire to be cool that superseded learning on my part, and the failures of a Catholic school that focused more on disciplining students than it did making learning accessible and fun.

We didn’t go on any educational field trips, we didn’t have science fairs, or even conduct experiments in chemistry or biology class. We read from textbooks and took notes from a chalkboard. Not exactly the most attractive thing to a 15-year-old with raging hormones and a short attention span.

When it came to college, my grades were significantly better, though honestly, I didn’t put much more effort into studying or learning there, either. I just benefited from college largely being an academic joke, and subsequently coasted through its easy courses. Again, colleges are mostly a way to keep us separated by class, and not this glowing fountain of culture and knowledge it’s often portrayed as being.

It wasn’t until I graduated college that I actually had a thirst for knowledge. An actual desire to go out of my way to learn new things. I want to cram my brain with as many interesting facts as possible. And I’d be lying if I didn’t say the biggest contributing factor to that change was Jeopardy!

Sure, that might seem silly, but it’s absolutely true. 

I schedule my days around the show. Either I won’t leave the house until after I’ve watched it, or if I am out, I make sure to be home before it starts.

I’ve tried out for the show twice. I routinely get 25-30 clues a game - in a game that only has 60 clues total (61 if you count Final Jeopardy. Which, yeah, why am I not counting that?).

Yes, getting half of an entirety of Jeopardy! clues is an ego boost. Maybe it’s my competitive nature, maybe it’s a deep-seated insecurity I have yet to tackle. Regardless, I’m a J! fanatic.

It’s pushed me to learn. Some of the subjects and topics are recycled frequently, and after getting burned on the same ones routinely, I’ve made it a point to learn the right answers. I’ve started working on my weaknesses. Geography’s been a thorn in my side for years, so I went out and bought a globe. And an atlas. I compiled a list of classic books I’ve never read, so I can remember the characters, stories, and the authors who wrote them, as they come up often in clues. Although I’ve sworn off anything and everything Shakespeare-related. I’m...not a fan. If I ever do make it on the show, he’ll be my downfall for sure.

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t mention Alex Trebek. The man, myth, legend, and lifeblood of the show. He is Jeopardy!

His recent passing gutted me, and the show will never be the same without him (though picking Ken Jennings to fill in temporarily was a great choice, as he’s my favorite all-time player). 

Alex has taught me more than any formal teacher I’ve ever had. Maybe not directly, but he’s certainly pushed me to learn more things, embrace my curiosity, and challenge myself. And, honestly, when you think about it - isn’t that what a good teacher does?