In the last few years, as my age increases and the athleticism from my youth decreases, I have taken up golf as a way to stay somewhat competitive and enjoy the beautiful Arizona sunshine. I now play respectably, usually breaking 90 without too much trouble, and I have a determination to get my handicap under 10 as soon as possible. But, like most things in life, it's easier to make large gains when first learning than it is once you get better. Gradually, the improvements only become more minute and harder to achieve. It's easy to go from shooting 110 to breaking 100. It's incredibly hard to go from shooting 80 to 75. And it's only the pros that can go from a 72 average down to 70. The difference between the best players in the world and excellent amateurs is almost imperceptible, often just a matter of only one or two agonizing putts. That is the beauty, and frustration, of the sport of golf.
But education can work the same way. It can be fairly easy, with some basic organization, discipline, effort, and instruction to go from being an F student to a C student. But it's a bit trickier when trying to go from a B+ student into the A level. The attention to detail and amount of effort must be raised. In English, more time must be spent on those essays revising and revising again. More knowledge and experience must be gained for tuning the finer points of grammar and rhetoric. So how does it happen?
Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in history, and a man whom professionals today still model their game after 60 years later, was once asked his secret for how he got to be so good. Hogan simply answered, "In the dirt."
In other words, there is no simple fix for greatness. If you want to be good, you must put in the time and effort. For him, it meant hitting countless balls at the driving range, working "in the dirt" on ways to improve his famous swing. For students, getting "in the dirt" means focusing on the details and working harder than your peers, not only in the classroom, but on your own time. Hogan probably could've been pretty good if he just went to the course and played rounds. But he became great by working outside of the course, on a lonely range in Texas with buckets of balls surrounded by dirty divots.
Education and skill development does not just exist on weekdays between 8:00 and 3:00. True learning, and the success that comes along with it, requires diligence all the time and embracing the tedium of tiny improvements over months and years. If you want to be a great student, it rarely happens naturally and it won't happen overnight. It takes focus, determination, and practice. You have to get dirty.
But education can work the same way. It can be fairly easy, with some basic organization, discipline, effort, and instruction to go from being an F student to a C student. But it's a bit trickier when trying to go from a B+ student into the A level. The attention to detail and amount of effort must be raised. In English, more time must be spent on those essays revising and revising again. More knowledge and experience must be gained for tuning the finer points of grammar and rhetoric. So how does it happen?
Ben Hogan, one of the greatest golfers in history, and a man whom professionals today still model their game after 60 years later, was once asked his secret for how he got to be so good. Hogan simply answered, "In the dirt."
In other words, there is no simple fix for greatness. If you want to be good, you must put in the time and effort. For him, it meant hitting countless balls at the driving range, working "in the dirt" on ways to improve his famous swing. For students, getting "in the dirt" means focusing on the details and working harder than your peers, not only in the classroom, but on your own time. Hogan probably could've been pretty good if he just went to the course and played rounds. But he became great by working outside of the course, on a lonely range in Texas with buckets of balls surrounded by dirty divots.
Education and skill development does not just exist on weekdays between 8:00 and 3:00. True learning, and the success that comes along with it, requires diligence all the time and embracing the tedium of tiny improvements over months and years. If you want to be a great student, it rarely happens naturally and it won't happen overnight. It takes focus, determination, and practice. You have to get dirty.